First, Do No Harm
Est. 2009 | 250-929-1400 | Join Us On Facebook
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Canine First Aid Course by DogSafe

Instructor: Michelle Sevigny (founder of DOGSAFE)

Saturday (DogSafe 101)

This course is designed to teach you the knowledge and skills to deal with a sick or injured dog until veterinary care is available. The topics are covered in-depth so that students have a thorough understanding of the principles of canine first aid. Since this is a very comprehensive course, we need your full attention and dogs do not come to class.

You'll Learn How to:

  • prevent common injuries
  • conduct a head to tail assessment
  • tell if your dog is experiencing pain
  • recognize 4 signs of illness or injury
  • respond to any emergency in 4 easy steps
  • safely approach an injured dog
  • take your dog's vital signs and 3 other health tests
  • perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
  • perform artificial respiration
  • remove an airway obstruction  (choking)
  • prevent and treat for shock
  • control deadly bleeding
  • respond to penetrating objects
  • prevent and treat eye injuries
  • prevent and treat abdominal wounds
  • recognize risk factors and respond to bloat
  • prevent and respond to drowning
  • assess and respond to bone and joint injuries
  • prevent and respond to poisonings
  • prevent and respond to frostbite and hypothermia
  • prevent and respond to heatstroke
  • treat minor burns
  • treat and manage wounds

Training techniques ​

Dogsafe courses are designed to make complex topics easy and everyone will learn thru seeing, listening, moving and doing which improves knowledge retention. This means that you not only learn  topics on course day, but retain the information for the future when you'll need it. Effective, but fun too!
​Our training techniques include: 
  • instruction
  • demonstration
  • hands-on learning
  • discussion
  • question & answer
  • and videos

Training tools

We'll bring the learning to life with
  • canine resuscitation manikins
  • plush demonstration dogs
  • bandages
  • first aid kits
  • even fake guts, eyeballs and more!

Sunday (DogSafe 201)

This course is designed to take the knowledge and skills learned in Dogsafe Canine First Aid 101 and apply them to a real dog. Graduates of Dogsafe Canine First Aid 101 attend with their own dogs. Bring your patience and a sense of humour for this fun and interactive workshop. All supplies included.

You'll Learn How to:

  • conduct a head to tail assessment
  • monitor canine body language
  • muzzle your dog with commercial and improvised muzzles
  • restrain your dog in a standing and sitting position
  • transport your dog with a stretcher
  • take your dog's vital signs
  • assess three critical health tests
  • practice proper positioning for artificial respiration (AR)
  • practice proper positioning for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
  • practice proper positioning for obstructed airway (choking)
  • practice wound management, including bandaging eyes, ears and paws

This is all about hands-on practice with live dogs while under the supervision of Dogsafe Instructor Michelle Sevigny (founder of DOGSAFE), but we do not force the dogs and offer lots of intermissions and bathroom breaks. ​

 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THESE TWO COURSES

What's New?
What Clients Are Saying:

Hi Lizbeth, Stephanie and Glenda: Thought you would like to know, we took Dalli to the Duncan market on Saturday morning. She was a perfect lady, walked around with her tail wagging and held high all the time. She was friendly and outgoing to other people, and sniffed other people’s hands and let them pet her when we stopped to talk or purchase things from the different stalls. We then walked over to the Garage for coffee, sat outside and again, she was well behaved, let people pet her and she was actually licking their hands. This was her first outing in a busy people environment as we usually just leave her in the car or at home when we go out shopping. What a difference from a year ago when you first met her. Thank you, thank you! We’ll see you in the fall when we come for the agility courses. (Dalli was adopted a year ago from Mexico, and was fear-aggressive to people coming to the house.)

Greg & Terri Askham
Duncan

I just wanted to drop a note and let you know that Jody worked with us and our puppy over the month of August, and she was absolutely excellent. The private training was the perfect choice to address our specific questions and learn about returning to Alberta with the pup, and how to help her adjust. We look forward to more training next summer at the lake! Jody has such a wonderful attitude toward the training, and we felt very confident with our plan for introducing our puppy to Alberta. The introduction to our neighbour dog (the one who charges and barks as his "greeting") was perfect. We did a parallel walk across the green space, then got closer and used treats from me for both dogs. There was no charging, and they are now well introduced and quite good pals already!

Happy Puppy Parent
AB

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Group Classes, Private or Semi-private in-home training Lessons and confidential
Behaviour Consultations in the Cowichan Valley area, on southern Vancouver Island, servicing Chemainus, Cobble Hill, Cowichan, Cowichan Bay, Crofton, Duncan, Glenora, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan, Malahat, Maple Bay, Mill Bay, Saltair, Saltspring Island, Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island and Youbou.
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