Puppy Development Advisor

A little about us:

EverAbility Group have a long and proud history of providing services for people with disabilities across Western Australia and Tasmania. Together our team of nearly 200 staff and over 500 volunteers support our growing group of diverse services.

Our growing family of services at EverAbility Group include:

VisAbility our specialised service supporting people with blindness or vision impairment.

Guide Dogs WA and Guide Dogs Tasmania our iconic service raising and training life changing assistance dogs.

Kites Childrens Therapy our early intervention support advice and solutions service transforming the lives of children and their families living with disability or developmental challenges.

Perron Place our innovative and collaborative community centre.

This opens up a world of possibilities for our clients and also opens up a host of career opportunities for you!

About the Role

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated individual to support the care of our puppies and their volunteer handlers during the whelping and puppy rearing process.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Recruit and Support Volunteers

• Recruiting training and ongoing development of Puppy Development Volunteers including raisers and boarders.
• Recruiting and supporting bed and breakfast boarders in consultation with Guide Dog Trainers.
• Facilitating home assessments for appropriate volunteer selection.
• Providing development training and support to volunteers through group sessions home visits and oneonone sessions.
• Liaising with volunteers and staff members to offer advice in preparation for pup intake
• Supporting breeding stock volunteers especially during whelping and litter rearing.

Puppy Development

• Supporting the early socialisation and development of litters alongside breeding stock volunteers.
• Undertaking puppy assessments in collaboration with the Puppy Development Team to evaluate temperament and skill levels at predetermined times identifying behavioural issues and implementing appropriate solutions.
• Ensuring the welfare of pups monitoring their health and arranging necessary vet care such as vaccinations desexing and xrays as directed by the Program Manager.
• Reporting and documenting accidents or incidents related to the dogs in accordance with safety and health policies.
• Maintaining accurate and timely records including assessment and health data on GDTAS databases and IWDR.
• Placement of pups in volunteer homes for raising and boarding to ensure optimal socialisation and development.

Teamwork

• Collaborating with internal teams to meet the specific needs of individual dogs and ensuring their smooth and timely transition to various programs.
• Meeting and documenting results against the departmental business plan.
• Providing information for fundraising and marketing teams attending and presenting at events identifying social media opportunities and promoting the organisation through public relations activities.
• Acting as an ambassador for Guide Dogs supporting continuous improvement seeking professional development opportunities and performing other duties as directed by the Program Manager.

Essential Skills:

• Experience working with volunteers showing empathy when interacting with them.
• Demonstrated experience in puppy training and early socialisation dog handling assessment of temperamental and behavioural traits and behavioural modification techniques.
• Ability to relate to dogs of all ages and at various levels of training.
• Proficiency in positive reinforcement training methods.
• Skills in problem analysis and the ability to recognise changes in dog behaviour.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake a methodical approach to your work through to completion while maintaining flexibility and adaptability to varying workloads and tasks.
• High level of initiative while still being able to work under direction.
• Superior planning and organising skills.
• Ability to work well within a team as well as independently and assuming responsibility for nominated tasks.
• Effective communication skills both oral and written.
• Demonstrated knowledge and expertise in Microsoft Office programs.
• Availability to work flexible work hours including weekends and evenings especially when litters are born.
• Willingness to attain National Police Clearance Working with Vulnerable People Check (NDIS endorsed) and Valid Drivers Licence

Desirable

• Experience in breeding and raising pups.
• Knowledge/experience in Veterinary nursing.
• Uptodate knowledge of Guide Dog Training theory and practices.
• Awareness of the needs of people with low or no vision disability or illness
• Broad base of experience in one or more IGDF or ADI accredited organisations.

Benefits:

In return you will be rewarded with:

• 3 additional days of paid leave during the Christmas and New Year holidays!
• NFP salary packaging means you can increase your takehome pay!
• Access to purchased leave
• Working in a supportive environment with ongoing professional development and training
• Employee Assistance Program

How to apply

If youre ready to help us make a difference click Apply and lets chat about what life looks like at EverAbility.

Applications close at 4.00pm Monday 10 February 2025.However please note that interviews may commence prior to the closing date and the job advertisement may close earlier than expected. To avoid disappointment we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

For further information please contact Kim Ryan Business ManagerDog Services by email

We encourage people with disability and of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background to apply. Everyone is welcome as we are an inclusive and diverse workplace.

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