Introduction to Fear and Anxiety in Dogs and Cats Webinar
This veterinary approved webinar is written and presented by a clinical animal behaviourist and qualified registered veterinary nurse. It has been designed for pet professionals, fulfilling Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. However, it is also suitable for dog or cat caregivers who have an anxious pet that they want to help and understand better. A great foundation to the subject or a refresher for the current professional.
There are no exams, but to obtain your certificate of completion you must answer some multiple choice questions, which have been designed to ensure that you have learned the material.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the difference between fear and anxiety in dogs and cats, including common causes and how each presents.
- Learn to recognise and interpret the signs of fear and anxiety through canine and feline body language and stress signals.
- Understand how fear and anxiety can escalate into frustration, aggression and reactive behaviour.
- Explore the importance of socialisation and habituation in puppies and kittens, and how early life experiences shape behaviour.
- Discover practical techniques to promote calmness and emotional security in anxious dogs and cats.
- Gain an understanding of dietary supplements, pheromones and other complementary therapies used alongside behavioural modification.
- Learn how human behaviour affects an anxious pet and explore strategies to better support animals in your care.
This course includes:
- 6 modules
- Bitesize lessons
- Access on all devices
- Lifetime access
- Recorded webinar
- Download guides & templates
- No assessments, just quizzes
- Certificate of completion
- Tutorial & technical support
- Informational factsheets
Who this course is for:
- Dog/cat caregivers
- Dog walkers
- Dog/cat groomers
- Dog/cat sitters
- Dog trainers
- Rescue centre, kennel & cattery workers
- Students studying animal behaviour
- Feline/canine behaviourists
- Veterinary nurses
Before you enrol:
This course includes videos with English subtitles. We design our courses to work with the way you learn — not against it. Whether you are neurodivergent, have a sensory or physical difference, or simply prefer flexible ways to study, the features below are here to support you.
- Reading Ruler: Highlights one line at a time to help maintain focus. Toggle it on/off from the toolbar at the top of each lesson.
- Table of Contents: Longer topics display a Contents button in the toolbar for quick navigation between sections.
- Dark Mode: Reduces eye strain in low-light environments. Toggle it from the sidebar panel (top-right icons).
- Reading Time: Each topic shows an estimated reading time in the toolbar so you can plan your study sessions.
- Auto-Generated Subtitles: Available on all of our videos (approximately 95% accurate). Enable them using the CC button in the video player.
- Video Transcripts: Text versions of video content with timestamps, allowing you to follow along or revisit specific sections.
- Adjustable Playback: Video quality adjusts automatically based on your connection. Use the gear icon for manual control, or adjust playback speed to suit your pace.
- Feature Boxes: Key information is presented in visually distinct boxes, helping break down content and improve focus for neurodivergent learners or those with reading difficulties.
- Colour Contrast: Our course materials use high-contrast colour schemes to aid readability, particularly for learners with colour blindness or visual impairments.
- Downloadable Resources: Slides and supporting materials accompany webinars, enabling you to take notes and refer back at your own pace.
About the instructor:
Course curriculum:
-
Introduction to Fear and Anxiety: Definition, Signs, Cause and Effects
- Welcome
- What is Fear & Anxiety? What are the Signs?
- How Cats and Dogs use Body Language to Express Fear and Anxiety
- How Fear and Anxiety Leads to Frustration and Aggression
- Common Causes of Fear and Anxiety
-
Prevention: Socialisation & Early Life Experience, Recognising Pain and Improving Communication
- Early Life Experiences: Habituation & Socialisation and How Pain Affects Behaviour
- Improving Communication: Recognising and Responding to Stress Signals
-
Management & Treatment Strategies
- Analysing the Problem: Recognising & Managing Triggers
- Understanding Systematic Desensitisation and Counterconditioning (DS & CC)
- Managing the Environment: Context, Settings and Coping Strategies
-
Training Techniques and Providing Emotional Support
- Helpful Training Techniques
- Promoting Emotional Well-being
- Dietary Supplements, Pheromones & Other Complementary Therapies
-
The Human-Animal Relationship: Our Impact on Dogs and Cats Under our Care
- How We Affect Animal Behaviour: Helping Ourselves to Help Our Animals
- Summary
- Fear & Anxiety Self Assessment Quiz
Student reviews:
- Students gained practical ideas to help manage their own anxious pets at home.
- Reviewers appreciated Caroline's clear teaching style and the bite-sized module format for flexible learning.
- Students felt more confident recognizing anxiety signs in dogs and cats after completing the course.
- Learners valued the extra resources like downloads and links that inspired them to explore the topic further.
Based on 83 published student reviews across all star ratings for this course.
introduction to fear and anxiety
a nicely present course that reached all the points needed as an introduction.
Informative and clearly presented. Recommended.
Good introductory course. Recommended.
Informative and Interesting
Really interesting and informative course, thank you!
Highly recommend to caregivers and professionals
Great knowledge to have whether as a caregiver or to use in your career. Content was clear and easy to follow. It will help to understand my cat better. Great course and highly recommend.
Learning Made Joyful
I absolutely loved the course! Caroline’s videos are clear and well-paced, making even complex topics easy to understand. I had several ‘aha’ moments, even though I already had experience in the subject. I’m so inspired that I can’t wait to continue learning with Caroline and join her other courses. Learning from someone with such vast experience and such a kind, genuine personality has been a wonderful experience.
Very interesting and easy to follow
Very interesting and easy to follow
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