This course is available to AVRA Members only.
This course covers the basic information that every receptionist working in small animal or mixed animal practice should know about dog behaviour and the impact of the veterinary environment on dog behaviour.
This course was kindly produced for the AVRA by the Dogs Trust and is based around the training provided in the Dogs Trust Dog Friendly Veterinary Clinics.
This course comprises 4 webinars as follows:
Webinar 1: What is a dog? An introduction to dog behaviour.
This webinar introduces a basic overview of how dogs perceive the world around them and what their basic needs are.
- Reflect upon the species-specific behaviour which makes dogs unique.
- Empathise with dogs’ emotional experience.
- Appreciate what dogs need for optimal health and welfare.
- Acknowledge influences on the human-dog bond and the societal expectations placed upon pet dogs.
Webinar 2: Influences on dog behaviour.
This webinar explores what behaviour is and how it develops, as well as what influences it.
- Define behaviour.
- Acknowledge the variety of factors influencing the way a dog behaves.
- Appreciate that behaviour develops throughout a dog’s life.
- Understand the impact of health and pain on the way a dog might behave.
Webinar 3: Communication and interacting with dogs.
In this webinar we examine how to interpret dogs’ communication and respond in an emotionally supportive way.
- Reflect upon the many ways in which dogs communicate, including chemical signaling and vocalisation, as well as body language.
- Identify body language which indicates that a dog is likely to be feeling.
- Understand how to respond to these differing signs from dogs.
- Describe how to interact with a dog using an approach which acknowledges their communication.
Webinar 4: The impact of the veterinary environment on dog behaviour.
The final webinar aims to provide a general overview of the impact of the veterinary environment on the way dogs might feel and behave, and how to create a positive emotional experience when visiting the veterinary clinic.
- Empathise with the way a dog might feel when present within the veterinary environment and recognise specific elements which contribute to this.
- Understand the concept of situation/trigger stacking and how this contributes to dog behaviour within the veterinary environment.
- Reflect upon ways in which the environment may be modelled to promote a more positive experience for dogs present.