The ISCP courses are globally accessible and approved, with students in 60+ countries. The Diploma in Canine Behaviour course gives you the skills and knowledge to work professionally with dogs. It gives in-depth information about how the dog’s mind works, why dogs behave as they do, and how you can use compassionate, force-free, science-based methods to successfully work with dogs with all kinds of behavioural issues. The Diploma in Canine Behaviour course textbook was written by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, the founder and a director of the ISCP, and is updated regularly to include new research. The course textbook takes you step by step towards developing a profound insight into the canine mind and dog behaviour, incorporating the latest scientific research results, and is easy to read and absorb.

This course encourages you to think about the principles of canine behaviour, and to write about and discuss your own thoughts, theories and findings. You will be learning through a combination of acquired information and practical application, and this will give you a sound foundation for your future work with dogs.

The ISCP provides a great deal of support, encouragement and prompt feedback, which our students tell us is a major positive factor for them during their studies. This support is ongoing post-graduation, and ISCP members also have the benefit of our regular online webinars (which are recorded for future reference), newsletters, and stimulating discussions in our private Facebook Student Hub.

If you choose to study the full diploma course you will gain the ISCP Diploma in Canine Behavior on completion of the course and can use the letters ISCP.Dip.Canine.Prac after your name. This will enable you to work professionally as a behaviorist anywhere in the world.

Your diploma will also enable you to apply to join professional bodies such as the National Institute for Canine Ethics and others. You will then be able to achieve further quality marks to display your ethical stance to your clients.

If you wish to study at foundation level, you will receive the ISCP Certificate in Canine Behaviour on completion. This does not enable you to work professionally with dogs. The next level, the intermediate course, results in the ISCP Intermediate Certificate in Canine Behaviour.

The Advanced Diploma course is level 6, the equivalent to a degree, so you will need to have already gained a qualification in dog behaviour in order to enrol. You can find out more here.

We also offer other diploma courses, including: the Diploma in Compassionate and Safe Dog Handling and the Diploma in Understanding and Working with Aggressive Responses in Dogs. Our Certificate courses are in Canine Behaviour, Advanced Body Language, Canine Anatomy and Physiology, Pet Bereavement Counselling, Animal Assisted Intervention, Professional Dog Walking, and Assistance Dog Training.

No, we made the decision to avoid regulated qualifications as these would make our courses far more expensive, and this would make them less accessible for students working to a budget.

We pride ourselves on making further education accessible and affordable for all. Working professionally as a canine behaviour practitioner or consultant does not require a regulated qualification. The ISCP is accredited by several respected organisations, including UK Rural Skills, the Complementary Medical Association and CPD UK, a global CPD Certification Service.

A regulated qualification means that it has undergone scrutiny at the planning stage to ensure the level is met in terms of academic knowledge and that the length of the course provides the required study hours related to that course. It also means that both internal and external moderation will be carried out randomly to ensure the quality of grading. It does not mean the content has undergone scrutiny or that the content will be better than other courses. Education providers can still put anything they wish in their content. A regulated qualification does not guarantee quality.

Our courses are endorsed by leading authorities in the canine space for example iPET Network.

When considering which course to enrol on, it is important to look at the ethics and the type of training methods promoted, and the additional support offered alongside that course.

All our courses are dedicated to the welfare of dogs and their caregivers and we do not promote or endorse coercive or aversive methods.

Our courses are recognised by other education providers, and graduates have been accepted to study a degree and Master’s degree through some universities.