What The Program Covers!

First, What Do We Consider is a Behavior Consultant?

At DogNostics, we consider a Behavior Consultant is a professional who undertakes private consultations with pets and their owners and focuses primarily on modifying behavior problems that are elicited by the animal’s emotional state in a given context (e.g. fear, anxiety). Behavior Consultants are often professional dog trainers who can competently teach pet manners classes, obedience classes, day training, private training sessions, and board and train programs focusing on pet dog skills and manners.

Behavior Consultants are aware of their limitations regarding their ability to prescribe psychotropic or any other kind of medication and diagnose illness, as well as their ethical responsibility in such cases, and can refer to a Veterinarian or Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviourist with greater academic and expansive knowledge. It is considered unethical in pet counseling for a professional to engage in any discussion regarding the diagnosis or treatment of an illness, physical or mental. Only Veterinarians or Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorists are authorized to do this through the license and qualifications they hold.

The DogNostics Diploma offers modules that we believe, having a comprehensive Dog Training Certificate in place, are needed to supplement a Certified Dog Trainers’ knowledge and skills at the highest of levels.

The DogNostics Dog Behavior Diploma Program

This is a 12-month study program. There are six modules, and each module will take around 6-8 weeks to complete. Upon completing the Dog Behavior Diploma Modules you will be entitled to use the DN-DBC by your name.

When DogNostics first launched its behavior program in 2014 we did not then offer an independent and separate comprehensive Dog Training Certificate, now we do! The DogNostics Dog Training Certificate is as comprehensive, if not more so, than any you will find on the market.

The DogNostics Dog Trainer Certificate Program provides an all-encompassing in-depth understanding of operant and respondent conditioning, with students learning about everything from discriminative stimuli, motivating operations, setting events, and the transferal of stimulus control; to primary and secondary reinforcement consequences, protocols and schedules; to canine ethology and social behavior.  All students learn the Train-Test-Train method, as well as how to successfully implement the four key stages of learning from acquisition, to fluency, to generalization and maintenance. 

DN-DTC graduates have a comprehensive understanding of and ability to apply many training methods including luring, capturing, micro-shaping, targeting, environmental molding, social and conceptual learning. Students begin the program learning how to efficiently and effectively lure behaviors and end the program, not only having an in-depth understanding of the scientific principles involved in training, but also with the competent skills to teach complex compound behavior chains, sequences, merges, modifiers, quantifiers, comparatives and matches to sample.

At DogNostics we believe that the pet industry needs to continually move towards a higher level of professionalism. As such we do not offer short programs that certify or accredit individuals as Dog Training Professionals or Dog Behavior Consultants. We offer comprehensive programs that will ensure certificants or graduates are highly credentialed and posses the relevant level of knowledge and skills to successfully practice their craft using the latest science and research available and supported by full consumer transparency and professional ethics. 

The DogNostics Teaching Approach

During your time with us, you will learn the essential knowledge and skills to practice effective and ethical behavior consulting. We commit to providing you with full faculty support & guidance over your 12-month program and after you graduate. Make the most of your ongoing feedback. We will constantly question and challenge you to ensure you get the most out of the program.

Here at DogNostics we believe in the Socratic method of teaching where we form a cooperative dialogue based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions. We are here to support you on your journey.

Please take the time to get to know us; we will do the same. That way, we can both enjoy our interactions feeling safe and respected. We will each learn along the way.

If, at any time, you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Jumping on a telephone call or webinar meeting is very easily set up and often, this can avoid communication difficulties through email or chat groups.