Dog Walker – Group Nature Hikes

About Us:

Puppy Matters Co provides a premium nature hike service for dogs in the Eastern suburbs of Adelaide.

Picking dogs up from their homes using our purpose-built vans, we take small groups of dogs (maximum 4 per person) for on-lead nature hikes in the eastern and southern foothills of Adelaide.

A typical workday is between 8:45am - 3:45pm (~ 7 hours). We have multiple positions available for an immediate start. Initially for 1-2 days per week with potential to increase days.

As we provide the highest quality care and service to both dogs and their owners, Comprehensive on-the-job training will be provided prior to taking dogs out alone.

About the Role:

In this role, you will be responsible for taking dogs on nature hikes around Adelaide's scenic trails, providing them the opportunity to calmly sniff and engage with the natural environment.

This is a flexible, casual position where you will get to enjoy the outdoors while working with dogs in small groups. Service area is the Eastern and Southern suburbs and hike locations are in the Eastern & Southern foothills of Adelaide.

Key Responsibilities:

You will be trained across multiple areas, including:

• Driving a purpose-built company vehicle (modern automatic van) to safely pick up and transport dogs from clients' homes to and from nature hike locations.
• Accessing clients' homes using provided keys to retrieve dogs from backyards and inside homes.
• Leading a 90-minute hike with up to 4 dogs at a time (dogs are always on long leads and harnesses).
• Documenting the hike by taking videos on a provided Gopro camera of the dogs during their adventure.
• Completing 2 hikes per day with 2 separate groups of dogs
• Providing great service to our clients and their dogs

What We're Looking For:

We are looking for versatile, enthusiastic and resilient people with a genuine love for dogs and a willingness to be outdoors no matter the weather. If you are confident, friendly and adaptable, you will fit right in

• Reliability and punctuality – our clients trust us to care for their pets, so we need someone who is dependable and arrives on time.
• Willingness to learn - This role will include comprehensive training by riding along with the business owner until you have the necessary skills to take dogs on your own.
• A knowledge of (or) interest in learning about dog behaviour - Safely and competently walking multiple dogs from different households at one time requires a strong understanding of dog body language and an ability to effectively communicate with dogs.
• A "People" person - Whilst the service we offer is taking dogs on nature hikes, what we are really doing is helping people. People who trust us with the safety, care and happiness of their 4-legged family member. We have great rapport and relationships with clients and hope that our new team member will too.
• Physical fitness – Able to comfortably walk approximately 10,000 steps per working day, and able to handle walking energetic dogs during outdoor activities, many of our clients have large breed dogs. Occasionally assist some dogs in/out of the van.
• Valid driver's license – You will be driving a company van with clients dogs, so a high level of driving competency is required.
• Current Police Check - Either provided by employee or will be organised by the business during trial phase.
• Experience with dogs/Study in a dog-related field is an advantage but not essential – we will provide training to the right candidate.
• Comfortable using keys to access clients' properties (secure handling of keys and following security protocols).
• Ability to follow checklists & specific protocols - We are a premium dog walking business in South Australia and hold ourselves to a very high standard. We have specific, non-negotiable protocols in place to ensure the happiness and safety of dogs in our care.
• Comfortable working independently - Sometimes you will walk with other Puppy Matters Co staff, other times you will walk alone.

Why Join Us?

• A great introduction to working with dogs - Spend your day outdoors, walking and exploring nature with dogs. and learning how to read/understand and manage them effectively.
• Great team environment – We are a small business, focused on providing the best care for our clients' dogs. This job is very much relationship-based.
• Opportunities for growth – We are professionals and we intend to keep growing the business into a large organisation so we can help as many people and dogs as possible. This is not a hobby business, so as the business grows, there may be opportunities to take on additional roles/responsibilities/salary increases or more hours.

Apply by submitting your:

• Cover letter
• Written resume

*Highly Recommended - A short, casual VIDEO introduction telling us a bit about yourself