Whether you already have experience, or are completely new to the idea of being a neonatal foster parent, we invite you to attend our bottle baby workshops. In these workshops we teach you how to keep our most delicate animals alive, everything from feeding, toileting, cleaning, burping and socialising. We also often have a guest join in to share experiences, tips and hacks for not only the bottle babies, but to keep yourself on top of this taxing but rewarding task. 

The concept of using a marker signal to communicate with animals,  has been a game changer in the field of training. With its roots in Operant conditioning, it has been implemented successfully with a wide variety of species including marine, wild and domesticated animals. Here at the SPCA, marker training is also an integral tool in teaching our dogs how to better understand us and therein better cope with the stressors of  shelter life. Attendees will learn the principals behind why it works and how to utilize it successfully, through a series of fun activities. Learn how to be a better and more efficient trainer using this simple device.

Currently there are more than 450 different domesticated dog breeds, spread throughout the numerous  environments and cultures of the world. They all share a commonality – their ability to communicate with one another succinctly,  their intentions or state of mind. To be effective at our job as carers, handlers and trainers, it is crucial  for us to learn how to read these signals and behaviours correctly, in order to minimize the animals stress and keep ourselves and the canines in our care, safe. In this workshop we will be doing a deeper dive into this fascinating area of ethology, in order to arm you with new skills to better help the vulnerable canines in our care.