Companion Animal Sciences Institute

Frequently Asked Questions and Further Information

Yes. There are NO residency requirements for any of CASI courses or programs of study. All of your assignments, including any hands-on components, can be done where you are. We have students completing their studies from all over the world. It is completely distance oriented. 

• How does it work? How do I work toward my graduation?

Here is how it works taking a course or program of study through CASI:

Step #1. Explore the diploma and certificate programs and decide what would be best for your goals. 

Step #2. Click the ENROLL link to complete the enrollment application. You will be notified whether you are accepted or not and if you are accepted, you will receive the enrollment agreement to complete two copies of and send in.

Step #3. Send tuition in the form of a money order or pay online.

Step #4. Start studying the required materials and working on your assignments.

Step #5. When you hand in your assignments your work will be graded and if a passing grade is earned a certificate will be awarded. 

Many of the assignments, particularly in the training courses are hands-on, calling on you to perform specific tasks and track response rates or make observations on problem areas or successes in applying the principles, procedures and strategies in training, and we help in identifying areas for improving or understanding the processes. There are also some assignments that help with career development and many academic assignments too. Just as a psychologist needs to learn about human behavior, so to do animal trainers and behavior consultants need to learn a lot about the natural science of behavior and its technology on top of practicing those skills. Unless you develop these requisite learning objectives, you cannot know how to effectively apply them. Learning about the science of what we do cannot be avoided. We do recommend that graduates who are not already established professionals who are also working toward becoming professionals seek supervised hands on skills practice. CASI does not provide this necessary component of the vocation. While education in the topics covered in the coursework are necessary, so too is hands on skills development. In order to help graduates continue to develop their competencies, we help facilitate internship opportunities. See our internship page for details.

We do not provide payment plan options at this time.

The tuition fees can be found on each program page. When you click on the title of a program it will bring you to the program page. Canadian residents pay HST. There are no other fees (e.g. enrollment or graduation fees etc.).

• What is CASI's refund policy?

CASI would be pleased to provide a refund if requested via email within 10 days from the date of enrollment minus 30% of the tuition paid in Canadian funds as administrative fee to cover the time required to process the enrollment and the withdrawal/refund and to cover purchase of the course materials provided upon enrollment (and which cannot be returned because they are in pdf format), plus any expenses incurred by CASI to process the transaction.

Individual courses cannot be taken on their own, outside of the programs they are components of. The courses are designed to build on one another. If you are interested in taking a smaller program and then taking remaining courses to achieve a larger program, that is doable though, it just costs a bit more to do it that way than starting with the larger program.

Yes, what we would do is get you through the first smaller program and then we would get you into the larger program of study after you graduate. We would transfer credit for the courses in common that you have already completed. There would be a significant discount on the following program although in the end it would still cost more to do it this way. If you really ultimately just want the larger program, it would be less expensive to just start with that program rather than starting with a smaller program. But if you really do want both as your ultimate goal, then this option definitely is available.

Most assignments involve the completion of brief essays (some based on hands-on training, consulting or practical career development tasks) and Critical Thinking 102 involves an end-of-course exam. The exam is derived directly from the course texts and are delivered via email. You get the assignments immediately upon enrolling and they are due by the end of the course. Some assignments are hands-on. Some require training a dog, coaching a human volunteer or video recording in rare instances. The course or program page will state whether you will be required to do any of these though, so that you know up-front.

CASI certificates and diplomas tell clients that you have been formally educated in what you do; that you are serious about your profession, and that your knowledge has been formally tested. Credentials are an important sign of a serious professional. CASI also provides continuing education credits for recertification through the Certification Counsil for Professional Dog Trainers, the primary certifying body for dog trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. CASI is an approved education provider by the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals, an organization CASI is affiliated with and will count toward Professional Membership. CASI has developed a strong reputation among professional trainers and behavior consultants and the credential is a significant one. Instructors are practicing industry leading professionals, here to help you develop your knowledge and career. And of course, you come out much more knowledgeable than you came in.

• Can I take the Diploma of Animal Behavior Technology Program and specialize in more than one species?

Sure. What we can do is get you registered into each program tract you are interested in (i.e., Dip.CBST, Dip.FBST, Dip.PBST) and award the diploma for each as you finish them. You would not have to redo courses they share in common, just the remaining species specific courses associated with each. There would be a significant discount on the following programs as well. Alternatively, we could register you in the main DipABT program and make the species specific courses your electives if you would prefer a single diploma that does not specify a species or that it specifies them as specializations. Contact us for details.

• How can I know that CASI provides a useful educational experience?

The first way is by our transparency. You can see the texts you will have to work through so there are no surprises and your assignments are for the most part short essay questions based on the material in those texts and in some cases hands on exercises or career development assignments. The learning objectives are clearly stated on each course and program page so that you will know exactly what is covered in that course or program. Again, transparency offers less room for surprises. A school that does not identify exactly what materials it uses may not make use of good ones and even if they do you simply are unable to evaluate the depth or credibility of the sources. The second way is to check out the testimonials grads, students and Guest Speakers have given us. The third way is that our Advisory Board and faculty is made up of well known and well respected trainers and behavior consultants. They are industry leading, practicing professionals. They literally put their name on the line for our quality. They know the programs well and stake their reputations on it. Fourth, please feel free to email me, James O'Heare, and ask me any questions you might have. I would be pleased to answer them. Fifth, see below regarding our course approvals also. Furthermore, our students, former students, graduates and faculty really go places. Lynn Hoover became co-founder (along with James O'Heare) and president of the International Association for Animal Behavior Consultants, Kellyann Conway has been the president of the Association for Pet Dog Trainers, Mychelle Blake was editor of the Chronicle of the Dog, published by the APDT and Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice, published by the IAABC and is the Executive Director of the APDT. Parvene Farhoody has been president of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers and Lisa Clifton-Bumpass was the secretary and chair of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers Exam Development Committee. The list goes on. Check out our testimonials page. We are very proud of the fact that our students are very pleased with their experience with CASI.

• How will I be graded?

Grading System

Letter    Percentile    Explanation
A          90–100       Exceptional. 'Pass with Distinction'.
B          80−89         Very good. Minimal minor errors or omissions. 'Pass'.
C         70−79         Several minor errors or omissions but demonstrates comprehension of main issues/facts. 'Pass'.
D         60−69         Major errors or omissions. 'Fail'. Did not demonstrate meeting the learning objective
F          0−59          Major errors or omissions. 'Fail'. Did not demonstrate meeting the learning objective

An A-range grade in a course results in being awarded a Distinction Pass for that course. If student acheives all Distinction Passes in a program they graduate 'With Distinction'. "Distinction Pass" is unavailable where revisions were required (see below).

CASI utilizes a modified mastery system in which students who fail to meet an assignment's learning objectives will be offered an opportunity to revise and resubmit their assignment with guidance from the instructor. Far more important than slapping a grade on an assignment is helping the student achieve the learning objectives. In order to pass a course, all assignments must achieve a passing grade either on the first attempt or through resubmitting an assignment that did not demonstrate meeting the learning objective for that assignments. Exams must be a passing grade the first time as there are no redo options for them. Generally, only one resubmission is allowed although instructors may at their discretion, allow a second resubmission of an assignment, although no more than the 2 resubmissions will be allowed.

• Are textbooks or other required materials including in the tuition?

Unless otherwise stated on the course or program page, the student is responsible to attain the required materials at their own expense. http://www.half.com or http://www.abebooks.com can be a good place to find inexpensive texts. Also check http://www.amazon.com and http://www.dogwise.com.

• May I appeal decisions made by CASI or its instructors?

Absolutely. A student may appeal the rejection of their enrollment application, the decision to moderate or remove a student from the Classroom, or a course grade, to CASI Advisory Board. To do so, inform the President of CASI, James O’Heare as to the nature of your appeal and include any arguments you wish to make. The President will present the argument to the Advisory Board, which will consider the appeal argument. Decisions will be made by a majority vote of the Advisory Board (president's vote break's ties). CASI may ask questions or request further information with which to make their decision. The decision of CASI as indicated above will be final and no further recourse will be available.

• Can I get an extension if I am unable to complete my coursework on time?

We encourage you to complete your coursework in the allotted time and manage your studies carefully. However, we appreciate that "life happens" sometimes though and students who need it may request as many as 4 months extension. The emphasis should be placed on getting the coursework done within the allotted time though. There is no charge for extensions.  

CASI may decline an extension request at its sole discretion. There should be more than enough time to complete the programs of study in the allotted time even with full times jobs and family obligations.

• Can I transfer credit from other post secondary educational institutions?

The following are the only allowable credit transfers:

If you have completed a university course in applied behavior analysis (not simply in "learning theory" in a psychology department program), you may transfer credit upon application to a program for Principles of Behavior 104.

If you have graduated the Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services course through the Australian Delta Society you many transfer that credit to Dog Training Technology 105. Program tuition fees are not adjusted but you will have the same amount of time and will not have to complete the coursework for the transferred course.

There are no other transfer of credit options.

• Can I take advantage of federal grants and loans or otherwise apply for government financial assistance for my education with CASI?

Not many of these kinds of assistance programs in all countries or states/provinces are applicable for the kind of school CASI is (professional development). You may look into it, but they are rarely available.

• Will I receive Canadian tax deduction forms for my taxes

No, CASI does not issue such forms. These forms are for career colleges and universities and not for the kind of school CASI is.

• What is CASI's association with professional associations and certifying bodies in the field?

CASI has sought and achieved course approvals and institutional approvals from the field's most prominent and credible professional associations and certifying bodies. This has involved varying degrees of scrutiny. CASI is pleased to be able to provide graduates with credits toward certification and recertification with these organizations. CASI is associated with the various associations and certifying bodies above in various other ways as well, which is important to address with transparency. James O'Heare, the owner of CASI was also co-founder and Board of Directors member of the IAABC and was the founder of the AABP. CASI and AABP share some Board members. Some CASI faculty, Advisory Board members, students and graduates are, or have been, Board Members, Directors or otherwise affiliated with each of the organizations listed above. The professional community is small and the interrelated affiliations are an indication CASI's extensive interaction / participation in the professional community. CASI is obliged to meet the same standards and criteria that any other school is. Where any possible conflicts of interests may arise, CASI will work to avoid or address them carefully and ethically.

• What is the theoretical orientation of CASI?

CASI is a science-based school. CASI instructs in the natural science of behavior commonly referred to as behavior analysis or applied behavior analysis or sometimes behaviorology. It does not instruct in the less efficient and less effective medical model approach or an ethological approach. We do not instruct in how to apply broad generalization labels called "diagnoses" and we do not instruct in imitating wild canine social structures. "Behavior analysis differs from most psychological attempts to understand behavior. Psychological theories study entities such as "the mind" or "the personality" or "cognitive structure" or "self-concept" or "drives." These are usually viewed as the basic subject matter of psychology; they are causal and behavior is merely a derivative of them. Unfortunately, these assumed entities do not exist in the natural world of the other sciences, they do not reside in the same physical natural science realm as electrons, atoms, magnetism, cells, and so forth. Where they actually exist is unclear, perhaps in some "mental" or "hypothetical" universe. As a result, it is difficult to define and measure them unambiguously and even harder to understand how they relate to other natural phenomena... Contingencies and functional relationships describe the connections between behavior and its causes in the environment." Source. 

• What is the history of CASI?

James O'Heare, CABC founded CASI in 1999. James had been the author of a few well received books which have been published around the world in several languages and there was a great demand for James to teach others his approach to dog training and behavior consulting. At the time there was no professional association for behavior consultants or certifying body for dog training and the only other school focussing on animal friendly methods was Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers, which is in San Francisco (Jean Donaldson no longer works for the SFSPCA in this capacity) and is a hands-on program, so a distance program seemed to satisfy the demand. James started with a single course, which was soon expanded and then split into 3 courses. Soon after, as demand grew, James formed an advisory board of industry leading professional colleagues to help guide the progress of the school. The courses grew in number and programs of study were designed and course approvals have been sought from newly developing associations and certifying bodies. New instructors have been brought in and with the advent of certifying bodies and professional associations, CASI has sought and achieved course approvals through them.

• Is a Certificate or Diploma a degree?

A certificate or diploma is not a degree. It is a document certifying the completion of a course of study involving multiple courses. CASI does not issue degrees. We award certificates or diplomas to represent graduation from our programs of study.

• Is CASI "Accredited"?

Not being a degree issuing university or vocational career college, CASI does not require any form of "accreditation" at all. As a private professional skills development institution, we have voluntarily sought our course approvals, continuing education credits and memberships in order to help ensure that we meet appropriate standards specifically related to our field and to help assure potential students of that. Please see ourcourse approvals pagefor details. Our CEU pre-approvals and memberships demonstrate that we meet a high standard of service and we have subjected ourselves to this outside independent scrutiny in order to be sure we are providing high caliber services. 

• Does CASI provide vocational programs?

No. We cannot and do not claim or intend to provide all of the necessary skills necessary to work professionally in any capacity. Further supervised hands-on mechanical skills development is important in developing professional competency. CASI can help graduates find mentors and internships to help develop these mechanical skills. The field of animal behavior consulting and even animal training is relatively new and there are no mandated curriculums or licensing stipulations regarding exactly what must and must not be covered. Our emphasis is placed on providing a solid comprehensive education in the core areas required to seek certifications and engage in professional activities and a brief introduction of hands on skills practice (with practical training assignments) but we encourage graduates to seek further and continued hands on skills practice beyond their CASI coursework.

• Is CASI a Degree issuing University or a Private Career College and are the programs intended to be vocational?

No. While CASI provides challenging and advanced coursework and programs of study and the credentials are respected and meaningful, CASI is not a degree issuing university and therefore "accreditation" by an agency approved by the United States Department of Education, Canadian Department of Education or any other government agency is not required or applicable. Absence of such an approval for a non-university/college school is in no way an indication of lack of credibility (whereas it would be for a university or college). CASI is a nonvocational, nonregistered private institution offering certificate and diploma courses and programs for recognition of graduation from challenging programs of study. CASI is not a university or private career college and does not instruct vocational programs. The CASI programs are intended as either personal interest or as professional development sources. Further development is required. Obviously, potential professional animal trainers and behavior consultants need extensive in-person supervised skills practice and although CASI provides some hands-on assignments, the programs focus on helping professionals develop their understanding of the principles of behavior and the strategies and tactics of training and behavior change programming. The Companion Animal Sciences Institute has the required business license and governmental permissions to use the word "institute" in its name. CASI seeks external approvals from our industry's leading professional associations and certifying bodies; this is a more appropriate indication of credibility for this kind of professional development school.