International Pet Sitting Diploma

• What pet sitting involves
• Health, safety and animal welfare
• The importance of security
• The safest way to approach to any animal

• When you need a written health and safety policy in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• How to protect yourself when you're on the job
• The risks involved in pet sitting and dog walking
• How to protect yourself from some serious health concerns you can be affected by through animal contact

• The different types of Zoonotic diseases to protect yourself from
• Why you may need a licence from your local authority
• Various legislations you need to know about and comply with as a professional pet sitter
• About the contracts you should have in place as a pet sitter

• Who your true target audience is for your dog walking service
• How to build your pack of dogs
• How to recognise the signs of dog aggression
• The different types of dog aggression

• The purpose of the pre-service visit
• How to prepare your pet information sheet
• About creating the right impression
• The documentation required

• The five forms to include in your client information pack
• How to use a client information pack to increase your profits
• How to store client information in compliance with data protection regulation
• An example statement to include on your veterinary release form to minimize your vet expenses (May be compulsory for your business insurance policy)

• The time you need to allocate for each dog walk
• The length of time you should leave between appointments
• The order in which to take care of each of the pets you’re responsible for
• Insurance vulnerabilities when you include additional services for clients when they are on holiday

• The importance of securing animals during transport
• The safest transportation methods for dogs and cats
• Proper usage of crates for smaller animals
• The danger of cold temperatures to reptiles and how to aid their survival when necessary

• Why tight grasps negatively affect animal behaviour
• When you should and shouldn't handle animals
• A 3-step approach to minimizing stress in animals
• Animal handling precautions that gets the animal to come to you rather than you cornering the animal

• The different breeds of dogs and cats
• Nourishment guidelines for feeding dogs and cats
• Precautions with vitamin supplements
• The different types of exercise to stimulate each pet in your care

• The three groups of fish, and examples of breeds within each group
• The temperatures to maintain for each type of fish
• The frequency to test water for nitrates
• The amount of water needing changed, when and how to change it

• The best type of habitat to house rodents safely
• How often their cages need cleaned
• The safest type of bedding to provide
• The different breeds and types of rodents

• The different breeds of rabbits and guinea pigs
• How to care for young and elderly rabbits and guinea pigs
• The nutrition requirements
• About their behavioural traits

• Why you need to know about reptiles, lizards, snakes and turtles
• Dietary requirements and feeding guidelines
• The temperatures each type of reptile requires
• The behavioural traits of reptiles

• How to approach birds for your first time with them
• The different types of birds you could be caring for
• The best types of bird cages that allow birds to exercise
• What you need to do when letting birds out their cage

• What viruses pets need to be vaccinated against
• How to care for diabetic pets
• The symptoms of common illnesses and why you need to be aware still of Distemper
• The age kittens and puppies should get their primary course of vaccinations

• The essentials to have in your animal first aid kit
• How to stop bleeding from a minor cut
• The risks of choking and how to treat a choking animal
• What to do if a dog suffers from heat stroke

• The length of time it could take for your business to receive its first payment
• How long you need to keep financial records for
• The importance of your diary
• How to manage your time efficiently

• About tailoring your services to meet the needs of groups of customers
• How to identify what people are already spending on pet care
• The simplest route to starting your own business
• What will drive a prospect to make the hiring decision and become a paying client

• A variety of ways to market your business effectively
• How to use your brand identity to promote your service
• The social media profiles to help you create your online brand
• How to design your business cards in a way that encourages people to keep hold of your information

• What you need to account for when pricing your services
• Pricing for small animals
• Pricing for dog walks
• Incorporating your business costs into your prices

• The difference between your direct costs and indirect costs
• How to determine your start up costs
• How to maximize your earnings
• How to determine your cost of customer acquisition

• What to do when your business hits a quiet spell
• About making contingency plans
• How to deal with and reduce cancellations
• About scenarios when you may be best to discontinue services with problematic clients

The course is broken down into 23 individual modules. Each module takes between 20 and 90 minutes on average to study. Although you are free to spend as much or as little time as you feel necessary on each module, simply log in and out of the course at your convenience.

You can study the course any time you like. Simply log in and out of the web based course as often as you require. The course is compatible with all computers, tablet devices and smart phones so you can even study while on the move!

Once you have completed all 23 modules there is a multiple choice test. The questions will be on a range of topics found within the 23 modules. The test, like the course, is online and can be taken a time and location of your choosing.

The pass mark for the test is 70%.

If you don’t pass the test first time you will get further opportunities to take the test again after extra study. There are no limits to the number of times you can take the test. All test retakes are included within the price of the course.

Once you have completed your test you can log in to your account and download/print your certificate any time you need it. If you would prefer us to post you a certificate to a UK address, there will be an admin charge of £10 (certificates sent internationally may cost more).

You can either use your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Solo cards or PayPal account to pay for the online course. Our site uses the latest SSL encryption to ensure your safety. All payments are handled securely by PayPal.

You can begin the course immediately after your payment has been received. You will create your login details during the checkout process. We will also send you an email confirming your login details.

We estimate that the course will take about 15 hours hours to complete in total, plus an additional 30 minutes for the end of course test.

Once you have been awarded your certificate it is valid for life. The certificate does not expire or need renewing.