Reading dog body language and communicating effectively with our own behavior are practiced skills that we need to mindfully develop over time. In this course you'll analyze videos of dogs and handlers having conversations. The handler needs to understand what the dog is telling them and also communicate their intentions to the dog. The goal is always for the human and the dog to be in agreement that "I'm into you!" Through this course, you'll recognize behaviors that suggest the dog is unsure, and consider how to de-escalate the conversation to "I'm into you!"

Course author: Devan Amundsen, CPDT-KA, is a certified dog trainer with over 15 years of experience working with not just dog owners, but dogs in shelters, assistance dogs and other working dogs

Nota: Este curso también está disponible en español.

The adoption process is the final step in finding new homes for shelter pets. It begins with getting to know the pet, writing a narrative and posting photos/video, continues to making a match with a potential adopter, and ends with sending the pet home with an adopter and providing support.

This course provides guidance for navigating the adoption process, with an emphasis on adoption counseling. The course demonstrates the general adoption counseling process and then dives into adoption counseling for pets with behavior or medical conditions. Text content is supported by videos, infographics and exercises. All videos are shareable and all infographics are available for download so you can use them in training. 

This course is eligible for 2.0 hours of credit from the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). 

This course will teach you everything you need to know in order to place 50% or more of shelter pets into foster homes. You will learn to utilize the seven guiding principles of foster programs to set your organization up for foster success; create a year-round, comprehensive foster recruitment plan that extends the invitation to foster to all members of your community; create a community culture of fostering to make foster the standard of care; create a process for marketing and adopting pets from foster care; and utilize staff and volunteers to assist with management of foster care. 

Note: This course was previously titled A New Model for Shelter Care: Replacing Kennels with Foster Homes.

Human Animal Support Services, HASS

This class will be useful to foster caregivers and adopters, as well as foster care managers. As a foster caregiver, you can have a huge impact on the life of your foster dog. Your care and attention is critical in helping that dog find the right match. As an adopter, your new dog needs your help to make a comfortable transition to a new environment. Short videos model techniques for introducing dogs to new people, interacting with children, house training, dealing with separation anxiety, and more. It is recommended you take this class in conjunction with the class Helping a New Dog Adjust, which will give you even more training tips.

This course has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

Nota: Este curso también está disponible en español.

training, behavior, dogs, puppies, foster, adopter, adoption

In this class, short videos will help you understand your dog's body language and give your dog the basic training they need to be successful in their new home. Presentations cover enrichment and boredom; jumping and mouthiness; and the special challenges of that puppies present. This class is appropriate for fosters, adopters, and the shelter staff members who work with these groups. It is recommended you take this class in conjunction with the class Bringing a New Dog Home. 

This course has been pre-approved for 0.75 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

training, behavior, dogs, puppies, foster, adopter, adoption

This short course covers techniques for introducing dogs as well as understanding what dogs are communicating with their body language. 

When we assess dogs through everyday interactions, we can gather well-rounded information about the dog's personality, preferences and needs, leading to more informed decisions and better outcomes for the dogs in our care. This course introduces an eight-step protocol for assessing dog behavior through everyday interactions and provides automated forms for collecting behavior information. 

This course was authored by Kristen Brown, CPDT-KA, VSA-CDT, Lifesaving Programs Specialist, Lynchburg Humane Society.