Behavior, Training, and Enrichment - (BTE) 

Future Sessions of This Course: 

Fall Session - 10/13/25 - 11/24/25

Spring Session - dates TBD. 

NOTE: This course runs approximately every two months and is open to students who have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite courses - "Modern Sheltering Foundations" (MSF) and "Animal Care Foundations" (ACF).

Enrollment Requirements: Completed application for Shelter Care Specialist (SCS) Certification and acceptance into the program during the application period, and completion of course prerequisites in the SCS Program.

Prerequisites: Modern Sheltering Foundations (MSF) and Animal Care Foundations (ACF) courses must be completed satisfactorily. 

Coach:  Cindi Delany, DVM, KPA-CPT, FFCP - cddelany@ucdavis.edu

Co-Coach:  Chrissy Teuscher, RVT - cteuscher@ucdavis.edu

Learning Coordinator: help@shelterlearniverse.com

Sample Course Schedule:

• Week 1 - Foundations First – Systems that Support BTE

• Week 2 - Environments, Housing, and Interactions – Structuring Daily Operations to Support Behavior

• Week 3 - Supporting Behavior Every Day – Enrichment, Training, and Behavior Modification in Shelters

• Week 4 - Making a Plan, Watching It Work (or Not) – Behavior-Focused Planning and Daily Monitoring

• Week 5 - From Observation to Decision – Assessing and Documenting Behavior to Support Appropriate Outcomes

• Week 6 - After the Shelter – Learning from Outcomes to Refine Pathways and Avoid Repeat Struggles

Live Meetings:

There will be live meetings during this course. Dates will be provided to learners at the time of enrollment.

To earn completion credit for an elective:

• Course Completion Deadline: 3 weeks after Week 6 content goes live.

Extensions:

• Extraordinary Circumstances With Extension Approval from Learning Coordinator ONLY: deadline can be extended to 4 weeks after Week 6 content goes live.

• To earn completion credit for an elective beyond this time, you must have completed at least 50% of the content before the Final EXTENDED Course Completion Deadline, and you must finish the remaining course content and assignments within the 30 days after the extended deadline for the current session.

• If you’ve completed less than 50% of the content and assignments during the session (before the extended course completion deadline), you will have to restart the course in a new session. We will reach out to you about rejoining the next session.

Course Overview:

Designed specifically for frontline shelter staff, this course "Behavior, Training, and Enrichment," is one of two electives in the "Welfare-Focus" track of the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program.  To take this course students must have taken and satisfactorily completed the "Modern Sheltering Foundations" and "Animal Care Foundations" courses.

Behavior, Training, and Enrichment will provide information and experiences to give learners the knowledge and skills they need to increase their ability to help support behavior, training, and enrichment in shelters as well as how to assess animals for behavioral concerns and provide appropriate needed care.

As with all of the courses in this program, our focus is on sharing needed information on current best practices in a way that works for busy adult learners.  This course will highlight current best practices that prioritize the needs of animals in shelters, shelter team members, and our communities, emphasizing efficiency while keeping stress reduction for animals and teams centered. 

This course equips you with the foundational and more advanced knowledge about behavior, training, and enrichment in the shelter needed to enhance your day-to-day operations and prepare you for a sustainable and rewarding career in the animal shelter industry as a Shelter Care Specialist.

What You Will Learn:

• How the concepts of Capacity for Care and the 4 Rights of Animal Sheltering relate to behavior, training, and enrichment in the shelter.

• How understanding and using the concepts in the Fear Free program are vital to being able to interpret and understand animal behavior and respond appropriately to minimize fear, anxiety, and stress for animals in shelters.

• How to set your shelter up to prioritize BTE and help your staff commit to and use humane handling and other crucial concepts.

• Principles and techniques of humane handling and team training techniques for these skills.

• Housing, environment, and emotional environment to prioritize BTE.

• Enrichment and training in animal shelters.

• The role of behavior modification in animal shelters.

• Assessing and documenting behavior and behavioral health.

• Pathway planning and decision-making in the shelter.

• After the shelter - gathering information and assessing to improve programming.

• Leveraging your shelter software for effective and efficient BTE programs and outcomes.

Course Features:

• Accessible Anytime, On-Demand Content

• Mobile Friendly - Learn on Your Preferred Device

• Hands-on Learning Activities

• Practical Tips and Techniques

• Scenario-Based Discussions

• Interactions and Support of Your Classmates

• Direct Applications to Daily Tasks

• Assignments and Feedback to Ensure Your Mastery and Comfort with Course Content

• Coaching and Mentoring from Your Course Coach and Team

Why This Course Matters:

As a frontline shelter staff member, you are vital to the health and well-being of the animals in your care, and you are valuable and should have your skills and career prospects developed. This course provides you with the tools to make immediate improvements in your work environment and the daily care you provide to the animals in your shelter.  It also prepares you for further professional development in behavior/training/enrichment programs.

Questions? Contact Us

If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at help@shelterlearniverse.com.