Purpose of the Low Stress Handling® Certification

The Low Stress Handling® Certification provides the teaching content needed to understand and improve the individual or hospital’s ability to create a low stress environment and handle animals using minimal restraint. The coursework goes beyond the teachings found in Dr. Sophia Yin’s original book, Low Stress Handling®, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats and related training videos. While these sources include improvements to hospital design, preparation of and for the patient prior to a visit, and the use of tools and sedative agents, a large portion of Low Stress Handling® relies on the development of hands-on skills. This course helps you develop the handling techniques needed to be prepared for a wide range of behavior cases.

Among the skills taught are the abilities to:

• Recognize signs of fear and anxiety: Identify both overt and subtle signs of stress in dogs and cats, and understand common mistakes people make when approaching and greeting pets that can increase fear or aggression. Learn to approach and handle pets in a calm, relaxed, and non-threatening manner.
• Evaluate the environment: Understand how the sights, sounds, smells, and surfaces in your practice may be increasing stress in your patients. Discover ways to create a more relaxing, safer, and more secure environment.
• Use minimal restraint: Learn five methods for controlling the hind and seven for controlling the front end of dogs. Determine which directions of movement (forward, back, right, left, up, and down) each hold controls, and evaluate which hold is most appropriate for a given dog, cat, or procedure.
• Improve interactions: Understand how every interaction, how you approach, pick up, move, or restrain an animal, affects their perception of you and their willingness to cooperate. Learn how to position your body and adjust your movement to provide the direction and guidance the animal needs.