Course Category: CPDT

A Proficiency Verification is a session where you demonstrate that you have the necessary practical proficiency in handling an animal. Proficiency Verifications are not exams or obedience contests. At the EI, we do not care for exams and grades, and we do not deal with obedience. We are interested in good communication skills and the appropriate use of learning theory, so we show the animals we train, the respect we believe they deserve. 

Theory and Practice Hand in Hand

You need theoretical knowledge and practical experience to be a good dog trainer. Once you have read and understood the theory, you begin training your dog. Ideally, you should start the training after having taken the first three courses, “Evolution,” “Ethology and Behaviorism” and “The 20 Principles All Animal Trainers Must know.” If you are an experienced trainer, you will probably take this proficiency verification without problems and without too much preparation time. It’s not a difficult proficiency verification per se, but note that we require simplicity, precision, and kindness. To combine all three—we know from experience—is what our students find the most challenging.

Science and Ethics

We base our approach to animal training on science applied with thoughtfulness. We require precision for it leads to the best results in the long term. Kindness and leniency (or sloppiness) are different matters. We promote and encourage the former, from ethical and scientific points of view, but not the latter. There are many ways to train any particular skill. You choose the one that best suits you and the animal you train, keeping in mind that whichever method you select, it must conform to sound science and deep respect for all living organisms.

Proficiency Verification Preparatory Course (PVPC)

If you are a beginner, you should maybe attend a PVPC, which we regularly organize in various locations. Watch the Forums page’s sidebar. If you follow a PVPC, your instructor can conduct and approve your proficiency verification, and we will add it to your curriculum.

Video proficiency verification (VPF)

If you have no opportunity to attend a PVPC, you may submit a VPF. Read the instructions to send your VPF in the guidelines for this course and lesson.

The PV is a full one-on-one tutored course. You and your tutor keep in touch via our messaging system and Skype if necessary. You upload your video clips to our cloud for your tutor’s review and comment. Once your tutor is satisfied with your work, you will receive your approved check mark.

Canine Proficiency Verification Part One deals with the skills you and your dog must master; Part Two deals with canine problem behavior where you demonstrate that you can professionally handle a canine problem case and create the correct behavior modification program.

• Kindness and leniency (or sloppiness) are different matters. We promote and encourage the former, from ethical and scientific points of view, but not the latter.
• Our Proficiency Verifications require simplicity, precision, and kindness. To combine all three—we know from experience—is what our students find the most challenging.

Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Keep in touch with your tutor via our messaging system.

Pedagogy is the study of the principles and methods of instruction, teaching, and education. This course will make you a better instructor by reminding you of the essential principles in pedagogics, the art of teaching, and by giving you some tricks of the trade. Learn how to motivate your students and clients. As a teacher, how knowledgeable and skillful you are amount to naught unless you can transmit it to your students.

In lesson one, you’ll read the article, “The Ten Principles of Motivation.” It is a short article; read it carefully. The lesson’s quiz will challenge your critical thinking, vis-à-vis what you have learned so far, presuming you have taken all courses in the order we envisaged.

In lesson two, you will watch a movie and learn how to incline others to adhere to your ideas.

In lesson three, you will watch a movie about active and passive learning. You’ll discover surprising facts that can turn your classes into instant successes.

Finally, in lesson four, you’ll read your main textbook for this course, Pedagogy, a collection of ten articles by various authors with sound recommendations and proven guidelines for teaching adults.

Our course is an introduction to pedagogy, this vast and crucial topic in education. We trust it will encourage you to seek further knowledge, starting with our recommended literature. “Knowledge to everyone… everywhere” needs good teachers, it needs you.

Beginner. This course is an introduction to pedagogy and essential to everyone who intends to teach.

“Pedagogy”

by various authors.

Book contents

Chapter 1 — 101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class
Chapter 2 — The Most Important Day: Starting Well
Chapter 3 — 10 Things to Make the First Day (and the Rest) of the Semester Successful
Chapter 4 — What Influences Students Attitudes Towards A Course
Chapter 5 — 30 Things We Know For Sure About Adult Learning
Chapter 6 — Lesson Plan Procedures
Chapter 7 — Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
Chapter 8 — Good Teaching
Chapter 9 — Motivating Students
Chapter 10 — Forty Successes

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

• Parsloe, E. & Leedham, M. (2017). Coaching and Mentoring: Practical Techniques for Developing Learning and Performance. Third Edition. Kogan Page.

Read the article(s) and book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Canine Problem Behavior reviews the most common causes of canine problem behavior. This course is an introduction to canine problem behavior.  You should, preferably, have taken The 20 Principles All Animal Trainers Must Know and Canine Behavior, before you take this course, which is essential for dog trainers.

Warning: treating animals for problem behavior requires exceptional knowledge of that species normal behavior as well as mastering learning theory in theory and practice. Do not attempt to apply behavior modification techniques if you do not have the necessary qualifications. This course will help you resolve mild cases of canine problem behavior. For severe cases, you must seek the advice of an experienced and qualified behavior consultant (CAAE and above).

Intermediate to advanced (this course is mandatory for all CPDT, CACE, and CAAE students).

In lesson one, you’ll watch “10 Strange Dog Behavior” and in lesson two, “10 Facts About Dogs.” You’ll have to complete a quiz for each lesson. Each one of your answers, right or wrong, will have appended a science-based comment. More than once, you will be surprised by how little popular knowledge resembles what we really know (scientific proven).

In lesson three, Professor Abrantes gives a presentation where he reviews his notes from the files of the Ethology Institute, picking up some interesting and common cases of canine problem behavior.

• 20 common questions and answers about dog behavior.
• The most common cases of canine problem behavior.
• CHAP—Canine Home Alone Problem.
• Aggressive behavior.
• Fearful behavior.
• Hyperactive dogs.

We have throughout the years treated over 10,000 animals for problem behavior, the majority of them being dogs.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Canine Home Alone deals with the canine problem no. 1—the dog cannot be left home alone without showing clear signs of distress behavior.

This course is a DIY program for dog owners to cure or prevent serious problems. If you are a dog trainer, teach your clients this proven, straightforward and efficient method.

Lesson one shows a case for you to analyze and poses you a few questions. Lesson two gives you the textbook that you have to read carefully.

Beginner to moderate. This is one of the most important courses in canine problem behavior. It deals with crucial issues, which result in dogs being re-homed or euthanized all too often.

“Dogs Home Alone”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

This book is a best-seller. The present edition is a much enlarged and revised version of the original book from 1997.

Book contents

• Chapter One — The causes of canine home alone problems.
• Chapter Two — Don’t do this! Old wives’ tales don’t work.
• Chapter Three — Treating the causes and not the symptoms.
• Chapter Four — The direct treatment of CHAP.
• Chapter 5 — The daily routine.
• PS — Psychopharmaca.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Dogs and Children is the course that everyone should take independently of whether one has children, dogs, both or none. It is our (adults) duty to protect them, who need it most, our children and our animals. Dogs and children are wonderful together when all goes well. Learn how to prevent serious problems from occurring and how to give your child and dog some fun and meaningful activities so they can develop a good and respectful relationship.

Beginner. This course is for everyone.

“Dogs and Children”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

Book contents

• Dogs and children
• Choice of dog
• Safety rules for babies born into a home with a dog
• Teaching the child
• Teaching your dog
• Prevention is better than cure
• The first conflicts
• Rules and feeling safe
• Children and other animals

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

All About Puppies deals with everything you need to know about puppies, except illness and feeding, which we leave for the veterinarians. Choice of puppy, imprinting and socialization, creating good habits and preventing misbehavior, training and stimulating the puppy, house rules and much more. This is the course everyone should have before acquiring a dog, the course all dog trainers should recommend their clients to take when they show up to a class with a puppy.

This course is based on “All About Puppies—The Little Handbook” by Roger Abrantes, an ethologist with a vast experience in breeding and raising puppies. It is a much revised and updated edition of “Hundehvalpen,” the original in Danish from 1997. It appears here for the first time in English, exclusively for this course.

Beginner, since everyone can take it. However, it contains so much information that it is recommendable for more advanced trainers, vets, and vet nurses.

“All About Puppies—The Little Handbook”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

For this course, you’ll get the text of the book especially edited as seven lessons, each with a quiz.

11. Course content and structure

    * indicates practical skill with DIY detailed instructions.

    Lesson One:
    1. A dog is a lifestyle.
       1. Are you prepared to have a dog?
       2. Your responsibilities.
    2. Choice of Dog.
       1. Should I have a puppy or an adult dog?
       2. Should I get a dog from a shelter?
       3. Should I get a dog with a pedigree?
       4. How big should the dog be?
       5. What dog breed should I pick?
       6. Should it be a male or a female?
    3. The Right Puppy.
       1. Mix or purebred?
       2. Kennels and breeders.
       3. Rule of thumb for choosing a puppy.
    Lesson Two:
    1. Sensitive periods.
       1. Imprinting.
       2. Socialization.
    2. Play behavior.
       1. Function.
       2. Types of play behavior.
       3. How you can play with your puppy.
    3. Stimulating plan for the puppy.
       1. Communicating.
       2. Nose work.
       3. Problem solving.
    Lesson Three:
    1. How puppies learn and FAQ.
       1. * Bongo.
       2. * Bongo-Come-Free.
       3. * Pendulum.
       4. * Bongo-Sit-Free.
    Lesson Four:
    1. Yes and No—The Magic Words.
       1. Yes and No.
       2. * Puppy-yes.
       3. * Puppy-no.
    2. Nose Work for Puppies.
       1. Creating a bond with the puppy.
       2. * Find-food.
    3. Problem-solving.
       1. * Overturned cup.
       2. * Tennis ball.
    Lesson Five:
    1. Consistency: good and bad behavior.
       1. The first Night. * The dog bed.
    2. Home Alone.
    3. House Rules.
       1. House rules.
       2. Car driving.
       3. Children and toys.
    4. Safety.
       1. Safety indoors.
       2. Safety outdoors.
    Lesson Six:
    1. Walking the Puppy.
       1. The collar/lead.
       2. * Walking the puppy.
       3. * The belly-button routine.
       4. * Heel.
    2. Nose Work: Intermediate level.
       1. * Find person.
       2. * Find target scent.
    Lesson Seven:
    1. Dog and People in the 21st century.
    2. Epilogue.

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

• Abrantes, R. (1997) Dog Language – An Encyclopedia Of Canine Behavior. Wakan Tanka Publishers, Naperville.
• Abrantes, R. (2016) Animal Training My Way—The Merging of Ethology and Behaviorism. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
• Dehasse, J. (1994) Sensory, Emotional and Social Development of the Young Dog. The Bulletin for veterinary Clinical Ethology, vol.2, n°1-2, pp 6-29.
• Fox, M.W. (1971) Integrative development of the brain and behavior in the dog. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
• McFarland, D. (1982) The Oxford Companion to Animal Behaviour. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• McFarland, D. (1998) Animal Behaviour. Benjamin Cummings. 3rd ed.
• Scott J.P., Fuller J.L. (1965): Dog Behavior: The Genetic Basis. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Canine Behavior studies dog behavior in the natural and human environment, reviewing the behavior of the domestic dog, feral dogs, and the related species, wolves, dingos, African wild dogs, and jackals.

This course relies on facts and knowledge acquired through scientific studies. It will dispel many misconceptions and unfounded, common sayings. It is not a dog training course—it is a dog behavior course. Since training implies modifying an animal’s behavior, it is essential to first understand its natural behavior before beginning to change it. Therefore, we recommend you take this course before any other concerned with behavior modification. 

• Lesson 1: The Origin and Evolution of the Dog,” “Surviving Strategies,” and “Wolf-Dog Comparative Study”.
• Lesson 2: “Social Behavior and Cooperation,” Parental Behavior,” “Play Behavior,” “Becoming Social,” “The Function of the Pack,” and “Pacifying Behavior.”
• Lesson 3: “Competition” “Agonistic Behavior,” and “Dominant-Submissive Behavioral Strategies.”
• Lesson 4: “Dog Language.”

Beginner-Intermediate. This is an important course for all dog trainers. We have to understand the normal behavior of the dog before we can expect to be able to implement successfully any behavior modification technique. Dog training is full of myths and old wives’ tales bearing little or no resemblance to the reality that contributed to the evolution of canine behavior. This course will clarify it for you.

The lessons in this course give you all the text you need to complete the quizzes, including the final one, and earn your certificate. The course textbook is supplementary. It gives you more details about some behaviors we do not cover in the course. Since the book appeared in 1997, the author has implemented many revisions and updates to the text. Therefore, whenever there is a discrepancy, go for the updated text in the regularly updated lessons.

“Dog Language—An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

Book contents

• A review of dog language from A to Z.
• The evolution of canine behavior.
• Dog language.
• Facial expressions.
• Bodily postures.
• Normal canine behavior.
• Problem behavior.
• Social behavior.
• Agonistic behavior
• Human–dog relationship.
  …and much more.

The book is not included in the course. You can purchase it by clicking one of the links below.

• Abrantes, R. 1997. Dog Language – An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
• Abrantes, R. 1997. Dog Language – An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior. (eBook edition).

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

• Abrantes, R. (1997) The Evolution of Canine Social Behavior. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
• Abrantes, R. (2004) Evolution of Canine Social Behavior, 2nd edition. (eBook edition)
• Case, L. P. (2005) The Dog: Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health. Wiley-Blackwell.
• McFarland, D. (1982) The Oxford Companion to Animal Behaviour. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• McFarland, D. (1998) Animal Behaviour. Benjamin Cummings. 3rd ed.
• Zimen, E. (1981) The Wolf: His Place in the Natural World. Souvenir Press.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Anatomy and Physiology study the body plan and physical functions of animals. Behavior is closely associated with the anatomy and physiology of an animal. Each species has particular characteristics that define the way it enters the global struggle for survival.

Beginner. This is a course anyone can take. It is informative and will help you to gain a deeper insight into the various aspects of animal behavior, its processes, and functions.

“Anatomy and Physiology”

by Alessandra Bourquin (BSc in Biology and Postgraduate in ABT).

Book contents

• Chapter 1 Introduction.
• Chapter 2 The skeletal system.
• Chapter 3 The muscular system.
• Chapter 4 The circulatory system.
• Chapter 5 The respiratory system.
• Chapter 6 The digestive system.
• Chapter 7 The urinary system.
• Chapter 8 The reproductive system.
• Chapter 9 The integumentary system.
• Chapter 10 The nervous system.
• Chapter 11 The sensory system.
• Chapter 12 The endocrine system.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

EFR, Emergency First Response (or first aid), is the immediate care given to an animal that has been injured or is suddenly taken ill. The course covers the most important principles of EFR and taking it can be a lifesaver, should you one day need to help an injured animal.

Top 10 Common Dog Health Problems (and Solutions). Pet CPR: A Step-by-Step Guide for Dogs. How to take equine vital signs. What to do if your horse is colicing.
How to Tell if Your Cat is Healthy.

Beginner. This is a course accessible to everyone and absolutely indispensable if you work with animals or you are a pet owner. Take this course now!

“EFR for Animals”

by M. J. Cunha, DVM.

Book contents

• What is EFR—Emergency First Response?
• The ABC of EFR.
• Common injuries.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Animal welfare is a science with objective research approaches to understanding the needs of animals. Animal welfare deals with the interaction between science, ethics, and law. This is an easily accessible course that everyone can take—a must for everyone that works with animals.

Beginner. This is an easily accessible course that everyone can take. A must for everyone that works with animals.

“Animal Welfare”

by Dr. Anabela Pinto-Poulton, a fellow of the Wolfson College, Cambridge University, a leading authority on animal welfare (the latest 2021 update is edited by Dr. Roger Abrantes).

Book contents

• Chapter 1 Introduction.
• Chapter 2 Perceptions of animal welfare.
• Chapter 3 Assessing animal welfare.
• Chapter 4 Behavior as an assessment tool of animal welfare.
• Chapter 5 Causes of poor welfare.
• Chapter 6 The welfare of dogs.
• Chapter 7 The welfare of cats.
• Chapter 8 The welfare of horses.
• Chapter 9 Animal welfare and the law.

Please note that the entire contents of the textbook are included in the various lessons and spread over multiple sub-topics (tabs). You need not buy the book separately.

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

To warm you up for the Animal Welfare course, we leave you here with “Animal Welfare vs. Animal Rights” by Jessi Knudsen Castañeda. As a sort of training your ability to observe (watch and listen), and become a critical thinker, we invite you to comment and discuss the topic on the Ethology Institute Group* on Facebook.

*You have free access to the Ethology Institute Group page on Facebook.