Young men detained for assault, theft and drug offences are training guide dogs in a program they say has changed their lives.

They are doing such a good job, Guide Dogs New South Wales wants to put more puppies behind bars, in an effort to slash the six-month wait for vision-impaired people who need a guide dog.

Two six-month-old puppies, Ziggy and Zephyr, have been raised at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Detention Centre at Kariong, on the NSW Central Coast.

The dogs are each assigned two inmates to care for them, 24 hours a day, five days a week.

Inmates take the dogs with them to classes inside the centre and take part in a rigorous training program.

Seventeen-year-old Connor (names have been changed for legal reasons) said it felt good to give back to the community.

"A blind person's going to get this dog," he said.

"It makes me feel proud in myself because I'm training this dog for a good reason."

Puppy development adviser for Guide Dogs NSW Kerry Chauncy said some of the offenders had never owned a dog, but they were faring well.

"Every instruction that I give them they follow to a tee," she said.

"They ask lots of questions. I couldn't have asked for a better start to the program."

But, puppies being puppies, it was difficult to conduct an interview without interruption.

Guide Dogs NSW handler Kerry Chauncy says the detainees are proving model dog trainers. ( ABC News: Nicole Chettle )

Chauncy: It's good to see the relationship between the pups and the young men.

Ziggy the labrador: (Barking)

Chauncy: (Laughs) Shoosh! The fact that they call me 'Miss' is a bit unnerving but I'm getting used to that. They're just really accommodating, really friendly.

Ziggy: (Barking)

Chauncy: Oi! That's enough!



Guide Dogs 'in desperate need' of more trainers

Guide Dogs services manager Paul Adrian said 25 people were waiting for guide dogs in NSW alone, and this program would help reduce the waiting list.

"We're in desperate need of more people to raise these beautiful labradors. From eight weeks of age up until 12 months," he said.

"And it's becoming increasingly difficult to bring families in. So the opportunity to work with centres such as this to raise our puppies was exciting.

"We're really impressed with the way the boys are working with the dogs and the professionalism of the staff here.

"We're ready to expand and hopefully in the next few weeks we'll be able to bring a few more puppies up to join the program."

And aside from chewing the odd shoe, it seems the puppies have brought a lot of joy to their carer.

"They make your day," said 19-year-old Myles.

"Zephyr's like my best mate. They're happy, playful and always hungry."

The woman in charge at the detention centre, Crosbi Knight, said the program teaches detainees responsibility and empathy.

"It really softens them and changes the way they interact with others. With our staff here, with each other and definitely with the pups," she said.

Guide Dogs NSW said 60 dogs should graduate next year but it was hoping to increase that figure to 100 in the next few years.

"Only one in four people who are eligible for a guide dog actually have one," Mr Adrian said.

"So the opportunity to expand and meet that unmet demand in the future is huge. It's very ambitious."

The inmates have ambitions of their own, and a message for people on the outside: "Don't be judgmental."

"Just because we're, like criminals," said 17-year-old Karl. "We can do good things for people who need help."

Ben, 17, agrees: "I've got family that want to see me making new changes and decisions in my life, so hopefully seeing this will make them real happy."

"It sort of shows that we can change. And we changed for the better, yeah."