any behaviourists out there

just wondered if any of our members are dog behaviourists? I have been looking at a career change for a while now and would like to train as a dog behaviourist but my searches on education and qualifications are coming back with really confusing information. If any of you are dog trainers/dog behaviourists I would love to hear how you got to where you are now and what qualifications you have. Any info would be most appreciated!

Perhaps liz or rachel would know the qualifications you would need debs . Wish you the best of luck and for you it will be a breeze as you already know a lot of useful stuff and have a lot of experience

Thanks Mia it's got to be done as I've been thinking about it for soooo long time to take action!!

I've not got experience in dog training training, but the way I went about studying horse training was starting with the trainer whose methods sat well with me and then looking into how to learn. So that's how I'd do it if I was in your shoes now.

As a starting question, though, do you specifically want to become a behaviourist with a 'proper' qualification, or do you want to become a dog trainer who specialises in problem behaviours? The two are slightly different. A behaviourist is, according to one online dictionary:

'A school of psychology that confines itself to the study of observable and quantifiable aspects of behavior and excludes subjective phenomena, such as emotions or motives.'

It's a good start but it's not, in my opinion, enough. Looking at a list of animal behaviour courses, they also all faff around with stuff like business management, breeding, and things that you may or may not want later, but aren't necessarily what you're after right now.

I personally view animal training as a practical career and would start with practical training that combines solid theory at the same time. Something like this:

https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/dog-trainer-foundations?source=ctstore

(Karen Pryor is one of THE names in clicker training). Even if you don't go down the clicker route in the end, it would provide you with a really solid base to work from.

Before I go google mad, does that sound like and interesting avenue to explore?

Hi Liz

Thank you for replying! I think the route I want to go down now would be dog Trainer specialising in behavioural problems and I am going to read through that link you provided as soon as I get home!

I will reply fully once I'm home! Thank you!!