Canine Body Language Course
Learn to read dog body language, spot signs of stress, and support your current or future therapy dog.
Canine Body Language Course Details
Your dog communicates through movement, posture, facial expressions, and other body signals. Learning to read those signals can help you make the most safe and caring choices for them.
The Canine Body Language Course helps current and future therapy volunteers understand signs of comfort and stress. You will also learn how to respond when your dog needs support, space, or a break.
This course will cover:
- The three stress zones and key areas of a dog’s body that show comfort, uncertainty, or stress
- Common scenarios and how to identify and respond to canine body signals
- Your responsibility to act when your dog needs support, space, or to take a break
The Canine Body Language Course will strengthen the bond you already have with your dog and support you to be their best advocate at home, in public, during training, and throughout therapy animal visits.
Course Pricing
The Canine Body Language Course is free to all Registered Volunteers.
Registered Volunteer: $0 | Non or In-progress volunteer: $49
SHEA Endorsed
Pet Partners is the only therapy animal organization to have courses endorsed by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Our Canine Body Language and Infection Prevention Therapy Animal Visits courses, when completed together, meet the requirements outlined in the 2015 “Animals in Healthcare Facilities: Recommendations to Minimize Potential Risks.” Pet Partners is the only therapy animal organization to have courses endorsed by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Our Canine Body Language and Infection Prevention Therapy Animal Visits courses, when completed together, meet the requirements outlined in the 2015 “Animals in Healthcare Facilities: Recommendations to Minimize Potential Risks.”
Course Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our courses are fully self-paced and easy to follow. They are designed for people with busy lives, those new to volunteering with their pet, or those already visiting with their pet and looking to build skills and confidence. You’ll hear the lessons read aloud, and you’ll answer real-world, scenario-based questions (think: multiple choice and drag-and-drop). You’ll have a quick knowledge check at the end and walk away with a certificate you can show the staff at any facility you visit. The content in the Infection Prevention & Therapy Animal Visits course was reviewed by members of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the CDC, and leading veterinarians, and it meets 2015 SHEA requirements. So you’ll know you’re doing things the right way from the start.
With every Pet Partners online course, you can truly go at your own pace. Courses usually take people 2–4 hours to complete, depending on how deeply you engage with the content. You can start, stop, and return whenever your schedule allows. Learn at whatever pace works best for you!
The course is available for free to all registered Pet Partners volunteers. For all other members of the public, or volunteers still in the process of getting registered, the course is $49.
You will see a Buy Course section on this course page above. Simply enter your email address and click “Next”. You will receive a login code via email, which you can use to log in to the LMS. Follow the instructions on the screen to proceed.
Yes, Pet Partners courses are designed to be as inclusive as possible! The Infection Prevention & Therapy Animal Visits Course has accurate closed captions, screen reader support, alternate text, keyboard navigation, and learner-controlled playback and display settings. Whether you’re using a laptop or assistive tech, you’ll be able to access everything you need.
It is not! This course is completely optional—it’s just for people who want to deepen their understanding of infection prevention strategies and learn what steps they can take to keep themselves, their pets, and the people they visit safest from infection.