Police tried to use a stun gun to quell their assailant in the shooting incident in Christchurch on Tuesday, but were unsuccessful.
Senior Constable Bruce Lamb and Constable Mitchel Alatalo were both wounded in the shooting in suburban Phillipstown.
Mr Lamb, a police dog handler whose dog Gage was shot dead in the incident, was shot in the face and had titanium plates inserted in his face and jaw in surgery at Christchurch Hospital yesterday.
Mr Atalato was shot in the thigh. He was also operated on and police expected him to be released from hospital soon.
Canterbury police commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said he had spoken to Mr Lamb by phone yesterday.
"Bruce is in a lot of pain, but he's talking and seems very chipper for what he's been through," he said.
The use of the Taser was revealed by Mr Cliff yesterday.
The two officers and another one were following up inquiries with neighbours of a resident in Buccleugh St when they smelled cannabis and were met with an unpredictable response, Mr Cliff said.
"One of the other constables went back to the car and did have the Taser and that was deployed in the house, but not used successfully with the other offender shooting at the officers."
It was possible a probe from the Taser had entered the offender, but that had not been confirmed, Mr Cliff said.
Mr Lamb had a firearm in his police vehicle, but had not considered it necessary when he went into the house, because there were no immediate threats, he said.
Gage was shot after the two officers had been hit.
"It appears the dog has given up his life to save his handler and created some time and space to enable him to escape from the address," Mr Cliff told a press conference.
Attempted murder charges were laid against 34-year-old Christchurch man, Christopher Graeme Smith yesterday. He was remanded in custody.
A man from the same Phillipstown address, 31-year-old unemployed Steven Paul Smith, was charged with possession of cannabis and was granted a registrar's remand to July 28.
The incident has sparked a vigorous debate about the arming of police.
The Police Association has pushed for the general arming of frontline police and Police Commissioner Howard Broad does not favour the general arming of police, he said frontline officers will soon get quicker access to firearms.
But the Green Party is warning against rushing headlong into that.
"We want to do all we can to protect our police, but having more officers carrying guns is not the answer.
"Overseas, criminals have tended to arm themselves in response to police carrying weapons, with more officers ending up shot or killed."
NZPA