Body of Knowledge | Canine Behavior

Normal Canine Communication

Develop an understanding of, and familiarity with normal canine communicative signals, including but not limited to: 

• Body language 
• Vocalizations 

Knowledge Of:

• Normal canine body language, including but not limited to:
  • Appeasement, calming, displacement signals
  • Stress signals
  • Avoidance behavior 
  • Displacement behavior 
  • Interspecies communication
  • Intraspecific communication 
  • Predatory behavior 
  • Canine vocal communication 
  • Dog behavior terminologies
  • Temperament, personality, and emotional states 
  • Canine sensory perception 

Skills In: 

• Explaining concepts and methods 
• Observation skills 
• Attention to detail 
• Analytical and critical thinking 
• Researching 

Training 

Develop an understanding of and skills in teaching new behaviors. 

Knowledge Of: 

• Basic behaviors including sit, down, staying, come and walking on a loose leash
• Fundamental theories and practical elements of animal learning
• Group class instruction
• Private training instruction 
• Undesirable behaviors 
• normal and abnormal behaviors 
• Training incompatible (desirable) behaviors
• Dogs as social animals vs. pack members
• Temperament, personality, and emotional states
• Management strategies 
• Dog behavior terminologies  

Skills In: 

• Explaining concepts and methods 
• Identifying and utilizing the appropriate theories, methods, and practices 
• Explaining, demonstrating, teaching and training basic manners behaviors 
• Attention to detail 
• Describing and explaining behavioral concepts and issues 
• Applying training and/or behavioral modification plan to change behavior 
• Interviewing 
• Identifying key issues 
• Problem-solving 
• Rapport building 
• Mediation 
• Assessing situations
• Analytical and critical thinking 

Interspecies and Intraspecies Relationships 

Develop an understanding of and familiarity with the most effective means of introducing dogs to: 

• New homes
• New family members 
• Newborns, infants, and toddlers
• Other dogs (senior, adult, adolescent, puppy)
• Cats and/or other species 

Knowledge Of: 

• Process and techniques of introducing a new pet to an adult, child, baby, cat, dog, or other animals 
• Body language and canine interaction 
• Group dynamics including the structure of multi-species groups 
• Selecting appropriate pets for households
• Temperament, personality, and emotional states 
• Dog behavior terminomogies 
• Normal and abnormal canine behavior 
• Stages of physical and psychological development of the dog from both top maturity

Skills In: 

• Introducing a new pet to an adult, child, baby, cat, dog, or other animals
• Managing the family
• Managing the nome environment
• Managing the individual elements
• Assessing situations
• Observation skills 
• Attention to detail 

Resolving Undesirable Behaviors

Develop an understanding of, familiarity with, and skills in:

•  Identifying common undesirable behaviors 
• Developing behavior modification plans
• Resolving common undesirable behaviors
• Advising clients when dealing with undesirable behaviors 

Knowledge Of: 

• Normal, abnormal, and unwanted canine behavior
• Fundamental theories and practical elements of animal learning and behavior modification
• Management strategies 
• Dog behavior terminologies 
• Procedures for the modification of common behavior concerns, including but not limited to:
  • Various forms of aggression:
    • Interspecies and intraspecies aggression 
    • Resource guarding
    • Touch sensitivity 
    • Territorial aggression 
    • Maternal 
    • Predatory 
  • Various types of anxieties, fears, and phobias including but not limited to:
    • Separation anxiety 
    • Noise phobias, etc. 
    • Distractions and overarousal 
    • Destruction 
    • House soiling
    • Poor manners (jumping, barking, negative attention-seeking, etc.)
  • Managing handler’s emotions and attitudes to influence learning
  • Potential problematic situations
  • Fundamentals of adult learning theories and practices
  • Health, nutrition, genetics, ailments, injuries, and other factors contributing to undesirable behaviors 

Skills In: 

• Explaining concepts and methods 
• Identifying and utilizing the appropriate theories and practices
• Attention to detail 
• Analytical and critical thinking 
• Developing a behavior modification plan
• Communicating a behavior modification plan
• Implementing a behavior modification plan
• Avoid potential confrontations
• Assessing situations
• Indentiying key issues 
• Teaching prevention exercises 
• Applying classroom lessons to the home environment
• Identifying and describing desirable and undesirable dog behaviors 
• Identifying normal dog behavior 
• Taking client history
• Instruction 
• Researching 

Genetics 

Develop an understanding of basic genetic concepts, and how genes do and do not influence behavior in order to: 

• Help differentiate when a behavior is learned and when it is inherited 
• Provide sound recommendations to clients

Knowledge Of: 

• Basic genetic concepts include but are not limited to:
  • DNA
  • Genes
  • Chromosomes
  • Traits
  • Inheritance
  • Phenotype and genotype
  • Dominate genes and recessive genes 
  • Breed-specific concerns 
  • Relationship between genetic factors and dog behavior 
  • Nature vs. nurture 

Common genetic and non-genetic behavior issues and their impact on learning, behavior, and dog’s well-being

• • Normal canine behavior 
  • Dog behavior terminologies

Skills In: 

• Building customer relationships and confidence 
• Researching
• Analytical and critical thinking
• Observing 
• Identifying possible mixes

Breed Variation 

Develop a familiarity with a variety of dog breeds in order to: 

• Consider implications of breed on training and behavior 
• provide sound recommendations to clients 

Knowledge Of: 

• Dog breeds and breed-related tendencies, including but not limited to:
  • Breed types 
  • Breed characteristics, temperament, and personality
  • Historical function (or original function)
  • Relations between breed characteristics and behavior 
  • Basic genetic concepts and how they are related to breed variation 
  • Normal and abnormal canine behavior 
  • Dog behavior terminologies 
  • How mixed breeds and progenitors affect behavior 

Skills In: 

• Training various types of breeds
• Building customer relationships and confidence
• Identifying and describing dog breed types and charactrtsicts 
• Researching
• Analytical and critical thinking 
• Observing 
• Identifying possible mixes 

Canine Development 

Develop a familiarity with and understanding of various factors that can impact behavior, including but not limited to: 

• Canine social, physical, and psychological development
• Genetics 
• Learning experiences and reinforcement history

Knowledge Of: 

• Desirable and undesirable behaviors 
• Breed types and their historical function
• Other factors impacting breed characteristics such as genes, selective breeding, environment, training, diet, instructive behavior, and upbringing 
• Dog behavior terminologies 
• The stages of physical and psychological development from birth to maturity 

Skills In: 

• Indetntyfing and describing desirable and undesirable dog behaviors 
• Inedetfiying and describing normal and abdominal behavior 
• Identifying and describing how punishment and reinforcement history affect desirable and undesirable behavior 
• Researching 
• Analytical thinking 

Mechanical Training Skills 

Develop a familiarity with and skills in training a dog on basic manners such as sit, down, walk on a loose leash, etc. 

• Canine social, physical, and psychological development
• Genetics 
• Learning experiences and reinforcement history 

Knowledge Of: 

• Basic manner training techniques including sit, down, walk, etc. 
• Animal learning terminologies  

Skills In: 

• Using timing, hand movement, and treat delivery to most efficiently train skills 
• Modify techniques based on the learner’s emotional state