The Instructor Assistant (IA) Training Program, held at the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Schulz Campus in Santa Rosa, has promoted 20 IA staff to Apprenticeship placements at five CCI facilities across the nation in the first three years of the program. The IA program is a valuable tool for cultivating a supply of trainers who are fully integrated into the CCI organization. IA-trained Instructors have a strong understanding of CCI practices and are committed to the CCI mission.

Becoming an Instructor Assistant is the best first step to becoming a full Instructor with CCI. In the IA program, participants practice "hands-on" the many elements of dog dynamics in CCI's dog "society." They get a broad-spectrum training, covering practices unique to the National/Northwest campus, generalized dog procedures, and operations specific to all five CCI facilities.

Instructor Assistants keep feeding and grooming schedules, administer medications, monitor basic canine health care and exercise, manage kennel cleaning and apply kennel management skills on a daily basis. They receive specialized training in concepts from Canine pack interaction (AKA: "Community Run") to the intricacies of dog diarrhea evaluation. IAs at CCI are directly supported throughout training by their Program Supervisor, earning marks and showing skill proficiency toward qualifying for promotion by way of meticulous individual and group evaluation processes. They learn why certain values and training protocols are important at CCI, under the support and guidance of experienced Instructors and staff.

Instructors, Kennel Staff, the Veterinary Clinic and the whole Northwest Program benefit from the IA Program at the Schulz Campus. CCI Instructors hone their own skills when teaching and guiding Instructor Assistants. The Kennel Staff is greatly aided by IAs. And Instructor Assistants help the Veterinary Clinic with cardiovascular and ophthalmology exams.

While an Instructor Assistant's workload is a scheduled and an integrated addition to the successful execution of daily routines, having a full staff of Instructor Assistants provides greater flexibility to CCI as an organization. IAs are indispensable during large events like Graduate Seminars and the Summer festival.

Graduating into the Apprentice Program can be viewed as a "settling-in" advancement that is tantamount to tenure at CCI. After completing the IA program, a placed Apprentice can look forward to a life in the CCI family, as long as he or she keeps learning and growing.