Description
The Raw Feeding Fundamentals Certificate
Raw feeding is one of the fastest-growing areas of canine nutrition — and one of the most misunderstood. Between the raw purists on one side and cautious veterinary voices on the other, owners and professionals trying to make sensible decisions often find themselves lost in conflicting advice, half-truths, and confident opinions with little evidence behind them. This course cuts through the noise. Grounded in canine anatomy and physiology, honest about both the benefits and the risks, and practical in its approach to sourcing, portioning, transition and long-term feeding, the Raw Feeding Fundamentals Certificate gives you the knowledge to feed or advise on raw diets responsibly, safely, and with confidence.
Who Is This Course For?
Owners considering a switch to raw feeding who want to understand what they’re taking on before they start.
Existing raw feeders looking to feel more confident, more informed, and better able to defend their choice with evidence.
Dog professionals — trainers, walkers, groomers, behaviourists, vet nurses — who regularly get asked about raw feeding and want a solid foundation to draw on.
Rescue and foster carers working with dogs of varied nutritional backgrounds, including malnourished dogs needing careful rehabilitation.
Pet food retailers and staff at raw pet food companies who need to speak knowledgeably with customers.
Anyone considering a career in canine nutrition, welfare or advisory work who wants a grounded introduction to the raw feeding space.
What the Learner Will Gain:
Understanding of raw feeding: The history, terminology, and philosophy behind the different approaches — PMR, BARF, pre-prepared complete raw, and the hybrid strategies most experienced feeders actually use.
Anatomical grounding: How the canine digestive system is designed, why the acidity of the stomach and the length of the gut matter, and how the microbiome and gut-brain axis shape health and behaviour.
Practical feeding expertise: Sourcing safely from DEFRA-approved suppliers, portioning by body weight, transitioning dogs onto raw, understanding bones by type and risk level, and setting up a workable feeding routine.
Risk awareness: Honest coverage of bacterial pathogens, parasites, physical hazards from bones, and nutritional deficiencies — plus how to minimise all of them — alongside a clear-eyed look at the persistent myths on both sides of the debate.
Life-stage and condition tailoring: How to adjust a raw diet for puppies, seniors, working dogs, pregnant bitches, underweight rescues, arthritic dogs, and dogs with specific health conditions — and when veterinary input is essential.
Confidence: Evidence-based reasoning, practical strategies for productive conversations with sceptical vets, and the ability to weigh the pros and cons of raw feeding honestly for any given dog.
Unit Breakdown:
- Introduction to Raw Feeding — What raw feeding is and isn’t, key terminology (BARF, PMR, RMB, SARF), the principle of self-selection, a brief history of the modern raw movement, why interest is growing, and an overview of the main approaches.
- Why Raw? The Canine Digestive System — The dog as facultative carnivore, the mouth and jaw, stomach acidity and function, gut length ratios, the epithelium and microbiome, leaky gut, and the emerging science of neurogastroenterology and the gut-brain axis.
- Approaches to Raw Feeding — Prey Model Raw, BARF, pre-prepared complete raw, and fresh minimally-processed cooked diets, with hybrid strategies and a decision framework for choosing the right approach for a given dog and owner.
- Benefits, Risks and Myths — Evidence-based benefits (coat, teeth, behaviour, gut, weight, longevity), honest assessment of risks (bacterial, parasitic, physical, nutritional), the current state of the evidence base, and the persistent myths from both directions debunked.
- Practical Raw Feeding — Sourcing, freezer storage, kitchen hygiene, quantity calculations, meal frequency, transition methods, the adjustment period, bones by skill level, treats and chews, building variety, and equipment.
- Tailoring the Diet and Achieving Balance — The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, vitamins and minerals, useful supplements, life-stage feeding (puppies through seniors), condition-based tailoring for common health issues, and productive conversations with vets.
