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Small Animal Behaviour: ON DEMAND

6 months of access to all recordings
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Flexible CPD whenever you want it
CPD value: 10 points
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Certificate on completion
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Copy of Small Animal Behaviour 3
When we say “behaviour in the clinic”, we’re not talking about the staff. This online course considers what we know about small animal behaviour and how we can help patients live their best lives. If you’re a registered veterinarian with a keen interest in patient wellbeing, you’ll find this course to be a rewarding blend of preventative care, diagnosis, treatment and pharmacology. If you’re a veterinary nurse or technician, you’re about to see exactly where your skills apply to behavioural management in veterinary practice. .
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Applied small animal behaviour for veterinary practice

“Throwing medication at a behavioural problem is bound to succeed!” – said no informed veterinary professional, ever.

This course is designed for veterinary professionals who are ready to reduce stress, improve compliance, improve wellbeing, and make a significant difference to the lives of individual patients.

During this course, you’ll see we’re not going to regurgitate a list of behaviour drugs and behaviour disorders at you.

We’ll begin by outlining how veterinary professionals like you can improve your patients’ wellbeing, from your waiting room and surgery to the wide world beyond. We’ll sharpen your observation skills, tackle common feline and canine behavioural diagnoses, and investigate holistic treatment plans. We’ll discuss widely-used medications and off-label treatment options. We’ll show you how to use each of these elements so that you can approach behaviour with an open mind, collaboration, and some lateral thinking.

Behaviour is a fascinating field, and it presents an excellent opportunity to make a difference. Come and get it.

  • SIX MONTHS OF ACCESS TO ALL MODULES

  • FLEXIBLE CPD WHEN YOU WANT

  • DOWNLOADABLE NOTES

  • CERFITICATE UPON COMPLETION

  • MOBILE FRIENDLY INTERFACE

BEHAVIOUR IN PRACTICE

Embracing the positive
  • Promoting effective puppy socialisation
  • Modifying the clinical environment to suit patients
  • The “cooperative care” version of handling & restraint
  • Giving veterinary advice for adaptive behaviour
  • Embracing nurse & technician roles in small animal behaviour
Recognising & treating behavioural issues
  • Separation anxiety
  • Noise reactivity
  • Inappropriate urination
  • Reactivity
  • Behavioural medications by class
  • Indications & common usages
  • Contraindications
  • Managing off-label use
  • Holistic treatment plans
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Course Modules

Bonus – Puppy vaccine protocols versus the critical socialisation window 
How do you balance the risk of infectious disease against the critical socialisation window? What does effective socialisation look like in a puppy? Spoiler alert: it’s probably not what you think. Natalie and Narelle will open the door to preventative behaviour in the clinical setting, and how you can guide your patients towards a calmer, more resilient future.
 
Module 1 – Making your hospital more hospitable!
You can adapt the physical and practical aspects of your hospital to make pets feel more comfortable. We’ll share how protocols and scheduling can make visits smoother and safer for everyone involved. We will also consider canine and feline body language in the clinical context, how you can understand it to identify stress in your patients, and when action is needed.
 
Module 2 – What is cooperative care, and should I care about it? 
Imagine a world where you patients actively want to participate in handling, restraint and procedures. This module introduces the concept of cooperative care, and how it can help you with your least cooperative patients. Learn about this form of training, how to select an appropriate trainer for clients, and discuss the role of nurses and technicians in this space. We’ll also cover when to engage a training professional and how your clinic can benefit from this.
 
Module 3 – Common behavioural diseases
This module explores common canine and feline behavioural diagnoses such as separation anxiety, noise reactivity, and reactivity towards dogs or people. We will also discuss other behavioural conditions that can impact your patients, as well as some helpful tips on how to structure your behavioural consultations in order to set both your team, and your patients, up for success.
 
Module 4 – Behaviour modification & management of behaviour problems
One of the biggest reasons for treatment failure in neurodivergent patients is relying on medication alone. In this module, we’ll talk about creating holistic behavioural treatment plans including behaviour modification techniques and ideas for management of behaviour problems.
 
Module 5 – Pharmacology & behaviour medications
Prescribing veterinarians: if you feel uncomfortable with some of the behaviour medications, this module is for you! We’ll discuss common behavioural medications by class, including indications, contraindications and common usages. We’ll cover the off label use of different behavioural medications and the importance of fitting them in to a complete treatment plan which also employs management strategies and behaviour modification techniques.

A VETPRAC COURSE YIELDS TANGIBLE BENEFITS

INVEST

Seven modules of flexible online learning & $497 investment in your professional development

LEARN

Proactive behavioural support, plus strategy, medication & training for behaviour cases

RETURN

Offer behaviour services to your clients, treat with confidence knowing your information is up to date

Your Educator

Dr Natalie Maticka

Dr Natalie Maticka

Qualifications: DVM, MS, DACT, MANZCVS (Veterinary Behaviour), Level 3 FFCP

Dr Maticka chose theriogenology as her specialty because it combined her passions for medicine, endocrinology, and surgery across a wide variety of species. She is now a registered specialist in reproduction and also a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in veterinary behaviour. Combining the two, Natalie is the Breeding and Reproduction Manager of Guide Dogs Queensland, and she is also an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) canine handler. Natalie has a keen interest in veterinary education and loves supporting vets as they update their skills in both reproduction and behaviour.

Narelle

Narelle Braunack

Qualifications: BVT(Hons) Animal Behaviour, RVN, BSc (Ecology & Conservation Biology), Cert IV VN, AFHEA, Elite FFCP (Veterinary)

Narelle is an Elite Fear Free Certified® RVN, employed at the University of Queensland as an emergency and critical care and behaviour vet nurse. She is also a tutor, lecturer, and rotational supervisor within the animal behaviour, handling and ethology subjects in the Bachelor of Veterinary Technology and Bachelor of Veterinary Science programs.

She is dedicated to low-stress handling and a patient-focused approach within the clinical setting.

Outside work you will find Narelle under the sea, appreciating local marine life and striving to become an "adequate" servant to the four-legged creatures in her house.

CHOOSE YOUR PAYMENT OPTION

UPFRONT PAYMENT

$497 AUD

FULL PAYMENT

PAYMENT PLAN

x 4 monthly payments of $134

PAYMENT PLAN

Your Questions Answered

What is “On Demand”?

We created the On Demand series because you asked us for longer course access. The veterinary industry can throw busy times at us, and we received more and more requests from individuals who needed more time to complete their online courses. We think 6 months is the sweet spot – you have plenty of time to work through your CPD, and we can regularly review and update the content to make sure the course stays relevant. You can revisit the materials as often as you wish.

How and when do I access learning materials?

We use a one-stop learning platform for our web-based courses. It’s intuitive, simple and easy to navigate, and we’ll email login details to you as soon as your purchase is confirmed. You can access notes, recordings and resources any time of day or night via your personalised course library. You don’t have to watch a whole video in one sitting, and you’re in complete control. 

How long is course access open?

24/7 access is available for 6 months via your course library, starting on your purchase date. For example, if you sign up on July 1st, your access will be open until January 1st the following year. We’ve chosen 6 months because veterinary medicine moves fast and our goal is to provide up to date learning materials to the VetPrac community. The education team will assess, review and update the course at the end of the subscription period. This way, we know we’re offering only current and relevant information. 

What happens when time runs out?
At the end of 6 months, your subscription will end. You’ll still be able to log in to your course library, but the on-demand course you’ve completed will disappear from the list of courses available to you. We will email you at the end of your access period, so you can download any resources you need for future use.
What kind of learning materials are included?
Each course is different but they all include video presentations recorded live during our most popular online courses and webinars. Our educators also provide a variety of other resources, so you can expect images, diagrams, course notes, slide presentations, journal articles, links to further reading, and more.
Is there learning support available?
Of course! We’ll stay in touch with a monthly email to check in with you, and share important information with you. We’ll also remind you when your access is about to finish. If you need a hand (or if you just want to chat) our online learning team is available via email [email protected] or on 0491 943 260.
Are there assessments to complete?
Yes, but they’re not mandatory. At the end of the course there will be multiple-choice questions available through the learning platform. You’ll need to pass these to receive your CPD certificate.
Will I get CPD points and a CPD certificate?
You certainly can! Each registration is worth 6 CPD points to the individual nominated at purchase. All you need to do is complete the quiz questions at the end of the course. We’ll generate your certificate and email it to you.
Can I extend access beyond 6 months?
In most cases, yes, we can arrange this for you. It depends on recent developments in the field and whether our educators feel the information in the course is current and up to date. Some clinical areas are undergoing rapid change – we’re happy to chat about this towards the end of your subscription.

Still have questions? We’ve got answers.
Call 0491943260