Unit One:  The Human-Animal Bond

 

* The Human-Animal Connection

* We Are Animals - They Are Non-Human Animals

* Animals Feel Pain - Just Like Us

* The Paw Prints on History

* The Art of Neutral Observation

 

Unit Two: Animal Cognition and Communication

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* The Inner Lives of Animals

* Current Scientific Research into Animal Language and Cognition

* Evidence of Animal Empathy

* Communication: Primates, Dolphins, Elephants, Ravens, Parrots, Dogs, etc.

 

Unit Three:  Inter-Species Communication

 

* Inter-Species Communication

* Objective Observations of Body Language and non-language based communication

* Telepathic Communication between animals -- and between animals and humans

* Native and Indigenous Wisdom - an exploration of Power Animals

 

Unit Four: Therapeutic Partnership with Animals

 

* Equine Therapy - Horses and Healing

* Therapy Animals - Criteria and application

* Animal Assisted Visitations - criteria and applications

* Artificial Intelligence "animals" - Japanese animal robots

* Canine Good Citizenship Test and Pet Partner Teams Criteria

* Companion Animals for PTSD and Emotional Support Animals

* Medical Alert Dogs -- seizure alert, diabetic alert, etc.

* Cancer Detection Dogs - methods and results

* Companion Dogs for Autism

* How dogs help children learn to read

* Service Animals - mobility, seeing-eye animals, hearing animals, etc.

 

Unit Five:  Shelters, Animal Rescue and Solutions

 

* Animal Shelters - Euthanasia statistics and top reasons animals are surrendered

* Volunteering in shelters and rescue organizations

* Prison - Dog-Training Programs, puppies, and shelter animals

* Choosing and evaluating shelter animals for companions

* Puppy Mills

* Ethical Issues in animal welfare

 

Unit Six:  Military and Law Enforcement Working Dogs

 

* Military Working dogs -- history, present, and future

* Law enforcement canines

* Disaster Response Dogs

* Search and Rescue Work

 

Unit Seven: Holistic Animal Healing Methods

 

* Holistic and Distance Healing: 

* Reiki, TTouch, TFT, Healing Touch, acupuncture, etc.

* Animal Massage

* Metaphysical Treatment and Healing Practices for people and pets

* Working with Power Animals and other indigenous native spiritual practices

 

Unit Eight: Resilience & Rehabilitation of Traumatized Animals

 

*My Shelter Personality vs. My True Nature

* Bo's Second Chance at Love

* Smitty the Pitty Overcomes Fear

* A Bolt of Inspiration

* Dogs have an Individual Purpose
* Case Studies in Animal Shelters

* The Trust Technique

 

Unit Nine:  Training & Careers in Animal Care

 

* Brief history of animal training and methods

* Classical Conditioning

* Positive Training Methods and Rationale
* Overview of Careers in Animal Services

* Grief Counseling and Pet Bereavement Counseling

* Veterinarian-Assisted Home Euthanasia

* Building a Holistic Animal Care Practice

 

Unit Ten:  Final Projects

 

Final Research and Project Submission

Capstone Research Project

 

See: Course Objectives & Student Outcomes