Online Course – Application deadline 2/27/26 – Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program Spring 2026 Session – UC Davis KSMP Shelter Learniverse
2026-02-27 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Offered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse as part of Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program empowers frontline animal shelter workers to provide exceptional care, grounded in best practices, with a focus on improving outcomes for animals and communities. Courses focus on safe, low-stress handling, sound medical and behavioral care, and practical systems that keep animals moving through your shelter instead of getting stuck.
You’ll gain expertise in:

Best practices to reduce animal stress.
Foundational animal care and medical care to enhance your skills.
Behavior, training, and enrichment for healthier, happier animals.
Population management to optimize shelter resources.
Daily care best practices that streamline your workflow and maximize impact.

The Shelter Care Specialist Certification is designed for you:

Built for real frontline work across the shelter: front desk, kennels, adoptions, foster, volunteers, clinic, and field services.
Short, on-the-job–friendly lessons with coach feedback and tools you can plug directly into existing routines.
Emphasizes realistic workflows—intake, daily care, behavior support, and outcome planning—so you can do more for animals with the resources you already have.
Certification is currently free, #ThanksToMaddie!

Whether you’re new to shelter work or a seasoned professional, this program equips you with the tools, knowledge, and recognition to make a greater difference.
Applications are being accepted for the Spring 2026 session starting 4/6/26.
Application deadline: 2/27/26.
Learn more about upcoming sessions and apply at https://tinyurl.com/SCS-General

Online Course - Starts 3/23/26 - Tails of Understanding: The Art of Communication With Our Human Clients - IAABC (fee applies)
2026-03-23 00:00 - 23:59
Do you ever feel that working with dogs is the easy part, and that working with their humans is the real challenge? This comprehensive 4-module course is designed specifically for dog trainers, veterinarians, shelter workers, groomers, and behavior consultants who want to strengthen their communication skills and navigate difficult client interactions with confidence.
Taught by two experts in conflict resolution who are also seasoned dog professionals with a combined 50 years of experience working with people and their dogs, this course offers practical strategies drawn from real-world scenarios you’ll actually face in your practice.
Through this course, you’ll learn how to:

Engage clients with genuine curiosity to uncover what’s really driving their concerns
Avoid common communication mistakes that lead to frustration and breakdown
Stay emotionally grounded when clients are reactive, dismissive, or resistant
Have hard conversations without damaging the relationship
Work effectively with clients who challenge your expertise or resist your guidance

This course goes beyond technical training knowledge to address the human side of animal work. You’ll develop the resilience and communication skills needed to build trust, collaborate effectively, and create lasting positive change—even with your most challenging clients.
Whether you’re dealing with clients who won’t follow through, argue with every suggestion, or bring conflict into your training sessions, this course will give you the tools to handle these situations professionally while protecting your own wellbeing.
** IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LIVE SESSIONS **
Sessions are not recorded
Sessions are 2 hours in duration
There are 4 live/online sessions for this course (March 25th, 27th, 30th and April 1st – 12:00PM EDT)
Duration: 2 weeks
Instructors: Carmaleta Aufderheide & Karis Nafte
WEBSITE LINK: https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/tails-of-understanding-the-art-of-communication-with-our-human-clients/

Online Course - Starts 3/24/26 - Critical Applications: Ethical Approaches to Behavior Interventions - IAABC (fee applies)
2026-03-24 00:00 - 23:59
Are you interested in developing your skills and strengthening your knowledge on how to best handle and interact with animals while focusing on their welfare and well-being?
In this 8-week course, we will take a deep dive into the uses and applications of critical analysis when handling behavior cases. We will discuss the critical questions that allow us to evaluate our own choice of methods and inform us on how we can best approach each case from a competent, skilled and humane perspective. And, importantly, we will explore whether these methods are the most humane options available to help the individual animal learners live their best lives.
What to expect from this course:

Immersion into developing critical thinking skills and analysis when working maladaptive behavior cases.
Coverage of best practices to address individual cases using a systematic and informed approach.
Explanations of more than just how something works but why it works to best navigate the challenging space of current training methods.
Consideration of the ethical components behind working with nonhuman animal learners.

Is this course for you?
The course is not species-specific, so anyone working with any companion animal species can join.
A basic understanding of learning science is recommended but not required.
Though the focus is on behavior interventions, industry professionals of all experience levels will be able to gain a deeper understanding of humane practices by participating in the course.
** IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE WEEKLY MEETINGS **
Meetings are a safe space to ask questions, share your experiences, and learn from peers. They are not recorded.
Meetings take place on Tuesdays at 5:00pm EDT, beginning March 31st.
Meetings are 1 hour in duration.
Meetings begin 1 week after course opens.
There are 8 meetings for this course.
Duration: 8 weeks
Instructor: Dr. Erin Jones MSc, PhD, PgDip, CPDT-KA, ADT, CDBC
WEBSITE LINK: https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/critical-applications/

Online Course – Starts 4/6/26 – Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program Spring 2026 Session – UC Davis KSMP Shelter Learniverse
2026-04-06 08:00 - 17:00
Are you ready to take your career in animal sheltering to the next level? Offered by the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse as part of Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program empowers frontline animal shelter workers to provide exceptional care, grounded in best practices, with a focus on improving outcomes for animals and communities.
Through engaging online courses, you’ll gain expertise in:

Best practices to reduce animal stress.
Foundational animal care and medical care to enhance your skills.
Behavior, training, and enrichment for healthier, happier animals.
Population management to optimize shelter resources.
Daily care best practices that streamline your workflow and maximize impact.

Whether you’re new to shelter work or a seasoned professional, this program equips you with the tools, knowledge, and recognition to make a greater difference.
Why Become Certified?

Advance your career with professional credentials.
Learn practical, actionable skills to improve daily operations.
Gain confidence in providing high-quality care for every animal.

Start learning today and become part of the growing movement to transform animal sheltering.
Certification is currently free, #ThanksToMaddie!
This program is most relevant for individuals working in public shelters or private shelters with municipal contracts. Enrollment is limited; applicants from these shelter types will be prioritized for this session.
Learn more about upcoming sessions and apply at https://tinyurl.com/SCS-General

Online Course – Starts 4/7/26 – Canine Social Behavior – IAABC (fee applies)
2026-04-07 00:00 - 23:59
This course will teach you about canine communication, play, greetings, conflict resolution behaviors, and puppy social development. Dig into the science of canine social behavior, with an emphasis on dog-to-dog social interactions. Veterinarians, behavior consultants, trainers, groomers, kennel staff, shelter workers, day care staff, pet sitters, dog walkers, and keen guardians will all benefit from this course.
This course will help you:

Explain the importance of social relationships between dogs from a scientific perspective
Accurately interpret body language in dogs and understand how body language is linked to emotional states and communication
Describe and understand the stages of puppy development and how development can affect adult behaviors, including the development of problem behaviors
Recognize and interpret play and greeting behaviors in dogs
Describe the functions of conflict and reconciliation behaviors in dogs

Duration: 5 weeks
Instructor: Dr. Camille Ward MS, PhD, CAAB

Meetings are not recorded
Meetings take place on Tuesdays at 5pm EDT (first meeting April 14th)
Meetings are 1 hour in duration
There are 5 meetings for this course

WEBSITE LINK: https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/canine-social-behavior/
