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About Certification

As a pet care professional, you cannot know too much about health issues that affect the dogs you see in your business. If you work with pets all day as a receptionist, bather, groomer, trainer, daycare, or night-time provider, you owe it to the pets in your care to be the best in your chosen profession.

Dogs are taken to the veterinarian infrequently, perhaps once a year for vaccinations, sometimes not even that frequently. Owners are usually unaware of their pets’ health and well-being, as they have so much else occupying their consciousnesses, and they see their pets every day, making any gradually developing health issues invisible to them. 

The pet care professionals see the dogs far more frequently than their veterinarians, and less frequently than the owners so changes in health should be more obvious. 

To be prepared in our profession, we should be trained to recognize early signs of many disorders to keep pets healthy and get the owner to take their dogs to the vet when necessary. 

As pet care professionals, we may not be a vet, but we are the dog’s advocates, and it is our job to let an owner know when we suspect something is wrong that necessitates a visit to the vet.

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You are the first line of defense for each and every pet that you handle, so being knowledgeable about the illnesses and injuries that afflict these pets is a huge part of your job.

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Understanding Man’s Best Friend is an in-depth introduction to canine history, behavior, and psychology, so that the entire salon team, including the bathers, groomers, and stylists as well as other staff members understand how to approach any dog with confidence and safety. 

Form and Function of Man’s Best Friend are about canine anatomy with proper, medical names of all systems in the dog’s body (skeletal, muscular, neurological, integumentary, and senses), so that trained salon team members can discuss and communicate with fellow professionals in the dog world as well as veterinarians using the correct terminology.

Taking Care of Man’s Best Friend covers all of the basics in nutrition, obedience, training, and basic health, so that clients’ pets may achieve maximum health and well-being thanks to the advice of the educated salon owner and team. 

First Aid for Man’s Best Friend prepares for accidents that can happen in any professional situation in which living pets are in the care, custody, and control of anyone in the pet care industry. Knowledge about how to treat the most common accidents and illnesses that occur in a salon is potentially life-altering and life-saving.

Who’s Who in Man’s Best Friend teaches all salon team members about the AKC Groups and breeds in the groups to gain knowledge of the overall form and function of the dogs in the specific groups to be a specialist in safe and gentle handling in the salon environment. 

Variations and Creations in Man’s Best Friend teach the bather, groomer, stylists, and salon team the breadth of possibilities for eye, ear, and tail types. The course discusses the many different types of coat, coat coloring, and patterns, to teach the professional how to correctly bathe, groom, and style each breed for maximum beauty and artistry. 

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Advanced Canine Health and Care of Man's Best Friend

Certification Objective

Certification is designed to provide you with the knowledge to understand how to properly care for the dog in the salon, daycare, and boarding. Upon successful completion of this Certification Series, you will receive the title of a Pet Care Professional in the Salon, Daycare, and Boarding Facilities.