Canine Behavior: Part One

tl;dr When working with canine behaviors, education and experience is important. Within this post I review my credentials, and background in canine behaviors.

Anthropomorphic metaphors

Instead of scientific terms, I use an anthropomorphic metaphor, and I consider the individuals umwelt. With metaphors, I can elicit an emotional response and people will recall the information easier. Therefore, before delving into definitions, I felt it was crucial to elaborate on my education and experience.

Please understand, my opinions are my own and may not reflect dog training or canine behavior consulting as a whole.

Canine behavior is complicated…

Dogs are sentient, social mammals who have a diverse learned history, environmental factors, and physiological symptoms.

Physiological reactions can vary depending on:

  • Physical health
  • Emotional state
  • Developmental stage
  • Environmental factors
  • Intensity rate of overt behaviors
  • Frequency of stressors
  • Duration of stressors
  • Distance of stressors
  • Intensity of stressors

By obtaining my credentials, I have passed exams proving I have an adequate knowledge and experience with Canine behavior consulting (on fear, phobias, compulsive behaviors, anxiety, and aggression). With my credentials, I hold myself to a standard of practices and code of ethics. Within these practices, I comply with LIMA by following the humane hierarchy.

How many certified behavior consultants are there?

As of December 2022, there are 474 CBCC-KAs worldwide.

What knowledge base is required for my credentials?

  • Applied behavior analysis & Learning theory
  • Canine ethology
  • Canine body language
  • Observational skills
  • Health & Husbandry
  • Canine anatomy & physiology
  • Consulting & Instructional Skills
  • Development & Life Stages.

Credentials:

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Additional education/activities attended:

Currently, I am attending college in hopes to pursue a degree in animal behavior. While it may be frustrating that I cannot give one answer to a behavior problem, understand I am taking all of this knowledge to spit out the best feasible solution for the individual humans and dogs in your household