Dog Breeder’s Course

inc AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award course in Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare

Dog Breeder’s Course inc AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare

This course is regulated and the qualification is officially recognised by the Government’s Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.

Ofqual Register Qualification number: 603/4536/6

This Qualification meets the requirements of Defra and the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

Many people dream of running their own dog business. Covering essential information on canine care, behaviour and welfare, this self-contained course provides you with the necessary knowledge, know-how and qualification* to make that dream a reality. The wrap-over immersion in the Dog Breeding regulations, guidance and application ensures you have a good understanding of the key regulations and guidance for providing Dog Breeding services. It doesn’t make you an expert and there are still lots to learn, if this is your first venture into breeding, but together with the AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour and Welfare, you’ll definitely be at the front of the pack!

When you have completed the course and passed the assessments, you will receive a Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour and Welfare certificate from AIM Qualifications (An Ofqual regulated national awarding organisation).

*As of 1st October 2018, it is a Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) requirement for those wishing to run a home boarding establishment that the licence holder or a designated manager and any staff employed to care for the animals must have competence to identify the normal behaviour of the species for which they are caring and to recognise signs of, and take appropriate measures to mitigate or prevent, pain, suffering, injury, disease or abnormal behaviour. 

Guidance includes suitable and sufficient training of people responsible for the care of the animals must be demonstrated to have been carried out in the following areas:

  • Dog welfare, including recognising poor welfare and understanding the 5 welfare needs;
  • Dog handling;
  • Dog behaviour;
  • Cleanliness and hygiene;
  • Feeding and food preparation;
  • Disease control
  • Recognition and first aid treatment of sick animals.

“Training must be a minimum of an OFQUAL regulated level 2 qualification in a relevant subject, or clear evidence of knowledge and experience.”

To meet the “Higher Standard”, one option is for the person responsible for the care of dogs to have “a relevant OFQUAL regulated Level 3 qualification”.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/880217/dog-breeding-guidance.pdf 

FOUNDATION course – AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare – Approval Number: 603/4536/6

PRACTITIONER course – AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare – Approval Number: 603/4536/6

PLUS

Animal Welfare Regulations 2018 + Dog Breeder Guidance and video/audio seminars inc 1-2-1 Tutorial

ENHANCED – (Optional) The Practitioner course (shown above) PLUS Mastering Canine & Small Business Law.

Overview

Course Overview

Our Dog Breeder course has three possible course pathways:-

FOUNDATION course

AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare – Approval Number: 603/4536/6

PRACTITIONER course

Foundation course (details above) 

PLUS

Animal Welfare Regulations 2018 + Dog Breeder Guidance and video/audio seminars inc 1-2-1 Tutorial

ENHANCED course

The Practitioner course

PLUS

Mastering Canine & Small Business Law

What you will learn

The Dog Breeding Foundation course consists of 2 regulated units:

Unit 1: Canine Behaviour

  • Common canine body language signs and signals
  • Terms used to describe a range of emotional states in canines
  • How to assess canines from their body language
  • Common canine behavioural issues
  • Methods used to modify canine behaviour
  • How to work with common canine behavioural problems
  • Potential causes of canine stress
  • Signs of stress in canines
  • Potential causes of aggression in canines
  • The signs of aggression in canines
  • How stress can lead to aggressive behaviour in canines
  • The ladder of aggression in canines

Unit 2: Care of Dogs in Home Boarding, Day Care & Kennels

  • The causes of canine diseases
  • Methods of disease prevention.
  • How a range of canine diseases are transmitted
  • Risk assessments for the prevention of disease transmission in canines.
  • The welfare of canines in pet care settings
  • Potential welfare issues in pet care settings
  • Feeding of canines in pet care settings
  • How welfare issues can be prevented in pet care settings
  • Feeding requirements for canines in pet care settings.
  • Common eating and dietary issues in canines
  • Techniques for dealing with eating and dietary issues in canines in pet care settings.
  • Different ways to enter dog enclosures
  • Different ways to exit dog enclosures
  • Potential problems with exit and entry to dog enclosures
  • Essential personal protection equipment for canine handling
  • The importance of personal protection equipment for canine handling
  • Ways to provide environmental enrichment in pet care settings
  • The impact of correct environmental stimulation in pet care settings
  • Safe and unsafe play in canines
  • Safe management of canine interactions

Additional Unit

If you enrol in the Practitioner course, you have access to all of the units shown above and you can also get access to an immersion in the DEFRA licencing guidance for breeders.

Unit 3: Animal Welfare Regulations 2018 + Breeding Guidance inc 1-2-1 Tutorial

Module 1 : Introduction

  • What is in and out of the scope: breeding of dogs
  • In Scope Criteria
  • Out of Scope Criteria
  • Criteria Quiz

 Module 2 : General Conditions

  • License Display
  • Records
  • Use, Number and Type of Animal
  • Staffing
  • Suitable Environment
  • Suitable Diet
  • Monitoring of Behaviour and Training of Animals
  • Animal Handling and Interactions
  • Protection from Pain, Suffering, Injury and Disease
  • Emergencies
  • General Conditions Quiz

 Module 3 : Specific Conditions

  • No Overnight Stay
  • Suitable Environment
  • Suitable Diet
  • Monitoring of Behaviour & Training
  • Housing apart from other dogs
  • Records
  • Protection from Pain, Injury, Suffering and Disease
  • Higher Standards
  • Specific Conditions Quiz

 Module 4 : Specific Conditions

  • No Overnight Stay
  • Suitable Environment

Live 1-2-1 ‘Zoom’ tutorials

The ‘learner’ has the option of a 1-2-1 (45 mins) personal tutorial, at the outset or midway and the end of this Breeding Regulations & Guidance unit, or as required by the Learner.

Enhanced Course Unit

If you enrol in the Enhanced course, you have access to all of the units shown above (Foundation & Practitioner) and the following unit.

MASTERING CANINE & SMALL BUSINESS LAW

This additional unit will highlight important pieces of legislation that you will need to have on your dog radar. It is not an exhaustive list and nor are we here to give you legal advice. You must not rely on it as constituting legal advice. For specific guidance on your particular dog law issues or business related law, please contact a regulated solicitor. Having said that, it’s a good idea to have a good grasp of the fundamentals.

The course comes in 2 parts, Part 1 lists the broader legislation that applies to canines and their care. Part 2 looks at specific legislation relating to canine business such as home boarding, day care and breeding, plus laws that apply to business e.g. health and safety.

Typical legal questions you may encounter as a dog care pro

Here are some questions you may quickly encounter as an aspiring or actual dog care business owner. How many can you answer right now?

  • Is it an offence to fail to look after pets properly?
  • Can I lose my licence because neighbours are complaining about barking allegedly coming from my home?
  • Can my Local Authority revoke my licence because a dog I was walking bit a walker?
  • Can I get sued for £50,000 because a dog I was caring for ran in front of a cyclist? https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-injured-crash-dog-chasing-ball-sues-owner-277777
  • If I breed and advertise a business selling puppies, can I get fined?
  • If I fail to see a dog in my care has allegedly done a poo, can I be fined for failing to pick it up?
  • If I pick up dog poo and then leave the bag to pick up on my return, can I be fined?
  • Can I be fined if I let a dog off the lead?
  • Can a Local Authority impose a PSPO and stop me walking more than 3 dogs at a time?
  • What is the maximum Fixed Penalty Notice for breaching a PSPO, and what is the maximum fine if prosecuted?
  • Can a Local Authority require the dogs in my care to take a DNA test if they are believed to be responsible for defecting on council land?
  • What’s the maximum I could be sentenced for an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act?
  • Am I committing a criminal offence if I operate a home boarding business in England without a licence, and how much can I be fined and/or imprisoned?
  • Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, how much can I be fined and/or imprisoned for an offence?
  • What’s the penalty for being distracted by a dog in my care whilst driving my car?
  • When must I pay tax as a sole trader?
  • What’s the VAT threshold for my business?
  • I want to start offering doggy treats, will I break any laws?

You can see how important it is to have a working knowledge of the legislation that applies to your business. Financial and reputational consequences of breaking the law can be huge.

This course strives to keep you on the right side of the legal line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please find a list of questions and answers below. If your question is not listed, feel free to chat to us by clicking the live chat button to the bottom left of your screen.

Is this course online?
Yes.

You have access to an online tutor and there recorded seminars, as well as flashcards, quizzes, ‘podcasts’, a research and reading list, together with a workbook and in-course exercises.

You need access to half decent Internet and email. The course is a blend of different learning content and styles.

Some Level 3 course providers just send you a pdf workbook, a reading list and tell you to get on with it. Which is what got us going in the first place thinking we could do better than that.

I see there are different options, how does that work?

There are a choice of 2 complementary learning pathways. Each with different levels of content (and prices). You choose what works for you.

Both options give you an AIM Qualifications regulated Level 3 Award qualification, and you don’t have to do the most expensive unless you want to do so, unless the content meets your needs, and because you can afford it.

So you choose.

How long do I have to complete my course?
We recognise that some people are in full time employment with busy family lives and preparing for a new future.

Others are very likely already dog professionals who have dog needs and customer demands to meet, before they wash off all the mud, do the household stuff, put their feet up and start thinking about studying.

We have to have a finite timeline, to keep everybody focused. But if you can complete and pass your course in 2 to 3 months, Brilliant!

What do I need to tick the DEFRA box (all 3 options do that), what do I want to learn and what can I afford?
Technically you don’t have to do any more than our Foundation course to get the L3 Award but when we looked at the original core syllabus we thought, OK it’s good, but surely people want to know more than that. So that’s what we set out to build on and to incorporate. Also we wanted to give ‘students’ a mix of learning media.
Does this course meet the DEFRA Ofqual requirements thingy?

Yes.

Successful candidates will receive the following:

AIM Qualifications Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour and Welfare

Qualification Number: 603/4536/6

Starting from £344.40
Course Features
Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare Ofqual Level 3 Award (Breeders) 2
Learning
Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare Ofqual Level 3 Award (Breeders) 3
Total Qualification Time: 130 hours
Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare Ofqual Level 3 Award (Breeders) 4
Downloadable Learning Materials
Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare Ofqual Level 3 Award (Breeders) 5
Completion Certificate
Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare Ofqual Level 3 Award (Breeders) 6