Dog Daycare Team Leader — Behaviour & Enrichment
Role at a glance
Careers at Tailored Dogs
Dog Daycare Team Leader — Behaviour & Enrichment
Help us build Sydney's most thoughtful trainer-led dog daycare.
Permanent part-time leadership role in Willoughby for someone calm, observant and serious about dog behaviour, welfare and enrichment.
"We are not looking for someone to supervise dogs.
We are looking for someone who wants to understand them."
Why Tailored Dogs
Trainer-Led
Learn directly from Taylor and help shape the future of Tailored Dogs.
Behaviour Focused
Work in an environment built around welfare, enrichment and thoughtful dog care.
Grow With Us
Become part of the leadership team as the business grows.
Role at a glance
What you will be responsible for
- Supporting safe, structured group management.
- Reading body language, arousal, stress signals and group dynamics.
- Helping prevent issues before they escalate.
- Supporting calm transitions, rest, enrichment and appropriate play.
- Upholding handling, safety and welfare systems.
- Communicating clearly with Taylor and the team.
- Maintaining accurate notes and handover information.
- Contributing to a high-trust client experience.
Who we are looking for
Great Fit
- Calm, steady and observant.
- Strong judgement around dogs and people.
- Aligned with positive reinforcement and science-based methods.
- Emotionally regulated when dogs are noisy, excited or stressed.
- Interested in behaviour, welfare, enrichment and group dynamics.
- Wants long-term professional growth.
Probably Not A Fit
- Mainly wants to play with dogs all day.
- Looking for a basic attendant role.
- Prefers fast, loud or high-arousal daycare environments.
- Believes dogs need to be dominated, corrected or shown who is boss.
- Feels defensive when coached or given feedback.
Meet Taylor
Founder-led standards, thoughtful care.
Tailored Dogs exists because the environment a dog spends time in shapes their behaviour. Taylor built the daycare around calm handling, careful group selection, enrichment, welfare and practical behavioural support.
This first leadership hire matters. You will work closely with Taylor, help protect the standard of care, and contribute to a team culture built around trust, observation and steady judgement.
Recruitment process
Questionnaire
Tell us about your experience, philosophy and availability.
Interview
Meet Taylor and discuss fit, judgement and the role.
Paid Trial Shift
Spend time in the environment and show how you observe.
Join The Team
Begin probation with clear expectations and support.
Due to the expected number of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Think you'd be a great fit?
Complete the online application questionnaire. It takes around 15-25 minutes and helps us understand your availability, experience, training philosophy, dog behaviour judgement and long-term fit.
Apply NowLeadership role$35-$50/hr + super
24-32 hrs/week
Willoughby, Sydney
Start ASAP
Help us build Sydney's most thoughtful trainer-led dog daycare.
Permanent part-time leadership role in Willoughby for someone calm, observant and serious about dog behaviour, welfare and enrichment.
The Opportunity
This role begins as permanent part-time, likely around 24-32 hours per week, with scope to grow over time.
We are not looking for someone to supervise dogs. We are looking for someone who wants to understand them.
Current expected shifts are Monday 7:40am-1:40pm, Tuesday 7:40am-1:40pm, Wednesday 11:30am-5:40pm and Thursday 11:30am-5:40pm.
Pay range: $35-$50 per hour + super, depending on experience, capability and fit. Any trial shift will be paid.
As Tailored Dogs grows, there is potential for additional hours, full-time employment, leadership responsibilities and operational ownership. For the right person, there may be an opportunity to bring your own well-socialised, behaviourally appropriate dog to work, provided they fit safely and calmly within the daycare environment.
About Tailored Dogs
Trainer-led daycareTailored Dogs is a premium dog daycare and training business in Willoughby.
Our daycare is built around behaviour-aware care, appropriate social matching, enrichment, rest, emotional safety and clear communication with clients.
We use welfare-focused, positive reinforcement aligned, LIMA-informed and science-based approaches. We do not use alpha, dominance or intimidation-based handling.
What you'll be responsible for
- Supporting safe, structured group management in a trainer-led daycare.
- Reading body language, arousal, stress signals and group dynamics.
- Helping prevent issues before they escalate.
- Supporting calm transitions, rest periods, enrichment and appropriate play.
- Upholding Tailored Dogs' handling, safety and welfare systems.
- Communicating clearly with Taylor and the team.
- Supporting accurate notes and handover information.
- Helping maintain a clean, organised and professional daycare environment.
- Contributing to a high-trust client experience.
- Growing into greater responsibility as the business grows.
Who this role is for
This role may suit you if you:
- Are calm, steady and observant.
- Have strong judgement around dogs and people.
- Are serious about dog behaviour, welfare, enrichment and training.
- Are aligned with positive reinforcement, LIMA-informed and science-based methods.
- Can stay emotionally regulated when dogs are noisy, excited or stressed.
- Notice small details in body language and environment.
- Take responsibility seriously and communicate early.
- Are comfortable with physical work, cleaning and routine.
- Take feedback well.
- Want long-term growth, not just a short-term animal job.
Who this role is not for
This role is probably not the right fit if you:
- Mainly want to play with dogs all day.
- Are looking for a basic dog attendant role.
- Prefer a fast, loud or high-arousal daycare environment.
- Believe dogs need to be dominated, corrected or shown who is boss.
- Want short-term casual work only.
- Cannot reliably work the expected shifts.
- Do not enjoy cleaning, routine or physical tasks.
What we care about most
Experience in dog daycare, training, shelter, vet, grooming or animal care environments may be helpful, but judgement and fit matter more than years of experience alone.
We care most about:
- Judgement
- Emotional regulation
- Dog-reading ability
- Philosophy alignment
- Reliability
- Coachability
- Cultural fit
- Long-term growth potential
Relevant study or certificates are welcome, but they are not the main filter.
Recruitment process
Our process is:
1. Online questionnaire
2. Shortlist
3. Interview
4. Paid trial shift
5. Probation
The questionnaire helps us understand how you think about dogs, behaviour, communication, responsibility and reliability.
Due to the expected number of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Apply for the role
Complete the online application questionnaire. You will be asked about your availability, experience, training philosophy, dog behaviour judgement and long-term fit.
The application takes around 15-25 minutes.