International Pet Sitting / Dog Walking Diploma

Embark on a new career or take on an exciting part-time role with this valuable qualification. With so many people leading busy lives and unable to find the time to care for their pets, pet sitting has become one of the most in-demand professions. This course will enable you to benefit from of this fast growing industry.

Comprehensive and convenient

The course is broken down into 23 individual modules. Each one takes between 15 and 30 minutes on average study, although you can spend as little or as much time on each module as you feel is necessary – simply log in and out of your course at your convenience. The course covers topics such as the importance of safety for both you and the animal, walking packs of dogs, forms and record keeping, transporting animals, animal handling, first aid and how to run your own business.

The flexible nature of the course means you can learn at your own pace depending on other commitments. The nature of online learning enables you to study anytime, anywhere at your convenience.

This course has been fully accessed and approved by IVCAS (Independent Vocational Course Appraisal Service)*. For more Information Click here

Key Learning Points

The pet sitting diploma is a qualification that every professional pet sitter and dog walker should have:

• Introduce yourself to the basics of pet sitting – why it’s so popular, health and safety, how to protect yourself on the job, the risks involved, health concerns, legal requirements and more.
• Learn the basic principles of dog walking, an activity that is likely to take up most of your time. Learn how to handle a pack of dogs and how to recognise and deal with dog aggression.
• Explore the paperwork that your business will require, including pet information sheets, the necessary forms, keeping records and client data storage.
• Gain valuable knowledge of safely transporting and handling animals, including the specifics of dogs, cats, rodents, fish, rabbits, reptiles and birds.
• Learn about the ailments that pets may suffer from and how to recognise symptoms. Know the essentials that you will need in your pet first aid kit and how to deal with medical emergencies.
• Apart from just taking care of pets, you will also need the necessary knowledge to take care of your business. Learn how to run your business, how to market your business, how to price, the costs involved in running your business, keeping financial records and more.

Advantages of this course

• A detailed yet easy to understand course syllabus broken down into 23 manageable chunks that make learning easy.
• Complete the end of course test and receive a qualification and certificate.
• Gain all the learning necessary to start your own business.
• You can also use the pet sitting diploma "approved by" stamp on all of your promotional materials.
• Learn at your own pace and fully understand each module before moving on.
• Improve your career prospects with a verified certifiable qualification.

An increasing number of people are observed to hire trained and certified pet sitters, be part of this opportunity and in turn improve your earning potential. Start your Pet Sitting Diploma today!

• Units of study
• Further Info

Pet Sitting Diploma Introduction

• What pet sitting involves
• Health, safety, and animal welfare
• The importance of security
• The safest way to approach to any animal

Safety (Yours & Animals)

• When you need a written health and safety policy in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• How to protect yourself when you're on the job
• The risks involved in pet sitting and dog walking
• How to protect yourself from some serious health concerns you can be affected by through animal contact

Legal & Requirements

• The 5 Types of Zoonotic Diseases to be on the lookout for
• About the Animal Boarding Act and when you will need to have a licence
• Your legal obligation to protect client information
• About health and Safety at Work

Dog Walking

• Who your true target audience is for your dog walking service
• How to build your pack of dogs
• How to recognise the signs of dog aggression
• The different types of dog aggression

Pre Service Visit

• The purpose of the pre service visit
• How to prepare your pet information sheet
• About creating the right impression
• The documentation required

Forms and Record Keeping

• The five forms to include in your client information pack
• How to use a client information pack to increase your profits
• How to store client information in compliance with the Data Protection Act
• An example statement to include on your veterinary release form to minimize your vet expenses (May be compulsory for your business insurance policy)

Day to Day Pet Sitting

• The time you need to allocate for each dog walk
• The length of time you should leave between appointments
• The order in which to take care of each of the pets youre responsible for
• Insurance vulnerabilities when you include additional services for clients when they are on holiday

Transporting Animals Safely

• The importance of securing animals during transport
• The safest transportation methods for dogs and cats
• Proper usage of crates for smaller animals
• The danger of cold temperatures to reptiles and how to aid their survival when necessary

Animal Handling

• Why tight grasps negatively affect animal behaviour
• When you should and shouldn't handle animals
• A 3-step approach to minimizing stress in animals
• Animal handling precautions that gets the animal to come to you rather than you cornering the animal

Dogs & Cats

• The different breeds of dogs and cats
• Nourishment guidelines for feeding dogs and cats
• Precautions with vitamin supplements
• The different types of exercise to stimulate each pet in your care

Fish

• The three groups of fish, and examples of breeds within each group
• The temperatures to maintain for each type of fish
• The frequency to test water for nitrates
• The amount of water needing changed, when and how to change it

Rodents

• The best type of habitat to house rodents safely
• How often their cages need cleaned
• The safest type of bedding to provide
• The different breeds and types of rodents

Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

• The different breeds of rabbits and guinea pigs
• How to care for young and elderly rabbits and guinea pigs
• The nutrition requirements
• About their behavioural traits

Reptiles

• Why you need to know about reptiles, lizards, snakes and turtles
• Dietary requirements and feeding guidelines
• The temperatures each type of reptile requires
• The behavioural traits of reptiles

Birds

• How to approach birds for your first time with them
• The different types of birds you could be caring for
• The best types of bird cages that allow birds to exercise
• What you need to do when letting birds out their cage

Pet Ailments

• What viruses pets need to be vaccinated against
• How to care for diabetic pets
• The symptoms of common illnesses
• The age kittens and pups should get their primary course of vaccinations

Pet First Aid

• The essentials to have in your animal first aid kit
• How to stop bleeding from a minor cut
• The risks of choking and how to treat a choking animal
• What to do if a dog suffers from heat stroke

Running Your Own Business

• The length of time it could take for your business to receive its first payment
• When you need to register your business for VAT
• How long you need to keep financial records for
• How to manage your time efficiently

Setting up a Business

• About tailoring your services to meet the needs of groups of customers
• How to identify what people are already spending on pet care
• The simplest route to starting your own business
• What will drive a prospect to make the hiring decision and become a paying client

Marketing

• A variety of ways to market your business effectively
• How to use your brand identity to promote your service
• The social media profiles to help you create your online brand
• How to design your business cards in a way that encourages people to keep hold of your information

Pricing

• What you need to account for when pricing your services
• Pricing for small animals
• Pricing for dog walks
• Incorporating your business costs into your prices

Costs

• The difference between your direct costs and indirect costs
• How to determine your start up costs
• How to maximize your earnings
• How to determine your cost of customer acquisition

Troubleshooting

• What to do when your business hits a quiet spell
• About making contingency plans
• How to deal with and reduce cancellations
• About scenarios when you may be best to discontinue services with problematic clients

Courses that are IVCAS approved have been fully assessed and met the minimum criteria as set down by IVCAS for online and vocational courses. By taking an IVCAS approved course you can be assured that:

• The course has been assessed by an IVCAS lecturer or course professional to ensure it is of the highest quality.
• The course offers significant benefit to the end user and enhances the end users career prospects
• The course is compatible with all commonly used devices including Smartphone’s and tablets
• The course provider has made every effort to keep the course content up-to-date and factually correct.

For more Information Click here