Qualification - Certificate in Companion Animal Studies

COMPANION ANIMAL STUDIES ONLINE COURSE

Want to Work in the Pet Industry?

Learn about animal health care, and develop business and management skills, that are valued for a career working with pets or providing support services within the pet industry.

This course can be an excellent starting point for:

• Pet Shop staff or proprietors
• Animal Breeders or Service Providers
• Veterinary Assistants
• Animal Shelter Staff
• Allied professions in Farming, Wildlife, etc

The course is also well suited to anyone who already works with animals who is seeking to further their skills and career prospects.

Modules

Note that each module in the Qualification - Certificate in Companion Animal Studies is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

WORKING IN A PET SHOP

Pet stores are like any other shop, a retail outlet for products. To be a successful pet shop owner, manager or employee, you need to be able to sell merchandise, from pet food and toys to cages, fish tanks, leashes and the pets themselves. Obviously you need to know about caring for different animals in order to keep the animals you are selling in good condition; and advise customers on the products they might buy. 

The nature of retailing has been changing dramatically over recent decades.  Some of these changes include; increased franchising, online shopping malls, a rise in specialist suppliers catering to niche markets, retailers attached to other businesses and retailers who provide add on services that are simply not provided by their competitors.

Examples of innovative approaches to pet industry retailing might be:

• A pet shop renting space to create a department within a hardware store or garden centre
• A pet supply shopping mall run by a groomer (The groomer has a captive market with grooming clients and can sell all the other needs from de-worming tablets to food, to the grooming clients through an online shop).

There is no doubt that people will always have pets, and spend money on their pets. The retail pet supplies industry will always offer employment opportunity; but the way in which people buy pets and pet products has changed and will continue to change. If you want a sustainable career in this industry, you need to be prepared to change, and continually work on maintaining networks and staying up to date whit where pet retailing is moving.

Risks and challenges

• Some jobs require you to deal with hazardous materials (e.g. toxic chemicals, animal faeces).
• Whilst handling animals there is a risk of being bitten or the transfer of parasites and disease.
• You may become emotionally attached to an animal which is then sold.
• You will need to have the knowledge and skills to look after the animal appropriately to ensure harm does not come to them.

Improving Your Opportunities to Work in a Pet Shop
You need three things in particular:

• Knowledge of pets and pet products
• Ability to sell, and understand marketing
• Communication skills

Being an expert on pets may help get you a job in a pet store; but to keep the job you need to make sales. If you communicate well with animals, but poorly with people, you may need to work on developing people skills before progressing with a career in this industry.

It is important that you are thoroughly knowledgeable about the animals you are caring for, so you may wish to complete vocational training on the animals that you work with.

Other related jobs might include

• Groomer
• Breeder
• Veterinary assistant
• Animal Trainer
• Animal Shelter Staff
• Animal Rescue Officer
• Veterinarian
• Teacher, Consultant

You can enrol on the course now, but if you have any questions about the content of the course or studying with ACS, then please get in touch with us today - use our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE to get in touch with our expert tutors. They will be pleased to help you!