AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to PinterestPinterestPinterestShare to MoreAddThisMore9
To help us close out national help pet dog Week is an interview from Jamie Toliver, a certified instructor from Canine Companions of independence who gives us insight into what her job is like and how satisfying it is to help supply a a lot more independent life for those with disabilities.
Please share with us a little about what you do and how you became involved as an help pet dog trainer.
I have been with Canine Companions for a little over five years and I’m currently a certified instructor for Canine Companions for Independence.
I became involved with Canine Companions through their instructor assistant program. The program appealed to me because they have an apprentice program that involves on-the-job training. While I’ve had experience with training animals and working with dogs, I did not have the certain skills required to train help dogs, which has been a lifelong dream job of mine. You know, that job you wanted to do when you were six years old? Yeah, I have that job.
What type of training or education did you need to complete to become certified?
Canine Companions has an apprentice program which consists of on the job training. The apprenticeship lasts for around three years with the culmination being the help pet dog international certification functional and written exam.
I, along with a lot of of my fellow instructors, also have a bachelor’s degree. My degree is in environmental Bioscience. The degrees on our staff vary, but each person brings a unique skill set to the team and is able to use their educational background to benefit the organization. I hope to use my scientific research background to assist with the number of studies that Canine Companions conducts in collaboration with a number of educational institutions.
What do you personally feel is the most satisfying part of your job as an help pet dog trainer?
I feel the most satisfying part of my job is to be able to have such a direct effect on someone else’s happiness. I train up to 10 dogs, day in and day out, for six months at a time. At the end of the six months, I get the opportunity to show a person with a special needs how to manage the dog I’ve trained. We spend two weeks in a classroom setting together and I have the opportunity to know each of them on a personal level and then get to place them with the dogs that I worked hard to train.
There is no better feeling than to help a someone feel a lot more independent, to feel like he or she is able to roam their surroundings, such as a college campus, alone. In addition, help dogs can supply relief to family members, caretakers, and peace of mind that the recipient will be able to get through those closed doors or looked at positively because of his or her dog.
Is there a particular experience which has stuck with you throughout your service career?
About a year ago, I was teaching a training class with a young woman with Cerebral Palsy who was about to finish her first year of college. She had been anxiously waiting to receive her service pet dog for a year and a half. When we started the two week course, I saw a young lady, with low confidence and self-esteem and who was very dependent on her mommy for lots of of her tasks.
Throughout the two weeks, we found the delicate balance of challenging her but also building her confidence. She was placed with an intelligent female Labrador, with which I trained. When she left class, she was going through doors without her mom, making pals all over campus, and beaming with confidence. The age between high school and college is such an crucial growing phase. I think back to how much I have changed and grown considering that then, and I fondly remember looking up to the strong women that helped me believe I can achieve anything. I am so grateful that I had a small part in helping this girl transform into a confident young woman. And I am even a lot more pleased of the little lab that will be regularly helping her to become a lot more independent.
In addition to helping dogs to help others, are there other pet-related topics you are passionate about?
In my personal life, I’m passionate about sports and am interested about the increase in dog related sports over the last 10 years. I’ve an extremely intelligent, agile golden Retriever named Mazie. We’ve tried a number of pet dog sports including Agility, Fly Ball, Dock Jumping, Rally-O, Nose Work, and she is also my running partner. She has run up to twelve miles with me at a time. She helps push me and motivate me to get out and exercise.
If someone reading this interview is interested in also becoming a service pet dog trainer, what pieces of recommendations would you offer him or her?
Any person wanting to become a service pet dog trainer should look to increase their special needs awareness and education. lots of service pet dog organizations will supply on the job training for animal training, but getting exposure and experience with people with disabilities will really give you a leg up.
Where can readers learn a lot more about you and/or your organization?
Our organization is a well-connected one. We are online at , by phone 1-800-572-BARK, on Facebook and Twitter. We serve the entire us out of our five regional centers located in new York, Florida, Ohio, and two California locations.
Last one, I wish there was a lot more awareness about _____.
I wish there was a lot more awareness about pet dog behavior and canine communication. I think lots of pet owners think they’re doing the ideal things for their dog’s emotional wellbeing, when in fact they might be hurting them. teaching pet dog owners to look at behaviors from a dog’s point of view, rather than the human point of view, is a goal of mine and I hope to continue my education and understanding and find ways to give that information to other people.
We have the benefit at Canine Companions, of training our clients for two weeks. In those two weeks we’re able to help them understand how to appropriately manage and care for a dog. If only every pet owner could take our course, there would be a lot less pet anxiety in the world.
service Dogs