A course for:

• Dog Owners
• People who work with dogs
• Anyone wanting to work in the canine industries

Dogs are evolved from wolves and share some similar characteristics with wolves. No matter how cute you think a dog is, and how much you feel you connect with it, it does not have the same brain patterns as a human. It does not think like you! You must understand and respect that.

There are 9 lessons in this course:

Lesson 1.    Introduction to Dog Care

• What Dogs Need
• Food
• Water
• Physical and Psychological Environment
• Exercise
• Hygiene
• Importance of Routine
• Potential Problems and Owner Error
• Uncertainty of pack position
• Neglect
• Escape
• Attacking other people and animals
• Physical damage

Lesson 2.    Canine Biology

• Anatomy
• Mouth
• Teeth
• Ears
• Eyes
• Skeletal system
• Digestive system
• Circulation

Lesson 3.    Dog Health Part 1

• Introduction to nutrition and feeding
• Nutritional Components
• Water
• Changing requirements through different life stages
• Growth period
• Working and high performance period
• Pregnancy and lactation period
• Geriatric period
• Feeding patterns -time controlled or free choice
• Feed products

Lesson 4.    Dog Health Part 2 -Illnesses and Treatments

• Introduction
• Heart Failure
• Heart Murmurs and Arrhythmias
• Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
• Heartworm
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Giardia

Lesson 5.    Dog Breeds

• Gundogs, Hounds, Pastoral, Terriers, Toy, Utility, Working
• Golden Retriever
• Labrador Retriever
• Cocker Spaniel
• Beagle
• Dachshund
• Greyhound
• Irish Wolfhound
• Bassett Hound
• Bassett Hound
• Australian Cattle dog
• Border Collie
• German Shepherd

Lesson 6.    Breeding

• Introduction
• Female Reproductive System
• Male Reproductive System
• Sexual Behaviour
• Mating Interaction
• The Management of Reproduction
• Desexing/Neutering/Spaying/Castrating
• Pregnancy and birth
• Parturition (Labour)
• Suckling
• Weaning
• Factors Influencing Puppy Size
• Puppy Development
• The breeding industry
• ‘Back-yard’ Breeders & Breeding for fun
• Illegal Commercial Puppy Breeding Enterprises (Puppy Mills)
• Breeding for Profit
• Legislation and Licensing

Lesson 7.    Dog Behaviour and Training

• Understanding dog behaviour
• The Importance of Training
• Practical training techniques
• Behaviour Problems Present Opportunities for Business
• Attributes of Successful Dog Trainers
• Practical for Business Start-up

Lesson 8.    Grooming

• The Importance of Grooming
• Grooming tools and equipment
• What to groom, why and how
• Professional grooming
• Long haired dog breeds
• Short hair breeds
• Other breeds
• Styles and clips

Lesson 9.    Other Dog Services

• Health and related services
• Training and related services
• Day care and long term stay services
• Assistance dog services
• Professional dog handling
• Retail related services

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.