Animal Welfare Professionals

We're looking to build a library of great training resources for our team!

What are your favorite videos, webinars, or online training resources that cover topics like:

• Safe and effective dog walking

• Dog playgroups

• Reading canine body language

• Dog handling and restraint

• Enrichment ideas

• Shelter dog behavior

• Volunteer or staff training

Please share links, YouTube channels, courses, or specific videos you've found helpful. If there's something you use to train new staff or volunteers, we'd love to see it!

Let's help each other create a collection of the best resources for safe handling and positive animal care practices.

Thank you!

#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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Cara Hutson
Animal Control Supervisor
Durant Animal Shelter
OK
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Our organization is also in the process of assembling meaningful training materials.  I'm interested to see all the suggestions!

Our Vet recently obtained her Fear Free certification which prompted us to leverage the Fear Free training:  fearfreeshelters.com.   It's excellent, I encourage everyone to check it out!

Lisa Weckman

Volunteer

Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter

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Lisa Weckman
Volunteer
Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter
MN
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Fear Free's Shelter course is a great foundational piece. Also I believe you can find a lot of videos demonstrating Leslie McDevitt's pattern games for dogs. There's a good podcast called Enrichment for the Real World, and another called Pod to the Rescue that's aimed at the shelter universe. Good luck!

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Lisa Wetherby
Animal Rescue Volunteer Program Senior Manager
Humane World for Animals
DC
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This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Hi! I have found the Pet Rescue Resource (https://www.thepetrescueresource.com) very helpful! It has great resources for running playgroups, how to do different dog-dog introductions, and how to safely and kindly handle dogs. 

Thanks so much to everyone for sharing these great resources!

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Susan Foster
Grant Writer
Rusty's Angels Sanctuary
AZ
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Here's a few that I find very helpful. 

• Playgroup resources:
  • https://www.shelterdogplay.org/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4nkSV3Xvwc
• Reading Canine Body Language:
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siy0eog48ys
• Shelter Dog Behavior:
  • https://www.youtube.com/@AliveThriving
  • https://www.aspcapro.org/sites/default/files/defensive_handling_slides_0.pdf
• More Resources:
  • https://iaabc.org/
  • https://iaabc.org/en/recommended-reading
  • https://aggressivedog.com/
  • https://www.aspcapro.org/
  • https://www.everydogaustin.org/free-workshops
  • https://www.humanenetwork.org/

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Vanessa Vaughn
Animal Behavior Supervisor
Sacramento SPCA
CA
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Vanessa, this is a great list, thank you for pulling it together. A few of these are already on my radar and a couple are new to me.

I want to mention what we are building on our end, because it fits this thread perfectly. At Animal-Angels Foundation we are putting together a shared resource library inside the Animal Welfare Resource Network (AWRN), our partner platform. The idea is simple. Instead of every organization keeping its own scattered folder of training videos, handouts, and guides, the good stuff lives in one place that every partner in the network can reach. Resources like the ones you just shared are exactly what belongs in it.

So two things. If anyone here has other resources they love, drop them, and we would be glad to add them so every partner benefits, not just us. And if you would like access to the library yourself, we would be honored to have you join us as a partner. That is what the network is for. We do not compete, we connect.

Thanks again, Vanessa. Sharing like this is the whole point.

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Join The Shift To Prevention.

BJ Adkins
Founder/Director
Animal-Angels Foundation
Pinson, AL
calendy.com/animal-angels
bjadkins@animal-angels.org
animal-angelsfoundation.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-01-2026 03:42 PM
From: Vanessa Vaughn
Subject: Share Your Favorite Training Resources! 🐾

Here's a few that I find very helpful. 

• Playgroup resources:
  • https://www.shelterdogplay.org/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4nkSV3Xvwc
• Reading Canine Body Language:
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siy0eog48ys
• Shelter Dog Behavior:
  • https://www.youtube.com/@AliveThriving
  • https://www.aspcapro.org/sites/default/files/defensive_handling_slides_0.pdf
• More Resources:
  • https://iaabc.org/
  • https://iaabc.org/en/recommended-reading
  • https://aggressivedog.com/
  • https://www.aspcapro.org/
  • https://www.everydogaustin.org/free-workshops
  • https://www.humanenetwork.org/

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Vanessa Vaughn
Animal Behavior Supervisor
Sacramento SPCA
CA
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