Meet An Assistance Dog Trainer: Canine Companions of Independence

To help us close out National Assistance 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 rewarding it is to help provide a more independent life for those with disabilities.

Please share with us a little about what you do and how you became involved as an assistance 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 specific skills required to train assistance 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 approximately three years with the culmination being the Assistance Dog International Certification practical and written exam.

I, along with most 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 rewarding part of your job as an assistance dog trainer?

I feel the most rewarding 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 teach a person with a disability how to handle 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 more independent, to feel like he or she is able to roam their surroundings, such as a college campus, alone. In addition, assistance dogs can provide 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 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 mom for many 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 friends all over campus, and beaming with confidence. The age between high school and college is such an important growing phase. I think back to how much I have changed and grown since 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 more proud of the little Lab that will be constantly helping her to become 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 intrigued 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 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 dog trainer, what pieces of advice would you offer him or her?

Any person wanting to become a service dog trainer should look to increase their disability awareness and education. Many service dog organizations will provide on the job training for animal training, but gaining exposure and experience with people with disabilities will really give you a leg up.

Where can readers learn more about you and/or your organization?

Our organization is a well-connected one. We are online at http://www.cci.org, 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 more awareness about _____.

I wish there was more awareness about dog behavior and canine communication. I think many pet owners think they’re doing the right things for their dog’s emotional wellbeing, when in fact they might be hurting them. Teaching 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 properly 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.