Article by Lantra partner Pet Industry Federation.
Education and training of those working in the pet sector is of vital importance to ensure animal welfare, public safety and legal requirements are met.
Research carried out into animal care and welfare over the last 30 years has led to significant developments in the knowledge and understanding of animal welfare and cognition, resulting in overall improvements to the care and husbandry of animals.
Scientists are now able to assess the fear and distress animals can experience when in poor conditions, as well as prove the benefits of providing suitable, enriching accommodation and experiences. As a result, pet owners and pet professionals have a duty of care to ensure that the animals in their care have their welfare needs not only met but maximized.
With the surge of pet ownership seen during the Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, there is a greater demand for pet care services such as dog groomers, pet sitters and dog walkers. While setting up these businesses may seem easy and something anyone with pet owning experience can do, it is vital that those working in the sector are competent and able to maximize the animal’s welfare while in their care.
Having an understanding of health and safety, animal behaviour and body language, health conditions, exercise and feeding requirements are all essential to providing the animals with a positive, enriching experience.
For individuals working in licensed businesses, such as kennels and dog day care establishments, the requirement for training and ongoing CPD is a formal requirement of the Licensing of Activities involving Animals Regulations 2018.
Therefore, it is great to see Lantra step into the canine sector to provide a national standard of training and CPD opportunities to ensure that our industry maintains professional standards to ensure the health and welfare of dogs.
If you want to work with pets, now is the time to start setting yourself up as a pet professional, ensuring that you are trained to the correct level of industry recognised qualifications.