Guide dogs

Guide dogs help blind and people with low vision get around safely, with greater speed and confidence. They mean freedom, independence, confidence and companionship.

Guide dogs are taught how to guide their handlers around hazards, negotiate traffic, locate common destinations such as the supermarket, bus stop or work and travel on public transport.

We breed, develop, train and match guide dogs with a member. The dogs are bred under our world class breeding programme. They are then taken under the care of volunteers known as puppy walkers  who provide them with developmental training and socialisation skills for about a year until they return to our guide dog centre in Manurewa, Auckland for formal training.

After training, the guide dogs are carefully matched to their handler according to the dog's characteristics and the handler's needs and lifestyle. We then continue to visit our guide dogs, providing extra support and training if required, until the guide dog reaches retirement. 

For more information, call us on 0800 24 33 33 or email gds@rnzfb.org.nz

Watch a video on YouTube showing the journey of an RNZFB guide dog (.mov, 9:25 minutes).

We need your help!

To become a guide dog, puppies train for two years, pass 55 different tests and walk many thousands of steps. As there is no government funding allocated to our guide dog programme, we are completely reliant on fundraising efforts and the generous support of New Zealanders to be able to provide this life-changing service to our members.

You can sponsor a guide dog! Become a Red Puppy Sponsor today and learn more about how you can support guide dogs.