This role will be homebased geographical area contract with regular travel around County Durham and surrounding area, during the initial learning phase, travel will extend beyond this area. Working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
You’re passionate about puppy development and positive training techniques and love helping others grow their confidence and skills, alongside making a meaningful impact on the future of life-changing partnerships. We are looking for someone with extensive experience with puppy development & volunteer management; including running puppy classes, working through behaviour modification plans with young dogs, and expertise in developing young dogs for a future life as a Guide Dog through the management and development of volunteers.
As Puppy Development Advisor, you'll support volunteers across your area to raise well-rounded, confident puppies through the Guide Dogs Puppy Raising Programme. From initial placement through to preparing puppies for their next steps, you’ll provide hands-on guidance, coaching, and training to ensure every pup gets the best start possible.
You’ll build strong relationships with your volunteers, offering regular one-to-one support, delivering puppy classes, and hosting group session - both virtually and in person. Your role will involve assessing puppy development, addressing behavioural concerns, and working closely with colleagues across the organisation to create tailored training and care plans.
To thrive in this role, you’ll need experience in positive reinforcement dog training or canine behaviour modification, along with a strong understanding of puppy development. Ideally, you’ll hold a degree in an animal related subject, such as animal behaviour, training and/or welfare/wellbeing. You'll be confident delivering training in a variety of formats and enjoy building rapport with people as much as working with dogs. Being organised, responsive, and ready to adapt your approach to each situation is key.
Experience in volunteer management or animal welfare is highly desirable, and confidence in using Microsoft Office and databases is important for maintaining accurate records and planning your workload. This is a varied and rewarding role where you can make a difference every day, supporting people and puppies.