The first thing to do if you want to become a group fitness instructor is get CPR/AED certified. CPR stands for CardioPulmonary Resuscitation. AED stands for Automatic External Defibrillator.

I found a CPR/AED certification class by visiting the American Red Cross webpage for my area, the Twin Cities. The class cost $65. It was held in a private home by a Red Cross-approved private training company for 5 hours on a Saturday.

The first 4 hours were CPR training. We watched video segments and the instructor embellished on the content. We practiced CPR on the Resusci Anne mannequins and took a short, multiple-choice written exam to be Red Cross CPR certified.

The last hour was AED training. Again, we watched video segments and we practiced using simulation AED equipment on the Resusci Anne teaching mannequins. There was another short, multiple-choice written exam to be Red Cross AED certified.

Start with a small cat litter box, other small animal litter box, or any plastic container.

Dump in 1/4 inch of wood pellet litter (available at pet or farm supply stores) to line the bottom of the litter box.

Put a handful of hay towards the front of the litter box to encourage your rabbit to sit in the litter box and munch on hay while he or she does his or her business in the litter box.

Once your rabbit gets the hang of using the litter box, he or she will use it exclusively. It’s like magic.

I clean my pet rabbit, June’s litter box once a week. If you rabbit is large or just stinky, you’ll want to do it more often. Remember to spay or neuter your house rabbit – it will control the animal smell and your pet will live longer. Rabbits are very sensitive to reproductive cancer.

Some tricks I’ve found for those dumb bunnies who just don’t get it:

- Add another litter box. My sweet rabbit, June has two litter boxes in her pen. I line one with wood pellets and just a little hay, but there must be hay in the litter box or she won’t use it. She does her business in this litter box. I only put hay in the other litter box, it is a place for her to relax and eat hay, but she does not use it as a bathroom. The two litter boxes sit side-by-side, but she knows which is which.

I once fostered a rabbit that would dig ALL of the hay out of her litter box. She would not have it. She also needed two litter boxes. In one litter box, I put only wood pellet litter. In the other litter box, I put only hay. It worked!

- If your rabbit doesn’t spend enough time in the litter box to take care of business, feed your bunny his or her daily leafy greens or treats like craisins or banana chips in the litter box to encourage him or her to spend time there.

- If your bunny is leaving droppings around the pen, sweep them up and put them in the litter box. Rabbits eat their own certain droppings. If he or she needs to eat droppings, he or she needs to do it in the litter box. He or she may be kicking them out of the litter box accidentally.