First, Do No Harm
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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:

Today I was paid the ultimate compliment by Lisbeth Plant, owner of Cowichan Canine. She said I had helped my puppy Daphne (now 6 months old) develop into a really nice young dog. I agree! But of course I could not have done it without the wonderful folks at Cowichan Canine: professional, caring, knowledgeable and a bonus - all with a great sense of humour! Lisbeth, Stephanie, Andrea, Glenda and Steph all continue to help me guide Daphne and I am so grateful for their help, knowledge and kindness and for occasionally talking me down from a proverbial cliff! How lucky we are here in the Cowichan valley to have access to a full spectrum of resources to help guide and develop our dogs into the best they can be! Let the learning (and fun) continue!

Theresa Coles
Duncan

To Everyone at Cowichan Canine: Cyrus & I have just finished the Foundation program and passed with Honours - phew! Along the way we were fortunate to sample several of the other courses that you offer, including private lessons for my other dog, Ricco. It was a real treat to be able to do that . I learned soooo much about my dogs; from how they react to each other, how to understand their body language, to be more patient and even what treats to provide for success. I was very impressed from the start with your on-line registration, the class sizes, the ability to work at our own pace, and even the individual water bowls. And on top of all that, each instructor offers a unique view of training so that you can get different perspectives. And of course, Andrea keeps the ship running smoothly. The time the three of us have spent with you has definitely been a worthwhile Thank you from Sherie, Ricco & Cyrus.

Sherie Robb
Maple Bay

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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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