Program Overview

Professional Pet Care Certification – DN-PPCC

At DogNostics we recognize that, as a business owner, to expand and grow your business you need to develop new skills and knowledge, and recruit, train and manage high-quality employees.

Investing in your business and your employee education is a wise decision.

Employing Certified Pet Care Professionals will make your company stand out as a more attractive service provider to discerning pet owners. And Certified Pet Care Professionals will find seeking out employment at top-notch facilities more attainable.

Choose an affordable program that will help expand your knowledge and training skills. You can develop your own knowledge or that of your employees! This will enable you to expand your service offerings, strengthen your client loyalty and generate more income. More importantly, it will help ensure the safety and comfort of all your four-legged charges.

1.   Introduction with Niki Tudge. How the program works and what you will learn!

The program opens with a short module on the program: what it includes; why certification is beneficial to you, your business and your employees; and how you can best progress through it.

2.   How Pets Learn with Louise Stapleton-Frappell. Understand how pets learn in the context of your role!

This module covers the basics of operant and respondent conditioning, and how the science of learning impacts your role and your ability to positively care for pets, ensuring their physical, emotional, mental and environmental well-being.

The module begins with a short lesson that will help you understand why dominance theory is an antiquated thought process that is based in myth. We then move on to explore learning and behavior, delving into both associative and nonassociative learning. You will learn how pets habituate or sensitize to different stimuli, and you will increase your understanding of how new behaviors are learned and existing behaviors are modified through positive reinforcement. You will also learn how to make practical use of respondent conditioning to promote positive associations with equipment, people, other animals and places!

This module will help you understand the importance of promoting empowerment and well-being for the pets in your care, and it will also address the important topic of safe handling skills, with the goal of keeping you, your employees and the pets in your care happy and safe!

3.   Pet Tools, Equipment, Toys and Supplies with Louise Stapleton-Frappell and Paula Garber. The what and why and when of pet care SWAG!

Canine Overview – Louise Stapleton-Frappell

In this module, we examine acceptable equipment options, covering everything from leashes and harnesses to muzzles and halters, helping you identify appropriate equipment that will facilitate the care and management of pet dogs and recognize those tools that should NEVER be used.  

As we progress through the module, you will learn about toys that can provide mental and physical enrichment, including interactive feeding toys, puzzle toys, balls, tugs, flirt poles and more. You will not only learn which toys you can use and recommend, and how to use them safely and effectively, you will also learn about some of the toys that come with a warning and should be avoided.

From vehicle restraints to crates and gates, we will provide you with information regarding the pet “management” tools that we recommend, and we will help you understand their use in keeping pets safe.

You will also learn about some of the canine care tools available on the market, from products that can help a pet relax to products that can help facilitate toilet training.

Feline Overview – Paula Garber

This module covers the tools and equipment required to provide basic care to cats, including litter boxes, food and water containers, scratching items, cat furniture and more. We will also discuss different types of cat carriers, how to choose an appropriate carrier, how to train a cat to go into a carrier, and training and safety tips for car travel with a cat.

You will learn about different types of products for providing mental and physical enrichment to cats, including toys, food puzzles and scents, and tips for keeping cats safe while enjoying them. We will also cover tools and equipment for providing cats with safe access to the outdoors. Finally, training tools, reinforcers and equipment that can be helpful in households with multiple cats or with cats and dogs or other pets will be discussed.

Throughout the module, we will mention specific tools, equipment and toys that are available on the market and that you can recommend to your clients with confidence, as well as those that should be avoided and why.

4.   Pet Behavior and Social Communication with Niki Tudge and Paula Garber. Understand and communicate effectively with those you care for!

It is essential that pet care and training and behavior professionals are fluent in reading canine and feline communication so that they can understand a pet’s emotional state at any given moment, in any given context. This skill is what enables you to provide the best possible care!

In this module, you will learn the language of cats and dogs! We will help you understand the social behavior and communication systems of the pets that you interact with and are responsible for. You will become adept at recognizing distance-increasing and distance-decreasing behaviors so you can work to avoid stress and build emotional well-being!

Deepening your understanding of a pet’s communication and social behavior will also help you to educate guardians regarding when their pet may be experiencing a negative emotional state, such as fear, stress or anxiety.

Canine Overview – Niki Tudge

Dogs are sometimes referred to as “stubborn,” “dominant” or “difficult”—labels that knowledgeable professionals know just muddy the communication water and set people up to interact with dogs in a confrontational and unnecessary manner! Dogs are, in fact, expert communicators; they let us know in no uncertain terms when they are happy, sad, relaxed, scared or nervous.

In this module, you will learn how to assess and recognize both distance-increasing and distance-decreasing communication, correct greeting protocols, consent testing and how learning affects social behavior. The skills and knowledge that we share with you throughout the module will directly impact your ability to provide for the pet’s behavioral welfare and stay abreast of industry best practices to minimize stress and fear.

This module will help you remain safe while working with and handling dogs, recognizing that canine communication is our window into dogs’ emotions and feelings. Learn to speak dog—they will love you for it!

Feline Overview – Paula Garber

Cats are commonly called “aloof,” “standoffish” or even “spiteful” because their behaviors seem mysterious and nonsensical. But cats and cat behavior are none of these things. To the untrained eye, cat communication signals can be misunderstood, and, unfortunately, this can lead to an inaccurate assessment of a cat’s intentions and have a negative impact on cat welfare and the human-cat bond.

We will begin this module with a discussion about the language used to describe cat behavior and its effect on how cats are perceived. This will be followed by a brief history of the domestic cat to give us a full understanding of our subject. We will then explore feline communication signals and their mechanisms, as well as the biological and social factors that influence how cats communicate. You will also learn the importance of context in determining what a cat is communicating and some of the factors that influence cats’ social behaviors with humans and other cats. We will then take a close look at feline stress signals, some of which are subtle and easy to miss or disregard.

 After completing this module, you will be able to immediately apply what you’ve learned. Most importantly, you will better understand the cats in your care. You’ll also be better equipped to help clients understand what their cats are saying, which will improve human-cat bonds and even save cats’ lives. An added bonus of learning to “speak cat” is that cats will suddenly start “speaking” to you—how cool is that?

5.   Anatomy and Physiology with Niki Tudge and Rebekah King. Know and understand those for who you are responsible!

In this module, you will be introduced to both canine and feline anatomy and physiology as we review the 12 animal body systems and their key functions.

You will learn about the skeletal system, which supports body structures, blood cell formation and mineral storage, as well as the muscular system, with special reference to pets’ posture, locomotion and involuntary actions. We will help you understand the nervous system and its primary function to carry nerve impulses to and from the brain, and you will deepen your understanding of the respiratory system and how it moves oxygen into the body and expels carbon dioxide from the lungs. 

Our review of the urinary system will help you understand absorption, filtration and excretion, while the overview we share of the reproductive system will increase your knowledge of the production and secretion of hormones.

As we continue through the module, you will learn about the lymphatic system and how it removes waste from the body and provides immune support; the circulatory system, which pumps blood and circulates oxygen and nutrients where needed; the endocrine system—the mother of hormone secretion; and our favorite, the digestive system, where food is processed into nutrients for the body to absorb!

The module concludes with an overview of the sensory organs, which detect environmental stimuli, and the integumentary system that encases the body, providing a protective barrier and enabling communication via touch.

6.   Health and Handling with Rebekah King. Learn how to practice safe handling and monitor and observe the health of those in your care!

Let’s learn about common canine and feline health issues and diseases!

Being a pet care professional requires ongoing monitoring of a pet’s physical state. Understanding what to look for is an important skill and is essential not only for ensuring a pet’s well-being, but also for providing accurate pet care updates to the pet’s guardian and, when necessary, referring the pets in your care to a veterinarian.

In this module, we review the most common pet health issues that you may encounter. You will learn everything from vaccination protocols, internal parasites and dermatology, all the way to zoonotic diseases!

7.   Pet First Aid and Emergency Protocols with Rebekah King. Act competently in the face of an emergency!

This is a very detailed module covering the many potential emergency situations that you may find yourself in during your normal pet care duties.

The aim of first aid is to preserve life, prevent harm and promote recovery while moving a pet to a veterinarian. Knowledge of first-aid procedures is crucial to the pets in your care and promotes a sense of safety and well-being among your human clients, who will be happy to know that you have the skills and knowledge to act in an emergency!  

In this module, you will learn and become competent at managing first aid as a bridge to placing a pet in the hands of a veterinarian. From basic health assessments to bandaging and emergency care, this is an important module for all pet care professionals, and upon successful completion, you will be awarded an independent Pet First Aid Certification!

8.   Pet Enrichment with Niki Tudge, Louise Stapleton-Frappell and Paula Garber. Keeping pets’ lives fun and interesting!

Safety and security are mission critical to competent and professional pet care, but so is ensuring the emotional, physical and cognitive well-being of pets. This module addresses the topic of enrichment and provides tips and strategies to implement enrichment while you are caring for pets in your business. We begin by studying captive animals and domestication and then move into the eight different categories of enrichment, demonstrating in each one some simple activities and exercises that you can easily incorporate into a pet’s routine.

9.   Business Best Practices with Niki Tudge. Learn the best pet care protocols and procedures to support your knowledge and skills!

This module covers all the key procedures that are important to have as operational policies in your business. It covers everything from vaccination policies to uniform standards to cancellation policies to conducting meet-and-greet sessions.

The goal of this certification program is professionalization, and this final module will help you ensure that your services are delivered in a safe and professional manner.