Learn to care for pets
Course Code: AAG100 | Nominal Duration: 100 hours
- Expand and deepen your knowledge
- Secure employment prospects in the pet related industry
- Provide better care for your own pet
- Extend your career opportunities
This course is a foundation in caring for pets. It covers dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and amphibians and more!
Our course content writers are highly qualified and experienced professionals with backgrounds in animal management, veterinary health and animal physiology lecturing and more!
Get industry insights and develop key skills.
What's Covered in this Course?
There are eight lessons in this course.
Lesson 1. Introduction to Animal Care
- Laws and licenses
- Animal Charities and Societies (eg. RSPCA, WSPA, Blue Cross)
- Pet Care Needs (feeding, Watering, Shelter, Containment, Fencing, Caging, Protection)
- Maintaining Health
- Hygiene
Lesson 2. Cats
- Breeds (Lang Haired, Semi Long Haired, Short Haired, Oriental etc)
- Selection
- Allergies
- Containment
- Sexing
- Desexing
- Breeding
- Newborn Kittens
- Exercise
- Behaviour
- Hygeine
- Feed and nutrition
- Amount of food, Watering
- Grooming
- Travelling
- Care for a sick cat (Signs of illness, Temperature, Common ailments, Skin disorders, Ticks)
- Cats and wildlife
Lesson 3. Dogs Selection
- Breeds (Pure and mixed)
- Varying size and temperament
- Grooming
- Skin care
- Inherited traits (aggression, deafness)
- Containment
- Breeding
- Desexing
- Exercise
- Behaviour
- Breeding
- Canine Nutrition
- Bones
- Watering
- Training
- Travelling
- Identifying sickness
Lesson 4. Birds
- Selection, Breeds (eg. Canaries, Finches, Budgerigars, Small Parrots etc)
- Sexing
- Desexing
- Containment (Aviaries, selection, design, size, management)
- Feed
- Feeding
- Watering
- Grooming (Wing trim, Beak Trim, Nail Trim)
- Hygiene
- Catching and Restraining
- Travelling
- Caring for the Sick Bird
- Signs of illness
- Temperature
- Supportive therapy
- Common Ailments (eg. Abscesses, Alopecia, Apoplexy, Aspergillosis, Breathlessness, Constipation, Parasites)
- Safety in the Home
Lesson 5. Fish
- Selection
- Inside or Outside
- Warm or Cold water
- Number of fish
- Types of fish (Tropical, Marine, Cold Water)
- Costs, Size, Equipment
- Tanks, Ponds, Pumps, Aquariums, Night lights
- Water quality
- Changing Water
- Feed (Pelleted, live feed –Daphnia, Brine Shrimp)
- Illnesses (Fungal, Bacterial, Parasites, Environmental)
Lesson 6. Rabbits
- Breeds (Large, Small and Dwarf)
- Selection
- Legality (Illegal in some areas)
- Containment (Hutch or Cage)
- Environment (temperature etc)
- Feeding and Nutrition
- Watering
- Feed quantities and routine
- Grooming and Handling
- Moulting
- Transporting
- Sexing
- Breeding
- Identifying illness
- Care of sick rabbits
Lesson 7. Reptiles and Amphibians
- Types (eg. Salamander, Frogs, Venomous snakes, Non-venomous snakes, Shingle-backed lizard, Tortoises, Terrapins, Axolotls, etc)
- Selection
- Legal Issues
- Housing
- Environmental requirements (Moisture, Humidity, Warmth, etc)
- Terrariums
- Problems (eg. Dehydration, Stress, External and internal parasites, Blisters, Scale Rot, Mouth Rot or Canker, Colds/pneumonia,
- Constipation and diarrhoea, Cannibalism, Incomplete sloughing of the skin - shedding of the skin)
- Feed and feeding
- General Care
Lesson 8. Rodents, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Mice
- Varieties
- Selection
- Containment
- Sexing
- Breeding
- Grooming
- Feeding
- Watering
- Illness (eg. Skin Problems, Abscesses, Mites, Ringworm, Fleas, Respiratory Infection, Vitamin C Deficiency, Otitis, Salmonella,
- Stripping etc)
What You Will Learn!
- general principles of pet care, as they relate to a wide range of different types of pets.
- routine care for cats.
- the characteristics of different cat breeds.
- routine care for dogs.
- the characteristics of different dog breeds.
- routine care for birds as pets.
- routine care for fish
- routine care for rabbits as pets.
- routine care for reptiles and amphibians.
- routine care for rodent pets.
Gain Industry Experience and Connections
Some disciplines more than others need that practical experience element. If you love animals and want a career in pet care, there’s a chance you’ve got a lot of energy.
Students benefit from the tasks and activities in the course which are designed to lead them away from the screen.
We encourage connection with industry and have designed ways for learners to see the bigger picture, and integrate deeper learning into their course.
Peek at some tasks within the course here…
- Visit retailer or suppliers. Find out about licencing for buying and selling pets.
- Research what regulations control the keeping of animals.
- Spend time observing cats. Keep notes thing they do, the places spend their time, how they interact with people or other animals, hunting. Take photos!
- Observe a range of dog breeds such as a local rescue centre. Talk to carers about common dog health care.
- Visit a retailer that supplies equipment for keeping birds and research equipment for sale.
- Look up bird keeping organisations - investigate popular bird breeds.
- Visit several suppliers of fish, fish keeping equipment and feed. Take photos of aquariums and equipment.
- Discuss with others what is involved with keeping a tropical aquarium.
What Next?
To be successful in pet care, you need more than passion. You need persistence and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. You also need skills.
If this describes you, we can help you to get a start in this industry. You need to build a foundation first.
This course could lead to:
- Work in a pet retail environment - many people in this industry lack deep knowledge of animals and their true needs.
- Work self-employed as an animal care specialist.
- Work in pet rescue or rehabilitation.
- Become a blogger or writer for pet related business or services.
- A first step to further education.
Is it worth it?
We know that any education or training pays off but the job market is very competitive. Talk to us to find out how to get started!
The latest employment data shows that students who have formal education or training can largely expect positive outcomes in their employment search. We are expecting a 16% jobs growth in this industry now!
Jump in today, make a difference doing something you love.