 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
At a point when a career change option is possibly doable. Looking into dog (& dog-owner) training. Have previously done a fair bit on dog nutrition, and a little bit on dog pyscology. And have had spaniels for the last 20+ years.
Looking at Instructor courses ... there's lots ranging from online tutorial to more practical. Accreditation I think is important. Anyone have any experience of good Vs bad, and where to look? And any other tips.
Cheers
I failed at dog training school for a reason I can’t recall.
I looked into it a little bit recently - there seems to be no "industry standard" qualification. I paid (a small amount) for one course from Academy of Dog Training and Behaviour, but was un-impressed by the way about half of the module was taken up by quoting someone else who is against vaccinations. Not what I was looking for.
I can only suggest if you know any dog trainers, see which qualifications they have.
Thanks Lady G ... that's what I'm finding, lots of offerings, some seem rather flimsy and struggling to find an 'industry standard' or similar
There's not really an industry standard, it's not a regulated industry and things are a bit complicated....
The [url= http://www.abtcouncil.org.uk/ ]ABTC[/url] is described as being the regulatory body, but to the best of my knowledge, it's self regulated (and so there's nothing to stop anyone setting up as a trainer or calling themselves a behaviourist).
Associated with the ABTC is the [url= https://www.apbc.org.uk ]APBC[/url]. APBC members (behaviourists) are the ones recognised by the insurance firms, there's a link on the APBC site to accredited courses which can lead to membership, e.g. you could do a [url= https://www.bishopburton.ac.uk/departments/animal-management/fdsc-applied-canine-behaviour-and-training ]Foundation Degree through Bishop Burton[/url], and follow that up with the full time honours year.
Before you get that far, you might want to consider courses provided by other providers.
The [url= https://www.imdt.uk.com/ ]IMDT[/url] courses are said to be good, though not cheap (haven't done any myself).
I did a course with one provider I wasn't particularly impressed with, and did another course through [url= https://canineprinciples.com/ ]Canine Principles[/url] that I would recommend (Canine Coaching Diploma).
I'd suggest reading up on modern training methods, Classical and Operant Conditioning and the evolution of the dog to start with. A couple of good books (that you'll end up referencing if you do sign up for a course)...
Excelerated Learning by Pamela J Reid (if you only buy one book, make it this one).
Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson - [url= https://www.dogwittraining.com/blog/empathy-101-excerpt-from-the-culture-clash-by-jean-donaldson ]Excerpt Here[/url].
In Defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw
Dogs: A New Understanding... by Ray Coppinger
Dominance in Dogs by Barry Eaton
Reaching the Animal Mind by Karen Pryor
That should do you to start!
Taylorplayer - much appreciated. The IMDT seems to get very good reviews, and a few books to add to my reading list! Thanks