(Earns 20 CE units at completion – derived from 10 modules totaling 20 CE units)

Introduction:

The purpose of this Certification in Low Stress Handling™ is to provide the teaching content needed to understand and improve the individual’s or hospital’s ability to create a low stress environment and handle animals in a less stressful manner. Coursework for this Certification goes beyond the teaching available from Dr. Sophia Yin’s textbook/DVD Low Stress Handling™, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats and related training videos. While those sources include improvements to the hospital’s design, to its preparation of and for the patient prior to a visit, and to its use of tools and sedative agents, a large portion of Low Stress Handling™ relies on the development of hands-on skills. Among these are the abilities to:

1. Recognize the overt and subtle signs of fear and anxiety in dogs and cats and identify the common mistakes people make when approaching and greeting pets that make the animals more fearful or aggressive. Learn to approach and handle pets in a relaxed, non-threatening manner.
2. Learn how the sights, sounds, smells, and surfaces in your practice may be increasing the stress in your patients. Discover ways to create a calmer, safer, and more secure environment.
3. Learn 5 methods for controlling the rear end and 7 for controlling the front end in dogs. Determine which direction of movement (forward, back, right, left, up, and down) each hold controls. Evaluate which restraint hold is best for a given dog and procedure.
4. Understand how every interaction – how you approach, pick animals up, move them from place to place, or restrain them – affects the animal’s perception of you and their willingness to cooperate. Learn how to position your body and adjust your movement to provide the direction and guidance the animal needs.

Benefits of Hospital or Pet Care Business Certification:

1. Improved client confidence
   • It will allow staff to project that they are both caring and skilled, rather than projecting a desire to rush through their visits to earn more money.
2. Lower anxiety for staff and clients
   • Clients know their pets will be handled in a caring and calm manner. Staff know they won’t have to struggle since they understand how to get patients to comply willingly to procedures.
3. Increased staff efficiency and higher productivity
   • Less staff time is spent on restraining animals due to increased skill.
4. Lower injury rates and fewer worker’s compensation claims:
   • Improved handler skills results in a decrease in animal-induced injuries.
5. Higher job satisfaction:
   • Better training leads to lowered stress in staff.

Additional Benefits of Individual Certification

1. Resume building
   1. Clients, employers, and potential employers know that certified individual has added a valuable skill set.
2. Continuing Education (CE) units
   1. Coursework earns 20 RACE-approved CE units. CCPDT, CBCC, and IAABC CE units are also available.
   2. This course meets the requirements for 20 RACE hours of continuing education credit for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB’s RACE approval.

Participants should be aware that some state boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in specific categories and/or restrictions on specific methods of delivery.

Modules Included in Silver Certification:

1. Pre-Course Resources
2. Recognizing Brewing Fear & Aggression in Dogs & Cats
3. Rapid Reversal of Fear & Aggression in Dogs & Cats
4. Low Stress Handling & Restraint of Difficult Dogs & Cats
5. What Giraffes, Dogs & Chickens Have in Common
6. Feline Lab: Towel Wrap Techniques for Handling Cats with Skill & Ease
7. Kitty Kindergarten: Creating the New Improved Cat Through Early Socialization
8. Canine Lab 1: Essential Exercises for Moving Dogs from Place to Place
9. Canine Lab 2: Handling and Restraining Medium-sized and Large Dogs with Skill and Ease
10. Canine Lab 3: Handling and Restraining Small and Medium-sized Dogs with Skill and Ease
11. Canine Lab 4: Desensitization and Counterconditioning: Teaching Dogs to Willingly Accept Medical Procedures
12. Final Exam 1