Why would a professional attempting to sell you services lie about their expertise? Easy answer, right? To fool you into hiring them, of course! What would happen next? Another easy answer, isn’t it? Taking full advantage of your gullibility, the “professional” will not deliver the high-quality job you expect . . . BUT they will demand the full payment to which you’ve agreed, regardless of your dissatisfaction, regardless of their own failure to perform as advertised. When you complain, they don’t respond.
In an unregulated industry like dog training, it happens every day. Don’t be that gullible consumer!
From an online review
“In his info section, [he] claims to be certified as a DTDA-KC professionally certified animal behaviorist. He also claims to be a member or a past member of several animal training groups: International Association of Dog Trainers, International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants, International Association of Canine Professionals, National Association of Dog Obedience International, and Certified Council for Professional Dog Trainers, among others. I was amazed at all of these accomplishments but once I became familiar with his results and temper, I had to ask the serious questions of how he had stayed in business. I decided to call the organizations he claims to be a member of. I asked if they knew what the acronym DTDA-KC meant but none of these professional organizations could give me an answer (now that I think of it, I asked [him] what it referred to when I hired him but he just ignored me and refused to answer). Not one person could answer this acronym mystery and in addition [they] told me that [he] was not a current member of their organizations. They also told me that there is no governing authority over dog trainers and therefore his claims of being a ‘professionally certified animal behaviorist’ are false. Each organization has their own ethics requirements, which [he] definitely does not follow. Before I file my lawsuit, I will also confirm his claims of being a *former* member.”
From a business website
“Behaviorists—not trainers.
“Our staff members are professionally certified animal psychologists, not trainers dangling treats. We don’t bribe your dog, instead we use methods that your dog understands through instinct. The result: well-trained dogs who know how to behave alongside the humans in their lives. Trust our years of experience and our knowledge of dog behavior. Stop living in frustration and start loving life with your dog.”
From another business website
“XXX trains in basic and advanced obedience but specializes in behavior problems especially aggression and fear issues our positive and patient loving ways brings the dog we love back to us your not a client or customer your family.”
“XXX is the foremost behaviorists in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.”
Photo by Carmen LeBlanc
What Is an Animal Behaviorist?
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/what-is-an-animal-behaviorist/
Similar to professional dog training, the field of animal behavior is unregulated, and, unfortunately, anyone can call herself a behaviorist, regardless of her training, ability, or background. It’s important to look for professionals with the proper education and experience. Consider people who are certified with a respected organization. In addition, there are levels of expertise in the field, from trainers who work with dogs with behavior issues, to behavior consultants, to certified applied animal behaviorists and board-certified veterinary behaviorists.
The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) are two professional organizations that certify behavioral consultants who specialize in dogs. Certification helps ensure that the person you’re hiring has the key skills and knowledge, and both the CCPDT and the IAABC require their behavior consultants to recertify every three years so that they’re up-to-date on the latest research and methods.
The only people officially titled ‘animal behaviorists’ are those certified by the Animal Behavior Society (ABS). The ABS offers two levels of certification. Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists have a Master’s Degree in a biological or behavioral science and at least two years of professional experience in the field. Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists have a doctorate in biological or behavioral science with five years of professional experience in the field.
The training for both levels involves supervised hands-on experience with animals, and research with those animals resulting in publication in scientific journals. Some applied animal behaviorists specialize in pet dogs and cats, whereas others work with animals on a farm, in the wild, or in zoos. Many applicants intern with a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist before setting up their own practice.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists
http://corecaab.org/qualifications/
CAABs Are Uniquely Qualified
How are we different?
Just as human psychologists have graduate training in psychology, certified applied animal behaviorists (CAAB) have advanced graduate degrees in the science of animal behavior. Some CAABs are veterinarians who have completed a behavioral residency.
A CAAB is a certified professional with scientific training in animal behavior. A CAAB works with people and their pets to modify pet behavior that has become a concern for owners. CAABs diagnose the cause of a pet’s behavior problem, often in coordination with your veterinarian. A behavioral diagnosis is a critical analysis of your pet’s behavior using scientific principles.
We use critical thinking skills and education to determine the cause of your pet’s problem; sometimes we must develop novel approaches to solutions. Individuals without extensive education and experience may guess incorrectly as to the cause of the problem and provide ineffective advice. Improper advice can delay or prevent resolution of the problem.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists have:
▪ Obtained an undergraduate degree, usually requiring 4 years, at an accredited college or university.
▪ Gained admission to an accredited graduate school or veterinary school through a highly competitive admission process.
▪ Completed post-graduate education receiving a Master’s (2-year full time) or Ph.D.(4-year full time) degree in a behavioral science, or DVM or VMD degree with a behavioral residency.
▪ Passed rigorous oral and written examinations given by their faculty committees.
▪ Published articles in scientific journals.
▪ Supervised hands-on experience with animals.
▪ Met the course work and experience requirements for certification as set forth by the Animal Behavior Society.
The woman who wrote the online review about the guy with the impressive qualifications made one mistake that you can avoid: she waited until after she’d hired him to find out if his claims were true. By then, it was too late.
Check out ‘impressive claims’ before you interact with the individual selling the services. Contact each organization that’s listed to confirm the individual’s good standing, if any (they are set up to give you that information). If any organization cannot confirm that individual’s good standing, the individual has lied about their qualifications.
Many individuals and businesses do not list information that can be easily confirmed, like degrees and certifications; they allude instead to self-given titles that, without proof, cannot be checked. The guy with the impressive qualifications lists “animal behaviorist” in his About, but when you click on that title, there is an entire page without attribution explaining what an animal behaviorist does, but with absolutely no explanation of how that particular guy qualifies for the title. Sneaky? It seems so to me.
I’d ask every self-proclaimed “animal behaviorist” these questions:
▪ Do you know what an animal behaviorist is?
▪ Are you qualified to use that title yourself?
▪ Why do you use the title if you’re not qualified?
▪ If you know what an animal behaviorist is and you know that you’re not qualified for that title, why do you use that title to sell your services? What justifies that lie? When you lie about your qualifications for a job specifically to get that job, why would you not lie about the job while you’re on the job?
Be saner and safer if you choose. Simply ask:
▪ What degrees do you hold—source and date?
▪ What certifications do you hold—source and date?
▪ What CEUs (continuing education credits) have you completed in the last five years?
Those last three questions should be easy enough to answer for anyone who’s telling the truth. In fact, when a professional is qualified to do the job they’re seeking, they want you, the consumer, to know the facts about their education, experience, and expertise. They’re proud of their full list of accomplishments, and they’re not trying to sell you their services by telling you a bunch of lies.
We’ve covered the topic of “behaviorists” before:
https://www.fox28spokane.com/what-is-a-dog-behaviorist/
