Meet Gail, owner of Happy Tails, and a graduate of our Animal Psychology course. Read her story and find out what she’s getting up to and how she found the course.
I started the Animal Psychology course last September. I had left my job in retail in the previous February and set myself up as a pet sitter/dog walker. I thought this course would help me understand the pets I was/am caring for especially behaviours like separation anxiety and give me a better chance of ensuring their happiness!
I chose this course instead of the other distance learning ones as it covered dogs, rabbits and cats, rather than more exotic pets. Dogs and cats are my main concern!
The best thing about the course was that the feedback was very quick, usually no more than a day and there was always an encouraging tutor comment! You have the option to study online or have booklets sent to you. I opted to have the booklets sent to me, but could still access them online which was handy.
Because I spend so much time away from home being able to upload assignments from anywhere was great, as opposed to printing them out and posting them.
The subjects were all thoroughly covered and the course notes were informative and readable. They give you a good starting point to go and do some research for yourself!
The only real challenge I faced was motivating myself to finish assignments. Sometimes I would do two or three in quick succession and then not do one for two months! In the end, I set myself a deadline to hand in the final assignment by the end of September this year. Of course, I left it to the last minute of my self-imposed deadline, but if I hadn’t made that decision I would probably still be procrastinating!
My pet sitting business has gone from strength to strength over the course of the past year and since finishing my course I have been looking after dogs/cats non-stop! I hope the dogs and cats are pleased to see me each time!
I think the course has made me more empathetic towards the pets in my care and better able to understand their worries. It sounds silly but it has made me realise that most animal behaviour is in response to how their owners/carers act. So when they are ‘badly’ behaved it is most likely my fault as I’ve given them conflicting instructions so really there is no point getting angry!
This course has also enabled me to spot behaviours like separation anxiety and deal with them better. I’ve considered perhaps studying canine behavioural training but at the moment I am happy where I am and with the pets I look after!
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Stonebridge to others. They are very friendly and respond to emails quickly. Assignments are marked quickly and you can study in your own time with no external pressures!
– Gail Abbotts, Happy Tails
We love hearing about how our students found studying with us and what they’re getting up to now. If you want your story featured – get in touch!
If you’d like more information about our Animal Psychology courses click here for more information.
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