Animal Behavior and Safe Handling - Required
Understanding animal behavior is an important part of safely working with the animals in our care. Animal Behavior and Safe Handling combines foundational behavior education with safe handling practices to help volunteers recognize what animals are communicating and respond appropriately during interactions.
This training is part of Volunteer Foundations and is the only required training within this section.
About This Training
Animals communicate constantly through their body language and behavior. Learning how to recognize these signals helps volunteers better understand an animal’s comfort level, identify signs of stress or uncertainty, and make safer decisions when interacting with animals in the shelter.
During this training, you will learn about:
Dog and cat body language and communication
Common signs of comfort, fear, stress, and overstimulation
How the shelter environment can influence animal behavior
Safe approaches and handling techniques
Recognizing when an animal needs additional space
When to stop an interaction and ask staff for assistance
Creating safer, more positive interactions for animals and people
Animal Behavior Resources
The following resources provide additional information about species-specific behavior and body language:
Understanding Dog Behavior
Learn more about canine body language, communication, and behavioral signals.
Understanding Cat Behavior
Learn more about feline body language, communication, and behavioral signals.
Complete the Training
After reviewing the material, please take the quiz to check your understanding. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed, but you must score 100% to pass. Your care and attention make a lasting impact on every animal you meet.
Click the "Training" & "Test" photos below to access.
