Behaviour Officer

Could you use your expertise in dog behaviour to help dogs overcome challenges and move closer to finding their forever home? Could you coach and support others to work confidently and safely with dogs?

At Dogs Trust Ireland, we believe every dog deserves to live a safe, healthy and happy life. As a Behaviour Officer, you’ll help assess, support and improve the behaviour and welfare of dogs in our care, increasing their chances of successful rehoming.

You’ll bring your behavioural expertise to Behaviour Management Plans, rehabilitation, coaching and adopter support, working closely with colleagues across the Operations team.

What you'll be doing:

• Assess dogs’ behaviour before intake and throughout their stay, identifying behavioural needs and risks in line with Dogs Trust procedures.
• Design, implement and review Behaviour Management Plans (BMPs) to support welfare and successful rehoming.
• Monitor dogs’ behavioural progress, adjusting plans where needed and contributing to decisions about readiness for rehoming.
• Support the rehabilitation of dogs with behavioural challenges and escalate complex concerns where necessary.
• Guide Dog Welfare Assistants in implementing behaviour and training plans.
• Train, coach and support staff and volunteers in behaviour guidance, practical dog handling and positive training methods.
• Provide practical demonstrations and support to build the confidence and capability of colleagues.
• Deliver adopter support, including pre-adoption guidance, post-adoption advice and one-to-one behaviour support sessions where required.
• Conduct home visits where behavioural follow-up is needed.
• Maintain accurate behaviour and welfare records, ensuring incidents and behavioural concerns are documented in line with policy.
• Work closely with Dog Welfare Supervisors, the Training Coordinator, Rehoming Advisors and Veterinary colleagues to support best practice and informed decisions.
• Contribute to behaviour-related projects, training initiatives, welfare improvements, centre-wide discussions, and the induction and mentoring of new staff where appropriate.

We're looking for someone who has:

✅ A strong understanding of dog behaviour, welfare and learning principles.

✅ Experience handling dogs of a wide range of breeds and behavioural characteristics.

✅ The ability to recognise signs of stress, fear or compromised welfare in dogs.

✅ Confidence coaching others in practical dog-handling and training techniques.

✅ Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

✅ Strong organisational and record-keeping skills.

✅ The ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively.

✅ A commitment to Dogs Trust’s aims, values and rehoming standards.

✅ Emotional resilience to manage the demands of working in a welfare environment.

Desirable:

• A full clean driving licence (due to our rural location)
• A qualification in animal behaviour or training.
• Experience implementing behaviour modification programmes.
• Experience supporting adopters with behaviour advice.
• Experience working with volunteers.
• Familiarity with digital welfare and behaviour recording systems.
• For the Advanced level, recognised professional accreditation, or be working towards this, such as an ABT / CAB pathway.

Why Join Us?

• Work at the heart of Dogs Trust Ireland’s Operations team, helping improve the welfare and rehoming prospects of dogs in our care.
• Use your behavioural expertise to make a meaningful difference to dogs with a range of behavioural needs and challenges.
• Help build the confidence and capability of colleagues and volunteers through practical coaching, guidance and learning.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across welfare, rehoming, training and veterinary teams to support the best outcomes for dogs.

The role is 35 hours per week, including weekends and public holidays, with flexibility required to support operational needs.

Ready to put your skills to work for a cause that matters?