To all those who have done courses to become Chippers, where did you go for training?

I have found a few places offering implanter courses (including one distance course...!?? Surely this is something that needs some practical work???) but wondered how others learned the skill.

There are not many registered implanters here locally apart from the vets (who charge top dollar) but we have quite a lot of gundog litters born round here which can be legally docked, hence they need to be chipped; plus enough cat breeders, ferret owners, rabbits, even horses, birds and others... Thinking it might be an interesting feather in my cap.

Is it also possible to learn your skills via other implanters? i.e. not need to do a course?

I did it several years ago with these people http://www.pet-detect.com/ who use a vet to train you. They were very good. You needed to provide at least one animal to chip and could bring up to 3. I didn't do any chipping for several years after doing the course and when I rang to enquire if I was still authorised to do chipping they let me do a course again FOC  to refresh my skills. Very helpful company,
Edited to add course only takes 3 hours. Lots of H & S info so you don't injure yourself or other people. Microchipped a toy dog several times first before graduating on to real animals.

I have my name down locally to do the course but each time a place has come up I haven't been able to go for one reason or another.

I am sure at the vets they get in house training but as you can't buy the equipment without doing the course the rest of us have no other option.

I did Pet-Detect (it wasn't quite a full day, but  several hours as I remember) and as said unless you get a certificate (not that I have been able to find mine for years) and get an implanter code you cannot buy equipment. You then need to register with Pet Log as well to be able to register animals once chipped, and they too want proof that you are entitled to chip. So you need 2 codes.

A distance course sounds NUTS!!! Pet-detect's advantage was definitely that you got  to chip 3 of your own animals, it worked out a decent price then everything considered. I seem to remember you have to bring at least one.

Don't see how you could learn by distance as it is a hands on technique- no theory to learn, just placement and control of implanting gung inrelation to the dog or cat.  As far as I know, the PEt Detect course (which is the one I did too) only covers you for Dogs and Cats, I know I am not allowed to chip Horses, amphibians, birds etc.

I seem to remember we are allowed to chip rabbits and ferrets as well Gwen, but nothing else.

Which reminds me -ONLY vets are allowed to chip horses.

I did mine with Pet-Detect last year was about a 4 hour course with practice on stuffed toy first then simulation on my Pom for all the class so they had felt a real dog. then we went down and microchiped our own animals with the vet in attendance for advice etc. Given a pass certificate with your implanter code sent to you in a couple of days which you have to log with pet log was a nice relaxed day.

The course may have changed since I did mine, as I know I can ONLY do dogs and cats, no other species at all.  We did the first practice on oranges, not cuddly toys, too.

Probably has changed as I found this which now mentions "small furries": http://www.pet-detect.com/faq.html#43

> but we have quite a lot of gundog litters born round here which can be legally docked, hence they need to be chipped;

Just been reading the FAQ on the pet detect website and it says that microchipping docked puppies can only be done by a vet. http://www.pet-detect.com/faq.html#58

Suspect chipping of docked litters to be done by vet is to ensure that illegally docked pups are not chipped - there are plenty of those around too, sadly!

I did Pet-detect course 18 months ago, found it really good. Will offer refresher course FOC and as many times as you wish, should you feel the need. Think I could take cat, dog, rabbit, ferret & similar for chipping ... fortunately I had some pups on hand willing to be victims!!

I did have to wait some time for a course within reasonable travelling distance to come up (ended up going over 100 miles to it). I only chip my pups and litters to people I know, was the reason I wanted to do it. I don't think there's profit in it, by time insurance taken out, but as you say, it's a feather in a cap, specially if already working in the animal sector, ie grooming, etc :-D

If it ever becomes compulsory to chip pups then I think I will have to have OH do the course so he can chip ours.  With my poor eyesight I wouldn't feel confident doing it.

On the other hand if it does become compulsory I wonder if the NDTR will have their tattooists do both, which I would be quite happy with, belt and braces.