Boarding & Daycare Individual Certification Program

Lesson 1: The Impact of Fear, Anxiety and Stress

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define Fear, Anxiety and Stress (FAS).
• Explain changes that occur in a body resulting from elevated levels of fear, anxiety and stress.
• Detail ways in which high stress alters normal thinking and functioning.
• Explain some of the ways that chronic stress impacts the body

Lesson 2: Dog and Cat Body Language 101

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Recognize the importance of reading body language signals
• Explain the stress responses known as the “Four F’s”
• Note body language signals indicating rising FAS in dogs & cats

Lesson 3: Considerate Approach

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define Considerate Approach and give examples of how to employ it while boarding dogs and cats
• State how underlying illness and pain impact the animal’s experience 
• Describe common signs of pain in animals

Lesson 4: Gentle Control

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe Gentle Control and why it’s important
• Describe three strategies involved in positioning a pet for Gentle Control 
• Identify at least two Gentle Control tools and why they are useful
• Explain touch gradient and how it’s incorporated into Gentle Control handling

Lesson 5: Arrival at the Facility

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Create a Fear Free arrival plan for your clients

Lesson 1: Client Intake: What You Should Ask

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Understand what questions are important to get to know your clients and their pets
• Recognize key words or phrases that may indicate how a pet could respond in the boarding environment
• Determine whether a “meet and greet” is the next appropriate step

Lesson 2: Meet and Greet

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Create a space that is safe and low stress to use for initial meet and greets
• Integrate a Fear Free Meet and Greet protocol into initial interactions
• Plan the progression from home, to the meet and greet space, to the boarding/daycare area
• Understand how to introduce an animal to a new environment
• Recount two reasons why meeting the pet prior to their stay is important
• State three ways to reduce pets’ stress when you greet them

Lesson 3: The Boarding/Kennel Environment

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain stress-reduction methods to employ in the boarding/kennel area
• List actions you can take to help a cat or dog settle in
• Understand how sights, sounds, and scents impact a pet’s FAS level

Lesson 4: The Importance of Enrichment During the Stay

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe why enrichment for pets, especially those who might be stressed while their parents are away, is important
• Give examples of simple enrichment strategies to employ with the pets in the daycare/boarding facility, including food-based, scent-based and exploration-based

Lesson 1: Tips for Facilitating Safe Play

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Understand the two factors that determine success in safe play
• Recall why the evaluations are critical to operating a safe playgroup
• Relate why staff training is important for anyone who is working with the dogs

Lesson 2: Setting Up a Fear Free Group Play Area

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Understand the key safety components to designing a safe environment for off leash play
• Recall the industry standards for space and staffing ratios
• Recount safety issues for toys and playground equipment

Lesson 3: How to Match Appropriate Playmates

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Recall the factors that contribute to the personality of each individual dog’s play style
• Learn how socialization plays a role in whether or not a dog should be in an off-leash play group
• Understand how group play can positively or negatively impact the long-term behaviors of an individual dog

Lesson 4: When and How to Interrupt Play and Interactions

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain desirable qualities in effective playgroup supervisors
• Describe the basic tools used to effectively manage playgroups
• Summarize the importance of both use and timing of rewards and praise to most effectively manage dogs in playgroups
• Describe several “do’s” and “don’ts” to managing playgroups

Lesson 5: Common Signs of FAS During Play

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Recognize inappropriate play behaviors and attempt to intervene and redirect prior to escalation
• Recall the importance of watching behaviors of the “other dog” to determine if play is appropriate
• Recognize the top 10 stress signals displayed by dogs during group play
• Identify actions and tools to take when you observe a dog in a state of stress in the playgroup
• Interpret displays of aggression between dogs and explain using appropriate incident language

Lesson 6: Dog-to-Dog Introductions

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Recognize appropriate and inappropriate dog to dog greeting behaviors
• Summarize the multiple goals when screening a dog for group play
• Know the attributes to quickly prescreen a dog for playgroup
• Identify dogs that are not a appropriate for the higher risk group play environment
• Explain the options for dogs that it is determined playgroup or daycare are not a good fit

Lesson 1: Behavior Basics

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Relate why it’s important for boarding and daycare professionals to understand the basics of how animals learn
• Recognize and explain antecedents and consequences that can contribute to a pet’s behavior
• Define classical conditioning, counterconditioning and desensitization
• Describe and give examples of reinforcement and punishment
• Identify antecedents and consequences that may be used to increase or decrease a
  certain behavior

Lesson 2: Help for Undesirable Behaviors

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain and give examples of capturing, targeting and shaping techniques
• Describe the dangers of using punishment and why it should be avoided
• Understand the importance of reinforcing desirable behaviors
• Demonstrate how positive reinforcement can be used to replace unwanted behaviors such as barking, jumping up, overexuberance/pulling on leash, and more

Lesson 3: Appropriate Training and Walking Equipment

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe Fear Free recommendations for walking equipment and reasons for it
• Explain a Fear Free approach to being asked to use aversive equipment
• Discuss with clients the dangers of using aversive collars
• Speak to and help educate clients about recommended walking equipment

Lesson 1: Applying Fear Free to Physical Care

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• List two adjustments in approach and interaction to make when taking a Considerate Approach
• Describe two ways Gentle Control tactics help position and stabilize an animal for care
• Describe some advantages and challenges to using a food distraction for handling and care
• Define a “Touch = Treat” approach and describe why it is useful

Lesson 2: Administering Medications

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• List some strategies for Fear Free delivery of pills
• State how distractions or Touch = Treat may be used while administering ear or eye medications
• Explain how injections can be given in a more Fear Free way

Lesson 3: Preventing and Treating Stress-Induced Illness

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Elaborate upon how change or lack of predictability can negatively impact pets
• Detail common signs of sickness cats and dogs present when stressed
• List possible options for dealing with stress diarrhea

Lesson 4: Basic First Aid

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the basic bandaging practice for wrapping the leg
• List five signs of heat exhaustion
• List five signs of potential bloat

Lesson 5: Marketing/Using your Certification

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define key factors important to your Fear Free boarding and daycare business’s mission statement and core values
• List three key rules of marketing
• Identify possible value propositions for potential clients
• Determine strategies to communicate Fear Free to your clients