Helping our Dogs thrive in
their Golden Years
For caregivers who want to provide the best care for aging and senior dogs.
Course begins May 26th!
Payment Plans & Scholarships available
Did you know that large dogs are considered seniors at 8 years of age and smaller ones get to that status by the time they are 11? Even if your older dog still acts like a puppy there are many, many unknowns that come with aging. And this can be a nerve-racking and challenging phase for a pet parent.
If you are caring for an aging or soon to be senior dog, you may have asked yourself:
• Why is their behavior changing all of a sudden?
• How can I give them what makes them happy?
• What should or shouldn't I worry about?
• What decisions should I prepare for?
Join us for an interactive 4-week course specifically designed for parents of aging and senior dogs where you will learn how to make well-informed decisions on behalf of your pup. We'll discuss the various signs of aging in dogs, share the latest research on this topic and help you answer questions like:
• How to provide the best possible care in the later stages of your dog's life
• How to identify when a behavior is normal or cause for concern
• How to advocate for your dog and ensure a high quality of life
• How to spend your time and money on their care
This course is not a passive experience with someone blathering on about obscure scientific concepts. We don't want to bore you or have you drop out of the course halfway. Because that won't help your dog.
Instead, you will have an expert guiding you in observing your dog's behavior and body language, doing activities to support them and applying useful resources. Plus there will be a community of pet parents who are also undergoing the same journey.
Learn about life stages in dogs
The role of size and breed
Life-stage appropriate vet care
Physical and behavioral changes
Learn to recognize pain and discomfort in dogs in a video scoring exercise
Learn how to promote and maintain physical and mental wellness
Identify common behavioral and social changes
Know when to respond and when to seek help
Conduct a stress audit to gauge your dog's wellbeing
How to recognize, manage and treat cognitive dysfunction
Apply strategies to maintain quality of life for as long as possible
Learn tools such journaling and the CADES canine dementia scale
Emma K. Grigg, M.A., Ph.D., is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB; Animal Behavior Society, USA). She is currently a Staff Research Associate and lecturer at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, and a lecturer in canine behavior at Bergin University of Canine Studies in northern California. She has taught companion animal behavior, wildlife biology, and environmental studies in New York, California and St. Kitts, and has authored a number of scientific publications on canine, feline, and marine mammal behavior.
Her first book, The Science Behind a Happy Dog, was published in June 2017. She lives in northern California with her husband, son, four cats, a friendly golden retriever who didn’t quite make it through service dog school, and her own senior dog a slightly neurotic but much loved Caribbean ‘island dog’.
"The never-ending problem solving can take a toll. Pet caregivers experience constant vigilance, isolation, and guilt. They’re trying to decide all the time whether the pet is getting worse or getting better, and they often don’t have anyone to talk to about it”
- Susan P Cohen, Support Group Facilitator at ASPCA, in a 2017 article in the Cut
May 26th to June 16th, 2021
•New content is released on Fridays
•Live calls are Wednesdays 8pm EST
•Expert Office hours will be scheduled based on participant availability
•All sessions and materials are recorded and will be available for 6 months on our course platform
•Full schedule will be provided upon registration
• One hour with a Behaviorist costs hundreds of dollars.
You will get almost 20 hours worth of teaching for a fraction of the price.
• This course is capped at 20 people to ensure individualized attention can be provided to all participants
• Weekly pre-recorded lessons and activity from your instructor Dr. Emma Grigg
• Weekly live zoom sessions with Dr. Grigg to review the material, activity results and more
• Office Hours with Experts & Online Community
•The REAL value of this course is atleast $1800
•We are offering the Summer 2021 session at
an inaugural price of $375
•Scholarships are available by application for shelter and rescue employees.
Please email info@petminded.co to request an application.
•Petminded Dog Science Community Members get 10% off the above rates.
The purpose of this course is to reduce your emotional burden while caregiving for an aging or senior dog. So you can make well informed decisions and have peace of mind.
It's becoming more acceptable to grieve for our pets when they pass. Yet we rarely talk about the 'compassion fatigue' that pet parents feel during their pet's later years. Compassion fatigue stems from the invisible emotional burden of caring for a beloved family member.
Researchers Charles Figley and Robert Roop call it a form of burnout and traumatic stress that affects caregivers. Unfortunately, this consequence of the pet caregiving experience is mostly overlooked.
Stay on track with a four week schedule designed with busy dog parents in mind
♥ Week 1: Gain an understanding of how dogs age
♥ Week 2: Get clarity on your dog's quality of life and ways to enhance it
♥ Week 3: Learn to recognize , signs of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome in Dogs
♥ Week 4: How to make Well-Informed Decisions, including when to say goodbye
Each week you will receive pre-recorded video lectures and a suggested activity. We will meet in person on a live Zoom call to discuss the material, go over everyone's results and discuss how their learnings apply to their dog's care. *All sessions will all be recorded for those who can’t make it live.
You will be given an optional weekly activity where you can practice what you learn and discuss results during the live session. We will also provide pdfs of suggested articles and other readings to help you expand your knowledge. Plus recommendations for experts, websites and books that will be useful in your caregiving journey.
In addition to the live video calls and recorded videos, you'll have access to a course platform with all the weekly modules and the Petminded Dog Science Community where you can connect with other pet parents and experts in a friendly and welcoming space.
You’ll get the opportunity to learn from others’ experience, ask questions and get personalized advice for your dog. And you will have access to this community for 3 months, so you can go back and rewatch all the videos and continue to engage with like-minded pet parents.
We want to continue to support you after the four weeks. We also realized that we may not be able to cover all topics of interest. As an added bonus, we will be offering 2-3 Expert Office Hours to cover additional questions that arise during the course. We'll get your inputs on who you want to hear from during Weeks 1 and 2.
