Low Stress Handling

The purpose of this Certification in Low Stress Handling is to provide the teaching content needed to understand and improve the individual or hospital’s ability to create a low stress environment and handle animals in a less stressful manner. 

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 and 7 for controlling the front end of dogs. Determine which directions 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.