Tuition $999 cdn + applicable tax
The Feline Behavior Science and Technology certificate program is intended as a challenging, yet foundational program of study in cat behavior and training. It does not include topics related to conducting professional cat training services. It is intended to help the student develop their skills in training cats specifically. It involves an intensive distance course on the principles of learning and the technology of animal training with both academic coursework and hands on skill practice and includes a course on species typical cat behavior. This is not a cursory and basic program of study but rather an intensive and challenging educational experience. Students can expect to do a lot of studying and writing as well as actually working with their own cat, hands-on, in this program, exploring the various topics in depth.
Although you might see an occasional book related to dogs in this program, the course is focused on cat behavior. Only a small number of books are related to dogs and the principles they elaborate are applicable to cats (and better than any cat specific book we could find). The course notes focus on cats, practical hands on assignments are carried out with cats and essay assignments encourage students to apply the principles and procedures to cats specifically. Most courses will in fact be species independent while the cat behavior course addresses cat specific issues.
The graduate would be awarded a Feline Behavior Science and Technology Certificateand allowed the letters Cert.FBST after their name to represent their credential.
This program requires approximately 135 work-hours. If you are looking for something more in-depth and advanced, check the Diploma of Feline Behavior Science and Technology program. The Cert.FBST program does not include coursework in professional ethics or professional activities and case management so is better for personal interest or for those not working directly with clients per se, such as shelter staff for instance. The Dip.FBST does include all of this coursework and is more suited to professionals or those working toward being a professional.
Courses:
Learning Objectives (Not including Graduate Workshop Module):
- Describe the assumptions of the natural science of behavior, and distinguish this approach to behavior from others: psychology, ethology and the medical model orientation
- Define, contract and compare sensitization and habituation
- Define, contrast and compare operant and respondent behaviors as well as operant and respondent conditioning
- Define key terms utilized in the science of behavior
- Describe the Law of Effect
- Define and relate the 5 basic principles of operant conditioning: Extinction, +R, +P, -R, -P
- Describe the 3-term contingency and relationships between each of the terms
- Identify and describe variables affecting operant conditioning
- Describe respondent conditioning and the four basic respondent conditioning procedures (i.e., trace, delayed, simultaneous, backward)
- Describe respondent extinction
- Identify and describe variables affecting respondent conditioning
- Define, contrast and compare conditioned and unconditioned reinforcers
- Describe the problematic secondary effects of aversive stimulation
- Define and discuss learned helplessness
- Define the compound procedure differential reinforcement, including different types, and explain how it can be utilized as an alternative to aversive control of behavior
- Identify the basic schedules of reinforcement and describe their effects on the rate or frequency of behavior
- Define, contrast and compare generalization and discrimination
- Define stimulus control and explain how it is transferred
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- Explain how to choose, establish and utilize a conditioned reinforcer
- Define target behaviors and training objectives
- Define prompts and explain when they might be appropriate and inappropriate
- Explain why it is important to fade prompts quickly and how to fade prompts
- Explain why physical prompts are often counterproductive
- Explain how to transfer stimulus control
- Explain, under which conditions shaping, chaining or simple differential reinforcement would be an appropriate procedure
- Apply the principles of behavior and training strategies and tactics to training animals to perform common behaviors, such as: either walking on a loose leash, come when called and sit for dogs, or step up, come when called and target objects for parrots, or come when called and walking on leash for cats.
- Carry out a shaping program for one's own companion animal, analyze results and identify problem areas and likely solutions
- Carry out a behavior chaining program for one's own companion animal, analyze results and identify problem areas and likely solutions
- Carry out the Training Game with friends or family members, analyze results and identify problem areas and likely solutions
- Develop and implement a formal training plan
- Generalize performance to new environments
- Effectively deliver reinforcers
- Analyze one's own training programs and identify ways to improve training performance
- Communicate effectively about training tasks
- Define behavior chaining and explain the behavior chaining process
- Contrast and compare total task chaining, forward chaining and backward chaining
- Differentiate between chaining (single trainer delivered cue) and "sequencing" (in-chain cues producing a series of separate chains)
- Dog training equipment and its proper and improper use.
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- Describe the behavioral development on young cat
- Describe the social behaviors of cats and frame the discussion in behavior analytic terms
- Describe the predatory behavior of cats and the function of such behavior
- Describe the cat-human social relationship and frame discussion in behavior analytic terms
- Describe inappropriate elimination problems and their causes
- Describe inappropriate furniture scratching problems and their causes
- Describe inappropriate aggressive behavior problems and their causes
Tuition:
The tuition is identified at the top of this page with the payment button. Tuition is in Canadian funds (Currency Converter). Textbooks not included in tuition. They may be purchased through http://www.dogwise.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.abebooks.com or http://www.half.com in most cases. Also check the Student Library. Canadian Residents pay applicable HST.
Schedule:
This program is self-paced within a 6 month time limit.
Entrance Requirements: Entrance into this program requires that you have completed a high school diploma program (exceptions can be made) and that you be at least 18 years of age.
Note: The program is not vocational and is intended as a personal interest program or as professional development for animal trainers and behaviour technologists to help them improve or upgrade their knowledge and skills. The program does not provide all the skills and knowledge required to obtain employment as an Animal Behavior Technologist. Further, hands on, supervised development of mechanical skills are also necessary.