Introduction to Fear and Anxiety in Dogs and Cats
Introduction to Fear and Anxiety in Dogs and Cats
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 confidence recognising anxiety signs in dogs and cats they care for
- Reviewers appreciated Caroline's clear narration and bite-sized modules that fit busy schedules
- Students felt inspired to progress to advanced courses and continue learning with the provider
- Learners found practical, actionable strategies they could immediately apply to their own pets
Based on 87 published student reviews across all star ratings for this course.
Wendy C.
Verifiedfantastic introduction to fear and anxiety
great course, put together in an informative interesting way making the reader want to learn more.
Amanda J B.
VerifiedA Well-Paced and Accessible Course - Excellent!
This was a very well-paced course that combines a useful mixture of media types to support the learning process, including videos, webinars and handouts. The content was pitched at an appropriate level throughout and was clear and easy to understand, while still covering a lot of ground. Caroline is extremely knowledgeable and presents the information in a very accessible way. I particularly found the quiz at the end helpful for checking my understanding and reinforcing the key learning points. The course would be useful to anyone who works with cats or dogs and wants to develop their knowledge, but it would also be highly beneficial to pet owners who simply want to understand their animals better. I would definitely recommend it.
Samantha H.
VerifiedInformative & Friendly
This introductory course has given me added confidence & heightened my interest in the nature of cats/dogs behaviours, with a view of setting up my own pet drop in/enrichment business in the near future. Looking forward to the First Aid course😻🐶
Matthew S.
VerifiedVery detailed and learnt a lot of new things I that I didn’t know before I found the specific body language for fear an
Learnt so much about dog body language very educational and have learnt things that I didn’t know before.
Susan
Verifiedintroduction to fear and anxiety
a nicely present course that reached all the points needed as an introduction.
Tracy Emma G.
VerifiedInformative and clearly presented. Recommended.
Good introductory course. Recommended.
Keep growing — CPD courses chosen for you…
Advanced Certificate in Feline Fear, Anxiety & Aggression
by Caroline Clark
- 8 Modules
- Lifetime access
- Accredited Course
- 4 Hours of Webinars
Managing Safe Interactions Between Dogs
by Caroline Clark
- 6 Modules
- Lifetime access
- Recorded Webinar
- Downloads
Popular
Advanced Certificate in Canine Fear, Anxiety & Aggression
by Caroline Clark
- 8 Modules
- Lifetime access
- Accredited Course
- 4 Hours of Webinars