Canine Care & Welfare

Introduction

Learning objectives

Unit 1 Introduction to Canine Behaviour and Training

• Understand normal canine behaviour.
• Know suitable routines to prevent welfare and behaviour issues.
• Understand how to provide canine enrichment.
• Understand appropriate canine training techniques.
• Understand the use of force free training equipment.

Unit 2 Introduction to Canine Health

• Learners will have an understanding of how to provide for a dog’s basic needs to help prevent common health problems.
• Know about specific dog breeds and reasons for selecting specific breeds.
• Understand canine disease.
• Understand common canine health disorders.
• Know basic canine needs and carer responsibilities.
• Understand the basics of human and canine relationships.

Qualification information

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

Your AIM Qualifications Level 2 Award in Canine Care and Welfare meets Defra’s requirements for running your own home boarding business or being an integral staff member in a day care or kennels.

This AIM Qualifications course covers the fundamentals of canine care and welfare.

You’ll learn how to identify and mitigate pain, suffering, and disease in dogs, as well as how to provide them with the best possible care.

The licence criteria stipulates that the licence holder or designated manager is required to be suitably qualified, and any staff employed to care for the animals must have the 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. 

Staff must “hold a formal qualification such as, a Level 2 qualification regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) appropriate for their role or to demonstrate they have relevant and sufficient knowledge and experience.”

Here’s a link to Defra’s statutory guidance for home boarding dogs in England, as an example.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-activities-licensing-guidance-for-local-authorities/home-boarding-for-dogs-licensing-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities

With this qualification, you’ll be well on your way to starting your own regulated dog business or working as a canine care professional.

Who is this course for?

This regulated qualification is for anyone who works with dogs – particularly in these settings:

• Dog boarding
• Dog day carer
• Dog breeder
• Dog walking
• Dog trainer/behaviourist
• Dog grooming
• Pet sitting

You do not need any prior knowledge or qualifications to study for this qualification, although some experience or related knowledge will be advantageous.

Assignments and assessments

Learning style and content
This course is a blend of self-paced online learning, self-study recommended resources and research, video seminars, videos, ‘podcasts’, elearning, Graphics/diagrams, multiple answers and short essay assignments.

Special consideration is provided for those requiring additional learning support (if you require additional learning support it is essential you advise us when you complete and submit your course registration form).

Assessments
Successful achievement is by a Learner presenting a portfolio of evidence that meets the assessment criteria.

Assessments require desk research from the study resources provided to assist the Learner in writing 200-500 word responses including diagrams, illustrations, tables and bullet points as necessary.

An assessment might typically ask the Learner to ‘Explain’ or ‘Describe’ a specific topic or situation, to avoid plagiarism and to provide citation references in order to support the Learner’s response.

Some of the course assessments require the Learner to select the correct options from multiple possible answers including True or False statements.

Self-Evaluation
At the end of the course, each learner is asked to complete a reflective self-evaluation of their learning experience and personal growth.

Pass/Refer
The course is taught against a prescriptive syllabus and the learner is required to evidence their understanding and application of the syllabus 

Passing the course

To achieve your qualification certificate, the Learner must successfully pass all of the course modules.

Every assignment submitted is assessed as either a Pass or Refer. A Learner is required to ultimately achieve a Pass for every assignment. Refers – or ‘Passes in Waiting’ as we like to call them, are hopefully few and far between. If an assignment receives a ‘Refer’, the learner has two complimentary ‘resits’ across the course. Additional ‘resits’ are charged at £25 per resit to cover the additional admin costs. If a Learner is unable to complete the course within the stipulated time frame, an extension may be granted but this will incur a re-registration fee.

Certification
Once all of the course modules have been successfully completed, the Learner’s assessment profiles are submitted for independent quality validation against the regulatory framework. And once validated, a certificate is issued to the learner. To manage expectations, this can take approximately 10 weeks.

Why choose our course

The course offers the potential for an Industry-accredited and Ofqual regulated qualification that is a bedrock for any canine professional.

We provide experienced and knowledgeable tutors – education professionals who are also licensed canine practitioners.

The comprehensive course content includes a range of mixed media to keep your learning journey interesting and to cater for different learning styles.

Our convenient online training platform lets you study anywhere, any place.

Unleashing Your Potential: Expert-led Training by Licensed Pet Care Professionals

Course overview

Level: Level 2 Award
Credit Value: 6 Credits
Guided Learning Hours: 20 hours
Total Qualification Time: 56 hours
Course: Online, 2 Units, 10 Assignments
Course starts: Immediate online access
Access: 2-year access including 6 months to complete the course from your course registration
Entry requirements: Learners should be aged 16 or above and be working at Level 1 or above and be comfortable working with dogs of all breeds and sizes.
Assessment methods: Assessment is through a Portfolio of Evidence/ Workbook. Mostly a series of short essays ranging from 250-400 words.

Frequently Asked Questions

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