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 course introduces you to the key principles of cooperative care to minimize fear, anxiety and stress, and improve safety for staff and dogs during medical care and day-to-day care in the shelter and other environments, such as foster homes. Cooperative care training originated in zoos and other institutions involved in the husbandry of wild animals and is considered standard practice in modern accredited zoos and aquariums worldwide. 

There is often an immediate need for medical handling for dogs upon intake into a shelter. The examples in this course reflect "real world" shelter situations, where dogs who are unfamiliar with cooperative care require immediate treatment. 

This course has been approved for 0.50 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the American Association of Veterinary State Board's (AAVSB's) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) through 12/9/2027. 

Course author: Ferdie Yau (MA, CPDT-KA)

It's now common knowledge in the animal welfare industry that shelter animals fare far better in homes than in shelter kennels. And foster-centered care is better for organizations and their staff as well! To support organizations who strive to place the majority of their animals in foster homes, medical clinics need to transition from their traditional internal role to an external one. This course lays the groundwork for that transformation. This course is authored by Jordana Moerbe, former Maddie's Medical Program Director at American Pets Alive!.

This course is the result of a collaboration between between Human Animal Support Services and the many shelter and rescue staff across the country and internationally who have volunteered their time to innovate new programs through the Human Animal Support Services working groups.

keywords: vet, vet tech, veterinarian, veterinary technician, medical, virtual care, capacity for care, HASS