The Dumb Friends League has a strong commitment to the continuing development of employees. New employees attend a series of classes to familiarize them with animal care, safe animal handling, standard operating procedures, people care and more. Ongoing training sessions are provided on a weekly basis, covering topics ranging from breed identification to retirement planning to basic computer operations.
These classes are also available as training opportunities for staff members of other animal welfare organizations. For more information about training opportunities, please e-mail us at training@ddfl.org.
Some of our classes include
Behavior I
This course is designed to help participants understand normal cat and dog behavior. We discuss how animals learn, as well as the pros and cons of attributing human thought and emotion to animals. You will receive an overview of services the League’s Animal Behavior department offers to the public.
Behavior II
This class discusses how body postures can indicate if an animal is feeling comfortable, stressed, fearful or aggressive. We teach about understanding and reducing stress in shelter animals, and you’ll learn how behaviors and interpretation of body postures differ between dog breed types.
Behavior
Evaluation
This class provides an in-depth look at behavior evaluations of shelter animals. We discuss the League’s evaluation process, and you’ll have an opportunity to use what you’ve learned in a role-play exercise.
Physical Examination
Taught by a Dumb Friends League staff veterinarian, this class will help you learn how to identify medical problems, such as diseases or injuries, in shelter animals. The class also covers proper examination techniques for maximum effectiveness, age determination and routine vaccinations.
Head Start
This course is composed of classroom time, demonstrations and dog training. The goal is to increase adoptions by educating high-energy dogs. The class covers how to reduce dogs’ immediate stress levels by channeling energies appropriately and how to teach acceptable replacement behaviors. It includes tips on getting to know each dog better, which means better adoption matches.
People Care
This class was developed in conjunction with the Iams ® company to train individuals in the field of animal care and control. The People Care program focuses on creating an awareness that superior customer service is fundamental to the success of animal care and control agencies, introducing participants to the essential skills and competencies that are relevant and useful in the workplace and practicing these important skills.