Foundations of Shelter Management

Foundations of Shelter Management comprises five general shelter management sessions which can be implemented in a dog or cat setting and a further collection of sessions, specifically targeted to dog or cat welfare and rehoming.
Each session will take no more than two hours to complete, although many are shorter; we recognise that it can be challenging for animal welfare personnel to attend longer training sessions. 

Those who fully complete the general and dog or cat modules may then apply to attend the Residential Week at Battersea’s London and Old Windsor sites.

Foundations of Shelter Management is suitable as an induction programme for staff and volunteers new to your organisation or for someone looking to upskill or refresh their existing knowledge.

Duration: Live online – five weeks (one two-hour session per week) | E-learning & pre-recorded (at learner’s pace)
 

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General Module

Pre-recorded

The Customer Journey

In this session, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the rehoming journey that your customers go through and identify opportunities to improve the customer experience to help increase rehoming efficiency.

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Dog Specific Module

Live Online

DOG BODY LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION

This module highlights how to recognise dog body language signals and understand what they are communicating to us, as well as how our own body language can influence how a dog feels.

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Cat Specific Module

Live Online

CAT-FRIENDLY INTERACTIONS

Cat-friendly interactions not only benefit the cats in our care, but humans too. It is especially important for new owners to have positive encounters with their cats. We will look at these benefits and how they enable cats to find their new home sooner by using the 3 second rule and the 'CAT' acronym.

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Residential Week

The Residential Week is open only to those who have fully completed the general module and the dog or cat module of Foundations of Shelter Management. Bursaries are available for eligible individuals.

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Dates & Times

Course

Dates & Times

PERFORMING AN ENHANCED 
ASSESSMENT FOR DOGS

Tuesday 26 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Thursday 30 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 18 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 1 July 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Tuesday 28 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

INFLUENCING REHOMING
SUCCESS FOR DOGS

Monday 2 December 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Thursday 6 February 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 25 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 10 July 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Tuesday 4 November 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

DOG BODY 
LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION

Tuesday 5 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Thursday 9 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 25 February 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 12 June 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Tuesday 7 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

STRESS AND ENRICHMENT 
IN THE KENNEL ENVIRONMENT

Thursday 14 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Thursday 16 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 4 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 19 June 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Tuesday 14 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

HOW DOGS LEARN

Friday 15 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Thursday 23 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 11 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 26 June 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Tuesday 21 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

CAT TEMPERAMENT
ASSESSMENT

Thursday 28 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Tuesday 28 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 20 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 3 July 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Thursday 30 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

CAT-FRIENDLY INTERACTIONS

Thursday 7 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Tuesday 7 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 27 February 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 10 June 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Thursday 9 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CATS

Friday 15 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Tuesday 14 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 6 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 17 June 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Thursday 16 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

CAT WELFARE ASSESSMENT

Thursday 21 November 2024 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT

Tuesday 21 January 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 13 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 24 June 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Thursday 23 October 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

DECISION MAKING TO
IMPROVE CAT WELFARE

Tuesday 4 February 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Thursday 27 March 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT

Tuesday 8 July 2025 | 10am – 12pm BST

Thursday 6 November 2025 | 10am – 12pm GMT