Starting soon!
We have been running a science based Canine Nutrition course since 2011 so we have been working on it and refining it for a decade! In that short time, more and more reliable evidence has become available on canine nutrition and our approaches to feeding dogs.
This is a growing and exciting area of research and our course will help you to apply that expanding knowledge to feeding individual dogs.
Online Deep Dive Course Details:
When? This course starts on Monday 9th August 2021; apply using this form: Online Canine Nutrition course application
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Where? Anywhere, any time! This course is entirely online so you can participate when and where you like….from your sofa…in your PJs…
As soon as the course commences, you will immediately have access to all the course materials to download so you can work anywhere.
Who? This is a science and evidence based course; we do not endorse any particular approach to feeding dogs.
On this course you will learn more than nutrition; we spend a lot of time discussing evidence, critically analysing information, reading research papers, critiquing the science, all of which is applicable to other areas.
The quality of the evidence is our foundation, so we will not be elevating gurus and social media “nutrition experts” merely due to their profile or letters after their name.
If you are so attached to a feeding modality that you may find it difficult to consider other approaches, this may not be the course for you. And if you are looking for confirmation of your current understanding of canine nutrition, this course may cause you discomfort.
We don’t promote or condone any particular diet type or approach to feeding dogs and believe that different diet types can be designed to provide appropriate nutrition for individual dogs.
This course is for anyone who has a keen interest in really understanding how canine nutrition works, how best to look at what we know and apply that to individual dogs. You don’t need to have a science background and you will have plenty of time to digest (!) the information, with our full support.
It’s particularly suited to dog care pros such as veterinary personnel, pet retailers, training/behaviour pros and groomers. But if you have in-depth interest in science and nutrition, this might just be the course for you!
How long? This is a self-paced course and you will have access to the online course area for 7 months. Starting in August 2021, you will have continued access until the end of March 2022.
How much? This course costs €250
You can pay the entire fee or in installments via bank transfer or PayPal.
Course fees must be paid in full before you can access the online area. Please read the terms below carefully before committing.
What will I learn about? There is some introductory work to go through and then course content is split into eight parts, with some wrapping-up to do at the end too.
It is the most in-depth component course we have ever developed and cover all sorts of topics directly and indirectly related to canine nutrition.
Course content:
To participate, you will need:
- Email address/account, a suitable device and internet access; course materials are presented in MS Word, PDF and links for downloading. You should not have difficulty on most devices and OS.
- Stationary for note-taking (if that’s the way you work).
- You need to be able to use the internet, blogs, Facebook groups and if you wish to participate to the fullest, be able to record and upload short demonstration clips (for a very small number of assessment works), complete assessment work in Word documents, PDFs and other basic computer skills.
- It is not required that you have a dog for this course, although to complete some assessment work, you will need access to at least one dog. This has presented challenges during lockdown, but hopefully over the coming months this shouldn’t be an issue and you will be able to more safely borrow a family member’s or friend’s dog, for example.
- Means to upload your work or clips for guidance and feedback and to submit assessment work.
- Access to social media such as Facebook (for groups) and MS Teams (we will send you a link, you don’t even need an account, just an email address), and a device that allows you to participate in online video chats and similar.
Goals of this course
- to develop an understanding of the scientific and biochemical bases for nutrition including digestion and nutrients
- to appreciate, interpret and apply nutrition information from reliable and valid evidence based resources
- to communicate about canine nutrition objectively and without sensation
- to develop awareness of the wide range of canine diets and approaches to feeding domestic dogs, from an evidence based perspective
- to consider the relationships between nutrition and behaviour, and nutrition and wider health
- to apply your developing knowledge and understanding to special dietary contexts including malnutrition and dietary sensitivities
You get:
- 24/7 access to the course online area, from anywhere, for seven months
- multiple media learning resources for viewing and downloading
- about 200 mini-lectures (written presentations for reading) covering a wide array of nutrition and related topics presented in small-ish bites so that you can take time to process and analyse
- free access to our short course, Science & Studying Animal,s to give you a foundation in understanding this evidence-based approach to learning more about animals
- comment facility at the online course area for participation, enquiries, interactions
- access to a specific Facebook group for real-time feedback and guidance
- regular live online meetings schedule to suit group participants
- ongoing online interaction with fellow-students and your tutor as we take this journey of discovery together
Submission of final assessment work is optional but you are encouraged to work through assessment and self-evaluation to support knowledge development and skill building.
As this is a self-paced course, the level of participation is up to you. There may be times when you are more available and other times when you have less availability. Obviously, to get the full benefit, we encourage the fullest possible participation.
After successfully submitting completed final assessment work, you will be awarded an AniEd certificate of achievement.
Ethos & Transparency
This topic is fraught with difficulties when it comes to discussion and application of evidence. You will have probably seen mere mentions of canine nutrition, especially on social media, descend into all sorts of faulty arguments and polarisation. That is definitely NOT what we will promote, facilitate or allow on this course.
Throughout all discussion, I will be there to guide you so that we can remain on track. We take an R+ (positive reinforcement) approach to learning and teaching, and all advice and guidance will be provided with this in mind. We must feel safe in our discussion so that we can create an environment conducive to learning for all to benefit.
We all have the same goal: to make sure we can maximise the health of our pets through careful feeding. Let’s stick together and learn together!
Transparency
This course is not supported by or promoted by any feed manufacturer or industry member. AniEd does not sell or recommend specific feeds and we never have.
Anne Rogers will be your tutor on this course.
Anne has worked for a major international feed manufacturer (about 20 years ago) as a nutrition advisor and has worked in pet retail and in veterinary, selling and promoting a range of feeds, too (more than 20 years ago).
Her current dog, Decker (9 year old entire male AmStaff), is fed raw, home-cooked, wet (tinned) and dry food, sometimes all in the same day. Over his life, he has eaten a wide range of brands and we are not loyal to any one particularly.
We are only interested in doing the very best for our dogs. No matter what you have fed your dog before, or even currently, you are doing your very best for your dog. And no matter, your dog loves you for that.
Each one of our dogs eats a better diet than most of the humans on this planet.
Dogs are incredibly adaptive and most are able to survive on even poor quality feeds. We are, of course, aiming for more than survival, we want our dogs to thrive. But, let’s keep all this in mind, even when discussion becomes intense.
All of this is further discussed during the course.
Online Deep Dive Course Terms
Before you sign up, consider carefully embarking on an online course. While online learning is more flexible, it can be harder to self-motivate and maintain your energy and interest, especially toward the middle of the course duration.
This course is for those really really interested in nutrition; we will (hopefully) challenge your current understanding and knowledge, supporting you as your passion for study grows.
Make sure you know exactly what you are getting into before you pay. To help, you can download some course materials samples, selected from across course content, here:
From Part 2 Section 5 Functional Foods:
- Download: EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS!
From Part 2 Section 5 Functional Foods:
- Download: FUNCTIONAL FOODS
From Part 2 Section 5 Probiotics, Prebiotics & the Microbiome:
- Download: FERMENTED FOODS
From Part 3 Section Making Choices
- Download: FOOD PREFERENCES IN DOGS
From Part 4 Commercial Diets: Safety & Quality Concerns
- Download: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PET FEED
From Part 5 Nutrition & Behaviour Section 1 Food related behaviours of concern
- Download: WHAT IS COPROPHAGIA?
- Download: WHY DO DOGS EAT POOP?
- Download: STUDYING COPROPHAGIA
- Download: IS COPROPHAGIA HARMFUL?
- Download: MODIFYING COPROPHAGIA
If you’re ready to go, we would love to have you!
Once payment has been received, you will be provided with course access. There are no refunds, whole or partial, available for course fees once you have accessed the online course area.
By continuing and participating in this course you agree to these terms.
- you must be 18 years or over to participate in AniEd courses
- upon application, you will be asked to review all course information and review all terms before paying course fees
- course fees must be paid in full before access to course areas will be available
- once you have accessed the online course area, no refunds, for any reason, will be available
- you will have access to the online course area, and related resources, for seven months from enrolment
- assessment submission is optional and details of extensions and deadline accommodation will be available at application
APPLY HERE
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