Fostering a young drug detection dog can tick a lot of feel-good options. This gives you the chance to help a puppy grow into a well-adjusted dog without having to commit to raising the animal forever; you'll also be helping government-led drug enforcement agencies or private dog training companies to train dogs who can actively keep drugs out of your community and country. What does fostering involve?

The Basics of Drug Detection Puppy Fostering

You'll typically foster a drug detection puppy for just over a year, giving the dog time to grow to a stage where it can be assessed for full narcotics training. During the fostering period, the puppy will live with you at home apart from designated periods where it will work with trainers (either in your home or off-site). One of the big bonuses here is that you get to bring up the puppy at no cost — typically, the agency that places the dog with you will pay for the dog's basic needs, all its food and any vet's bills during the time it lives with you.

Do You Have to Train the Puppy?

Puppies that have been bred or selected for drug detection training don't typically receive any drug-related training until they come out of the fostering process. However, this doesn't mean that you won't contribute to a puppy's future chances of getting into the program when it is old enough. A good drug trained detection dog needs to be confident and comfortable around people and used to different situations — this is where you come in.

For example, you're likely to be asked to make sure that you take the pup out and about with you regularly to expose it to different places and situations. You may also may be advised to get the pup used to travelling in cars and on trains and buses; going up and down stairs, escalators and travelling in lifts may also be useful. Taking your puppy to busy shopping centres, stations and parks, and walking along busy roads can also help it develop the experience banks it needs to cope with the different situations it may come across in its working life.

Do You Need Dog Training Experience?

You typically don't need any dog training experience to foster a detection dog — the emphasis here is on integrating the puppy into your life and helping it learn the basics about the outside world. You may have to meet certain conditions before you qualify as a foster carer, however. For example, you're likely to need to commit to walking the dog at least once a day and to taking it out and about on environmental trips a few times a week. You're also likely to need a yard area with secure fencing; some agencies also prefer their puppies to sleep outside the home (on a veranda or in a kennel) from an early age to get used to life as a detection dog later.

While you'll no doubt be proud to see your puppy move into its working life once the fostering period is over, you're also likely to miss the little mutt. If you've got particularly attached, ask the agency that owns the dog what happens if the dog doesn't get through the drug detection selection process. Some agencies will offer the dog to foster carers permanently if this happens.