Higher Certificate in Canine First Aid

Would you know how to save your dog's life in an emergency? This easy-to-follow course provides teaches you basic first aid treatments, how to commence CPR and so much more.

Bestseller Online Course First Aid & Health Open

This veterinary approved and externally accredited online course is written and designed by a qualified registered veterinary nurse and clinicial animal behaviourist. It has been designed for pet professionals, fulfilling Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. However, it is suitable for pet owners too.

The course is made up of multiple learning processes, such as written content, video demonstrations, downloadable resources and suggested tasks. There are no exams, but to obtain your certificate you must answer some multiple choice questions. Like human first aid, it is recommended that you refresh your skills every three years.

Course aims:

  • Gain the skills to identify and effectively respond to various first aid scenarios that may arise.
  • Acquire the knowledge necessary to conduct a safe assessment of the dog’s condition.
  • Learn the proper techniques for administering basic first aid treatments and providing immediate care while awaiting veterinary assistance.
  • Explore fundamental principles of first aid, emphasising safe handling practices and updated CPR protocols, along with additional essential skills.
  • See full course curriculum below.

Course features:

  • Written with the benefit of practical veterinary experience.
  • Information and content based on the latest veterinary standards.
  • Life saving techniques based on internationally recognised authority in veterinary CPR.
  • Our bite-sized lessons let you learn comfortably at your own pace
  • Video demonstrations included.
  • Enjoy lifetime access to the course, allowing you to revisit and refresh your knowledge whenever needed.
  • Tutor and technical support available.
  • Accredited CPD certificate of completion.
  • CPD reflection and transcript for professional portfolio and CPD log.
  • Unique ‘Accredited First Aider’ membership badge for display on your website or social media profiles.
  • Quick reference E-Book.

Accredited by CPD Standards

Unique Verifiable Certificate

10% Loyal Student Discount on further courses

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Suitable for:

  • Dog owners
  • Dog walkers
  • Dog groomers
  • Dog carers / sitters
  • Dog trainers
  • Dog kennels / hotels
  • Animal behaviourists
  • Pet professionals

The course recognises that the veterinary surgeons act 1966 restricts the diagnosis and treatment of an animal by another person other than a qualified and registered veterinary surgeon. However any lay person can carry out first aid in an emergency situation.

This course is NOT designed to replace veterinary treatment and attention. For all first aid cases, a veterinary surgeon should be contacted as soon as possible.

Course content

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5 129 Reviews

Reviews

by Amber Miller 25/01/2026

I found the dog first aid course to be very informative and useful. The course was easy to follow and explained important first aid procedures for dogs in a clear and understandable way. It helped me feel more confident in recognising emergency situations and knowing what steps to take to help a dog before getting veterinary care.

I particularly liked how the course covered a wide range of topics, including injuries, unconsciousness, CPR, and serious conditions such as GDV. The additional resources and links were helpful and encouraged me to learn more about dog health and emergency care. Overall, this course was well organised, practical, and valuable, and I would recommend it to anyone who owns or works with dogs.

by Sue Fox 19/01/2026

I liked the cpr mainly . The hole course was very interesting, it’s been my favourite so far.

by Marianne Mathieson 15/01/2026

This course are very informative and helpful. The system was easy to use and the course excellent value for money.

by Nicola Thomas 20/11/2025

Great course covering a wide range of conditions and types of first aid required. More in depth than some other first aid courses I have done but still in a very easy style of learning. Would recommend.

by Jennie Idle 17/11/2025

I was surprised to learn about giant hogweed and have done some research. I found the symptom checks and treatments for all the different sections very interesting and am very pleased to have done this course.

by Janie Comber 15/11/2025

This course is invaluable to a dog carer, looking after other peoples’ Best Friends on a regular basis.
The bite-sized lessons the modules are divided into means that even if you only have half an hour to spare, you can do some useful studying.
Nothing seems to make the student think “oh no, I couldn’t cope with that” – once you’ve studied the lessons, and understood the content, you realise that in the event you needed to, you COULD cope.
I’d encourage anyone with a dog to take this course; naturally, we all hope never to be in the situation to need to use the knowledge, but I for one feel much better having that knowledge than not.

by Alessandra Bass 11/11/2025

A concise and very informative course which suited my needs. I liked the way it was divided into modules and the quiz at the end of each section, which I can return to at any time to knowledge reinforcement.
I recommend this course for anyone who wishes to gain knowledge in Canine First Aid.

by Natalie Warner 30/10/2025

I thought the course covered all aspects of dog 1st aid that I may be lightly to use while walking a customers dog but also with my own! The content was straight forward and mostly easy to understand. The videos were really helpful although when putting into practice some of the demonstrations a little tougher on a real live patient, he he. I would recommend this course to dog owners or people such as myself that want to be able to do the best they can if first aid treatment is needed and to be able to recognise emergency signs and symptoms.

by Isabel Rose 22/10/2025

I found the course clear, informative and interactive. I would recommend this to anyone looking to expand their knowledge on canine first aid.

by Val Marsden 13/10/2025

Normally I prefer a more hands-on approach to learning but this course is very interesting and well set out. CPR was especially helpful. All videos were extremely informative.

by Stephanie Hewitt 28/09/2025

This course was detailed and provided all the information I needed for my dog-walking business. I now feel confident if something happened while out on a walk I would have all the knowledge and equipment to deal with it.

by Sarah Brooke 28/09/2025

The course was very easy to follow and understand; the videos were very helpful (although it would have been nice to have a few more). The CPR was really helpful for me and has given me a bit more confidence of what to do if I am ever faced with that situation.
This will help me with my own dogs but also when grooming dogs for other people.

by Katherine Thompson 21/09/2025

The course was easy to understand and broken into to interesting sections very well explained. The course will be very helpful for me in the future. This will benefit me in my dog grooming career to pick up any minor ailments dogs may have that might need veterinary treatment. I loved the videos so clearly explained for all to understand. I would have no hesitation in recommending the course to others to progress your career.

by Talia Decent 13/08/2025

Thank you so much for providing such a comprehensive but easy to follow course! I liked the mixture of text and videos to break up the reading and watching, and I have made notes of all the information provided to keep with me at all times, which I’m sure my partner will test me on weekly!

I am hoping to work with animal charities and organisations in my area to improve the lives of dogs and other animals, so this was a fantastic first step and I would highly recommend it to anyone! I’m sure I’ll be back on here in a few years to refresh my training/

by Leah Unwin 05/08/2025

The canine first aid course was informative and easy to follow.

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Course includes

  • 8 Modules
  • Video Demonstrations
  • Downloadable Resources
  • No Exams!
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Lifetime Access
  • Help and Support

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