Puppy Development Advisor

**Introduction**:
**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 Children’s 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
**Description**:
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 one-on-one 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 pre-determined times, identifying behavioural issues, and implementing appropriate solutions.
Ensuring the welfare of pups, monitoring their health, and arranging necessary vet care such as vaccinations, de-sexing and x-rays, 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.
**Skills and Experiences**:
**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 Driver’s Licence

Desirable
- Experience in breeding and raising pups.
- Knowledge/experience in Veterinary nursing.
- Up-to-date 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