Animal Training and Pet Sitting

Be your own boss and enjoy a dream job with animals. Our Animal Training & Pet Sitting course has been compiled by two highly-experienced vets, Deborah Shores DVM and Dr Pippa Elliott BVMS MRCVS. They’ll share their wisdom so you’ll have a solid foundation in animal care, animal behaviour, and dog training.

Imagine being paid to look after (play with) pets. Animal care is a lucrative career for animal lovers as you can start a business immediately with very little finance. Spend your working day dog walking, dog training or pet sitting in your own home or in other people’s homes anywhere in the world.

KEY COURSE BENEFITS:

60-Day access - Study at your own pace

Internationally-recognised CPD accredited course

Start learning straightaway from any laptop or mobile device in any country

Studying an accredited course in animal care, animal behaviour and dog training has numerous benefits including:

• You will feel more confident handling a variety of different animals
• You’ll look more credible within the industry and have a distinct advantage over your competition
• Potential clients will feel reassured that you are a responsible surrogate pet parent
• You are justified in charging higher prices than competitors

Get ready for an exciting, fun career with animals. The first step is studying our Animal Training & Pet Sitting course and getting your certificate. Start now.

You can earn £7-8 per hour per dog as a pet sitter. Dog walkers can earn £10-£20 an hour per dog. If you walk four dogs at a time, which is the maximum number suggested by the National Association of Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers, you’ll be earning £40-£80p/h.

As a responsible animal lover, you’ll be keen to know every aspect of your new pet business from administering first aid to animal care and understanding animal behaviour. Our comprehensive Animal Training & Pet Sitting course covers many subjects including:

• Dog training and clicker training for cats and birds
• Keeping pets safe when dog walking or pet sitting
• Animal behaviour such as reading dogs’ body language so you know if they're aggressive or scared
• How to treat your clients
• Caring for animals such as dogs, cats, fish, rodents, birds and reptiles
• How to market your animal care business and find clients

Taking care of lovable creatures is not only a fulfilling career, it gives owners peace of mind that their pets are in safe hands. You can even earn money dog walking and pet sitting while you travel by offering your pet-sitting service in exchange for accommodation. You can also use your dog training know-how to teach dogs while out on your walks or pet sitting to make you stand out from the competition.

Using the training in this course to do this job excellently is bound to get you many recommendations which will help grow your animal care business. The Animal Training & Pet Sitting course is online and it’s yours to keep forever so you can refresh your memory at any time. Start preparing for your new, independent and rewarding career being surrounded by animals now.

How is the Animal Training and Pet Sitting course assessed?

By studying Animal Training and Pet Sitting online with IOA, you do not pay an extra fee for sitting an exam or have to wait for a set date to sit an exam. There is a short exam at the end of each module for you to take, You’ll know your score immediately.

Animal Training and Pet Sitting Course Syllabus

Module 1: Dog Training - Puppies

• Positive reinforcement
• Crate training
• Basic commands/obedience
• Nail trims, ear cleaning, handling paws
• House training
• Socialisation
• Problem animal behaviour and habits
• Fun and games

Module 2: Dog Training - Adults

• Reappraise basic dog training
• Reward-based dog training
• Recognising bad habits
• Consistent commands
• Antisocial problems
• Confidence building
• Teaching an old dog, new tricks

Module 3: Cat Training

• Clicker training
• Litter box
• Scratching, clawing
• Jumping on furniture
• Socialisation

Module 4: Bird Training

• Clicker training
• Speaking
• Socialisation
• Handling

Module 5: Fundamentals Of Dog Walking And Pet Sitting

• Keeping you and all pets safe
• How to handle an attacking dog
• When you’ll need to involve a vet
• Entering and leaving pets homes securely
• What you’re responsible for

Module 6: Out And About – Professional Dog Walking

• Be prepared - what to be on the lookout for
• Reading dogs’ body language and animal behaviour
• Understanding aggression
• The dynamics of dog fights and how to avoid/intervene
• Complying with the law

Module 7: Animal Care, Disease, Health And Hygiene

• How to keep pets bedding and general environment clean and hygienic
• Control of disease and infection
• Keeping yourself safe from infection
• Zoonosis
• How to administer medication safely

Module 8: Being Professional With Clients

• Getting off to a good start
• The information you need to ask
• Microchipping and other forms of ID
• Arranging entry/security details
• What clients are likely to ask
• Outlining your business T&Cs
• Agreeing costs

Module 9: Handling And Getting Around With Your Pets

• Usual handling equipment and restraints you’ll need
• Approaching a nervous animal
• Predicting unpredictable animal behaviour
• How to handle cats and dogs correctly
• How to handle exotic pets correctly
• How to transport pets safely

Module 10: Specific Information On Dogs And Cats

• Correct levels of exercise
• Necessary nutrition
• Understanding animal behaviour and retraining when needed
• How elderly pets can change
• Physical care and grooming
• Need for love and affection
• Recognising signs of common diseases

Module 11: First Aid

• On-the-spot diagnosis
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Poisoning
• Cuts, grazes, wounds and burns
• Breaks and fractures
• Shock
• CPR
• Contents of your first-aid kit

Module 12: Specific Information On Rabbits & Guinea Pigs

• Different breeds
• Common problems and diseases
• Providing an adequate living environment
• Exercise
• Usual animal care needed

Module 13: Specific Information On Hamsters, Gerbils, Mice & Exotic Rats

• Different breeds
• Understanding animal behaviour
• Common problems and diseases
• Providing an adequate living environment
• Usual care needed

Module 14: Specific Information On Birds

• General tips on caring for birds
• Small birds
• Larger birds & birds of prey
• Poultry
• The parrot family
• Recognising common diseases and preventing spread

Module 15: Specific Information On Fish

• How to care for fish
• Tropical fish
• Cold water fish
• Marine fish
• Recognising disease and what to do

Module 16: Specific Information On Reptiles

• How to care for reptiles
• Challenges of keeping reptiles as pets
• Turtles, terrapins & tortoises
• Snakes & lizards
• Recognising disease and what to do

Module 17: How Pet Sitting Can Get You Up And Running In Business

• Setting up
• Arranging finance & insurance
• Regulations
• Being creative with services
• Advertising & marketing

• Everyone who wants to open their dream business with animals such as pet sitting or dog walking
• People who already offer one service, such as pet sitting, and wish to add additional services to clients like dog training
• Dog walkers who want their four-legged clients to walk nicely or obey commands such as Sit and Stay can offer basic dog training services
• Anyone wishing to work with animals in the fields of animal care or dog training, as they will be able to show potential employers or universities their willingness to learn
• All pet owners who want to properly train their dog, cat, or bird
• Anyone who works or volunteers with animals and wants to know how to properly handle them and care for them
• People who already work with animals or own their own business such as pet hotels or pet sitting will benefit from knowing more about animal behaviour and care

This Animal Training and Pet Sitting course is open to all, with no formal entry requirements.

• Get a job with animals such as in a pet hotel, dog kennels, animal shelter or veterinary practice
• Start your own animal care business such as pet sitting, animal training, dog walking or doggy day care
• Volunteer at animal shelters or foster animals and offer dog training for the strays
• Get a promotion or pay rise with your increased knowledge of animals