Certificate in Animal Care

Certificate in Animal Care
Supported Home Study
Course Summary

Combine your compassion and care for animals with practical knowledge and skills.
This course is a joint development between DCA and Barony College. Barony College has an excellent reputation for delivering animal care training and education. All students who complete the DCA/Barony course will have covered the theoretical requirements for a level 2 SVQ in animal care.

About 60,000 people in the UK are currently in employment involving the care of animals. This is a skill required in a wide variety of organisations. Boarding kennels and catteries are widespread in the UK and provide many job opportunities, ranging from kennel assistants to management. There are also many charitable organisations with veterinary hospitals and animal welfare centres that employ staff dedicated to the care and rescue of animals. Local authorities, parks, zoos and even the armed forces require trained animal care staff. In addition, the opportunities for self-employment are growing.

The DCA/Barony College Animal Care course can provide you with your first valuable stepping stone into working with animals in any of these settings. All the theory you need to know is covered in a range of learning packages which you work through at home in your own time. Your materials are developed by experts in the field and provide you with a wealth of useful, practical advice carefully and clearly illustrated, along with plenty of opportunities to reinforce your knowledge through self-assessments and activities.

Course content includes:
• Animal feeding - nutritional needs of animals
• Animal accommodation, health and well-being
• Signs of health and ill-health
• First aid and basic medical treatment
• Recovering from surgery
• Moving animals - their needs and legal regulations
• Exercising and grooming
• Exercise for older animals
• Basics of obedience training
• Health and safety
• Maintaining working relationships
• Recording and storing information

Certificate in Animal Care Course Outline

If you want a career as in animal care, our tutor supported open distance learning Certificate in Animal Care course provides the necessary knowledge, skills and qualification without disrupting your current lifestyle.We are proud to work in partnership with Barony College to offer this course.

The DCA Home Learning Certificate in Animal Care course provides training in the core skills needed to embark on a rewarding career caring for animals. The DCA supported self-study Certificate in Animal Care course is specially designed, allowing you to learn the skills of animal care through flexible and cost-effective home study at your own time and pace.

With the DCA Home Learning Certificate in Animal Care course, online study resources and a personal tutor are available to guide you throughout the course, and your Student Advisor is a Freephone call away. What's more, because the distance learning Certificate in Animal Care course is so comprehensive, no prior knowledge or skills are required. The DCA Certificate in Animal Care course provides an entry level qualification from Barony College and the DCA Diplom as proof of your competence and skills.

If you'd like to earn more money and enjoy working with animals, the DCA home study course is the ideal distance learning training course for you.

This course comprises 5 modules. Over the whole course, you will cover the following:

Health and Wellbeing:

• signs of animal health and ill-health
• first aid for animals
• diagnostic procedures
• how to maintain a healthy animal

Exercising Animals:

• why animals need exercise
• providing appropriate exercise for specific animals
• preparing exercise areas according to animals' needs
• keeping records of exercise
• abnormal signs during exercise which may need further attention

Grooming:

• grooming requirements of a number of species
• different grooming methods
• restraining techniques for grooming
• tools required for specific grooming methods

Feeding Animals:

• feeding requirements for a number of species
• nutritional importance
• feeding routines
• health topics relating to nutrition

Animal Accommodation:

• the housing needs of a range of species
• cleaning routines
• various types of accommodation for particular species

Training Animals:

• training methods
• do's and dont's of training
• appropriate training methods for specific species
• how to have a happy, well-behaved companion animal

Moving Animals:

• transportation requirements of various animals
• transporting animals in a safe manner
• avoiding undue distress
• Dealing with Information:
- records required for animal care
- methods of efficient record-keeping

ReceivingGoods and Materials into Storage:

• the stocks required for effective animal care
• how to manage stock efficiently
• avoiding wastage

Personal Performance and Working Relationships:

• customer care skills
• goalsetting and striving towards goals
• effective interaction with colleagues in the animal care environment

Health and Safety:

• Aspects of health and safety in the animal care environment
• how to avoid injury to carers and other people
• how to avoid injury to animals in the care setting

DCA Diploma

DCA Home Learning awards a personalised diploma to all students who have successfully completed their course. Students who achieve an average score of 90% or higher will earn a "Diploma with Highest Honours."

Students undertaking an accredited course will receive the appropriate certificate from the awarding body.