Nail trims can be stressful for pets and owners alike. Set yourself and your pet up for success by downloading our nail trim handout!
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Unlike any other pet professional, pet sitters spend an extended period of time with the animals they care for, giving them an intimate and unique glimpse into animals’ home lives. Because of this, pet sitters can readily identify opportunities for improvement and spot emerging behavior concerns, enrichment opportunities, and other areas that might otherwise go unnoticed.
This course will equip pet sitters with a scientifically sound knowledge base in animal body language, dog walking, behavior and training basics, enrichment, home life, travel, administering medications, and more so that they can offer top-level Fear Free care to pets and provide owners with basic support and advice. The Fear Free Certified® pet sitter will be empowered to help educate pet owners on reading dog and cat body language and provide ideas for how enrichment and training can be incorporated into the pet’s environment and routine, promoting not only a calmer pet-sitting stay but also a richer, more fulfilling life. We’ll cover everything from the very first greeting of a pet to creating calmer leash walks to delivering medications in a Fear Free manner and much more!
This course was reviewed by PSI (Pet Sitters International) and NAPPS (National Association of Professional Pet Sitters).
Course Overview
Bath time is scary for many animals—whether it’s the sound of the water, the feel of it on their skin, being restrained, or the tub itself. This one-hour module will teach you how to break down the bathing process into individual components that can be worked on separately to allow for calmer, safer bathing experiences. We will provide step-by-step desensitization and counterconditioning plans for every component—introducing the shampoo bottle, entering the tub, introducing water, and introducing the sound and feel of the dryer. You’ll also learn what you can do to modify the bathing environment to make it more inviting and less stressful for animals.
There are three lessons in this course:
Lesson 1: Overview of Fear Free Bathing and Positive Reinforcement
Lesson 2: Introduction to the Tub
Lesson 3: Modifying the Environment for Success
This one-hour course was designed for Fear Free groomers but is also open to our veterinary professional and trainer members. It was written by Terrie Hayward, M.Ed., KPA Faculty Member, CPDT-KA, CSAT, co-author of the book Grooming Without Stress, and is approved for one hour of RACE CE.
Course Overview
True enrichment goes way beyond simply providing dogs with food puzzles each day. For instance, a comprehensive enrichment strategy incorporates all types of enrichment: social, occupational, physical, nutritional, and sensory. This course will show you how to engage all the senses, as well as how to thoughtfully determine which enrichment activities are most appropriate for individual dogs, how to enrich the lives of dogs in a veterinary clinic, and those who are recovering from an injury and on restricted exercise.
This course, approved for 1 RACE-approved CE hour, was written by Laura Ryder, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, IMDT.
This course consists of four lessons:
- Lesson 1: Exploring enrichment using all the senses
- Lesson 2: Identifying the right balance
- Lesson 3: Enrichment for dogs in the vet clinic
- Lesson 4: Enrichment for dogs on restricted exercise or cage rest
Course Overview
Are you the only person in your clinic who has a passion for Fear Free? It’s easy to get discouraged and frustrated when we are surrounded by obstacles. This course provides tools to achieve your Fear Free goals even when you feel like you are all alone in your work. Learn how to get buy-in, implement strategies from the ground up, and encourage your colleagues to join your heart’s work of protecting the emotional welfare of our treasured animal patients.
This course, approved for 1 RACE CE hour, was written by Monique Feyrecilde BA, LVT, VTS (Behavior).
This course consists of five lessons:
- Lesson 1: The essence and importance of Fear Free Practice
- Lesson 2: Understanding the dynamics of change
- Lesson 3: Implementing change within your practice
- Lesson 4: Addressing common push-back topics
- Lesson 5: Thrive where you’re planted, or transplant to a new garden
Training as Enrichment: Your Questions Answered
You asked, and we will answer! Fear Free Head Trainer Mikkel Becker and Education Manager Lori Chamberland will discuss some of the most common questions we’ve received from previous Fear Free training webinars. We’ll talk about leash reactivity/pulling on leash, teaching dogs and cats to live in harmony, counter surfing, and more! We will leave time at the end for you to ask questions in real time, as well. Join us – your dog or cat will thank you!
A Fear Free Look at Canine Noise Aversion and Feline House Soiling
Join Amy Learn, VMD, and Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, DACVB, DACAW, as they review two behavior problems that may be seen frequently this time of year: canine noise aversions and feline house soiling.
Canine Noise Aversions
Common canine noise aversions including storm and fireworks phobias, their presenting signs, possible contributing causes, diagnosis, and suggestions for management will all be covered.
Feline House Soiling
Both urine marking and inappropriate elimination and the diagnostic criteria for differentiating the two forms of feline house soiling, as well as their different causes, management, and treatment, will be included.
Brought to you by Ceva.
Training as Enrichment: Basic Skills
Reward-based training improves the lives of dogs and their human families. You might not be able to attend group class right now, but you can “home school” your dog during this time and improve their behavior by fitting some simple training exercises into your everyday interactions with your dog. Fear Free Head Trainer Mikkel Becker will give you the basics and answer some questions, as well!
Now You’re Here, Now You’re Not: Preparing Your Pet for Yet Another Change
First our pets had to get used to their humans being around more than usual as people sheltered in place. For many pets, this was a positive change, but even positive changes can be stressful. They’ll face upheaval again when pandemic precautions relax and people go back to their normal routines. In this webinar, Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, DACVB, DACAW, will help you determine which patients may be at an elevated risk of increased anxiety and stress due to changes in routine, and offer practical, straightforward tips that you can share with your clients for preparing these pets for a return to “normal.”
Brought to you by Ceva.
Fear Free Home Spaw Days
While your favorite groomer is temporarily closed, you may need to do some basic grooming on your dog yourself. Dogs can develop problems related to brushing, mat removal, nail trims, hair in the eyes, and eye discharges in just a few weeks.
Presented by Fear Free Certified trainer and groomer Daniel Josselyn-Creighton, KPA CTP, this webinar will help you to:
- Introduce new pieces of equipment (brushes, clippers, etc.) and procedures (baths, brushing, and nail trims) to your dog in a safe, fear-free manner.
- Teach your dog impulse control games to help them be more comfortable sitting still for simple procedures.
- Perform basic grooming tasks: brushing, bathing, trimming hair, and nails.
- Use the FAS scale to know when you can continue with a procedure, when you need to proceed with caution, and when you need to stop and give your dog a break.