Puppy Program Trainer

We’rean organization driven by passionate people – that happens to include puppies – that grow up to change lives every single day. We expect excellence from ourselves and our team, but we have fun too. Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) breeds, raises and trains fully certifiedassistancedogs. Our service (mobility & PTSD) and hearing dogs provide life-changing independence to those with disabilities.

Our accredited facility dogs work with community professionals, such as teachers, RCMP and psychologists to help support wellness in our community.

We’reproud to be the first fully accredited member of Assistance Dogs International in Canada.

Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) is seeking an experienced Puppy Program Trainer to join our team in Calgary! At Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS), we’re dedicated to changing lives, one dog at a time. We’re hunting for a passionate and skilled individual to join us as Puppy Program Trainer, helping us fulfill our mission of providing assistance dogs to our waiting clients.

At PADS, we foster a constructive, cooperative, and welcoming team setting. Our commitment is to cultivate an empowering environment for our team. We value a sustainable work-life balance and believe that work should be fun! We approach challenges with a growth mindset, striving for improvement and innovation. Asa Puppy Program Trainer,you’llembody PADS’ core values, including a commitment to compassion, transparency, and the ethical treatment of dogs.

PADS’ training philosophy is relationship – centered , and based on current, evidence-based training methods and follows a Least Invasive Minimally Aversive (LIMA) approach. We follow the 5 Domains Model of Animal Welfare, encompassing Nutrition, Environment, Health, Behaviour and Mental State, to ensure the well-being of the animals in our care.

The Puppy Program Trainer is an essential part of PADS mission-related programs. The Trainer is part of an experienced, progressive team committed to helping and supporting one another, and to achieving positive outcomes for our dogs and volunteers. The Trainer independently performs the full spectrum of responsibilities of their position. Trainers teach volunteer puppy-raisers the skills they need to teach their puppies in the areas of skills, manners, and socialization.

They work as an active part of the team and pursue ongoing learning at a minimum of 20 Continuing Education Units every 24 months. Trainers identify when a puppy should be released from training or graduated into Service Dog Programs.

As an integral part of the overall PADS Team, the Trainer provides a point of support and information for volunteer puppy-raisers with questionsregardingtheir puppy-in-training or who are experiencing training challenges with their PADS puppies. They are a source of comfort and calm in what can sometimes be stressful situations.

The Trainer works with a cohort ofup to25puppies and the associated puppy-raiser and sitter volunteers.

Training [65%]

• Conducts Walk&Talk assessments for everydogin cohort at 4,8and
  13+ months of age
• Provides one-on-one training sessions and support in person as well as virtually
• Creates and implements trainingandbehaviourmodification plans
• Conducts
  
  Adult
  
  GDBarts, as both a handler and an evaluator
• Recognizes and assessesbehavioursand traitsrequiredin PADS dogs
• Reviewsandmaintainspuppy reports and training informationindogs’Salesforce records
• Supports with Curriculum development and review
• Identifies gaps in Training support materials andassistsin developing and implementing educational content for volunteers and staff, including but not limitedto:written training plan templates, video tutorials, in person clinics and courses covering common challenges
• Liaises with team members and relevant departments to ensure consistency and efficacy throughout the organization

Additional Responsibilities [10%]

• Attendsandparticipatesin weekly meetings with team members, keepingup to date on progress of the dogsas well…