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 Association of INTODogs, Pet Professional Guild, and others. Our graduates who join The Association of INTODogs, our sister organisation, receive the additional accreditations of INTODogs Certified Canine Behaviorist and ICAN Certified Animal Behaviourist. 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. 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.

Your course files will be sent by email once you have enrolled with the ISCP, and you will be allocated a personal tutor who will guide and support you through your studies. Your written coursework, some of which is based on practical work, will be sent by email to your tutor on completion of each unit, and your tutor will assess and return this to you and to our principal. With the Diploma in Canine Behaviour, after Module 4 you will receive your Certificate in Canine Behaviour as a .jpg file. After Module11 you will receive your Intermediate Certificate in Canine Behaviour. After Module 17 (your thesis) you’ll receive your Diploma as a .jpg file and PDF file. You can choose to study up to your level of interest, or you can pay for and study the diploma course unit by unit or in three stages if you’d rather spread the cost: certificate, intermediate and part 3 of the diploma.

The time you spend on studying each week depends on your circumstances. You may prefer to spend an hour or two in the evenings, or to use part of your weekends for study time.

It will take you at least 360 hours to work through the full Diploma in Canine Behaviour course, so the length of time this will take depends on how many hours each week you can set aside for study. Some students complete the course within 6 months, while others take a year, or much longer, to work through the course. The diploma course has a deadline of 2 years, though an extension can be arranged with the course tutor in extenuating circumstances. The deadline for completion of each section of the 3 part diploma course (certificate, intermediate certificate and higher certificate) is 6 months for the certificate course, 8 months for the intermediate certificate, and 10 months for the higher certificate (part 3), making a total of 2 years altogether.

You will have 1 year in which to complete our certificate courses and short courses, and 2 years in which to complete our diploma courses and the Advanced Diploma course.

This is encouraged and will be at the discretion of your local rescue center. Many rescues are willing for students to work under supervision with dogs who need help, as this ultimately benefits the rescue as well as students. You can discuss case histories individually with your tutor if you need guidance, and can also share and discuss these with other students during the monthly webinars.

You will be linking up with the course principals and with graduates and students around the world, so the online seminars and meetings will be immensely useful. A subject is chosen for each meeting’s presentation, so you can gain further information about particular issues or aspects of dog behavior. The webinars are led by our principals, course tutors, affiliates and guest experts who are working at the cutting edge of the dog behavior field. Our webinars are recorded so that they can be watched at any time, and new students are sent links to the recordings of all previous webinars.

Yes, you can. The final units in the course explain how to do this, and advise you on important issues such as Public Liability Insurance. Most of our graduates have either launched their own successful behaviour practice or have been employed as behaviorist for a rescue charity.

Yes, you will. All applications are considered according to the individual regulations and requirements of different organizations, and some organizations will only accept applications after a certain period of time has passed since you qualified. As a member of the ISCP you will automatically gain Associate Membership of ICAN, the International Companion Animal Network, a global umbrella organisation for force-free professional bodies and education providers. While you are studying with The ISCP you will be able to apply for Friends Membership of The Association of INTODogs. You can then apply for Full Membership of INTODogs once you have your ISCP Diploma, and this will bring the additional accreditations of INTODogs Certified Canine Behaviourist and ICAN Certified Animal Behaviourist. You can apply to join Pet Dog Trainers of Europe (PDTE) as an Associate and then full Member. You can also apply to join Pet Professional Guild, The National Register of Dog Trainers and Behaviourists and the CMA when you have gained your ISCP Diploma. You will need to prove that you have insurance in order to apply to join as a professional member of most organisations. Please be aware that the ISCP cannot guarantee that your application will be accepted, because acceptance of any organisation is at the discretion of their governing body. For instance, when you apply to join INTODogs and PDTE you will be required to complete a detailed questionnaire so that the organisation can be assured that you are committed to using only science-based, compassionate methods in your work with dogs.

You can gain your ISCP diploma without attending a practical study day, as this is not compulsory. We recommend attendance at a study day, if possible, because you will be working directly with dogs under the personal guidance of a tutor or guest teacher, and this will be a valuable addition to your home study. As parts of the practical study days are recorded, students who were unable to attend can watch afterwards.

Every effort is made by our tutors and team throughout the course to help our students succeed in gaining their diploma. Where a student is struggling to achieve the high standards we require of our graduates, we will work with the student to set up a Personal Development Plan in which we may recommend additional reading, workshops or shadowing opportunities designed to help the student improve their knowledge and meet the graduation criteria. We want our students to succeed but we also have a responsibility to ensure anyone graduating from our courses and intending to start their own behavioural or dog training business provides the highest level of service to their future clients.

The Advanced Diploma is level 6, equivalent to a degree. This course involves intensive theoretical study and academic writing which includes referencing and citations. You will need to send us evidence of having gained a qualification in dog behaviour and/or welfare, preferably up to Level 5, so that you are prepared for the level of study. If you have any questions about this course, you can contact us at secretary@theiscp.com.

Here’s a short extract from the text in Unit 4: The Emotional and Mental Needs of the Dog HOW DOGS READ OUR EMOTIONS There is now scientific evidence that dogs are attuned to our emotional states and can ‘recognise’ our facial expressions and body language in ways that have not been established for other species apart from our own. This is an ability that has evolved in dogs through their long association with us, and adds yet more proof to the close bond that exists between canines and humans. When we meet a new person, or are trying to gauge a person’s state of mind and emotions, we adopt what’s called a ‘left gaze bias’, spending more time focusing on the other person’s right eye. One explanation is that this is because the right side of a person’s face is considered to reveal more about their emotional state. Experiments carried out by Professor Daniel Mills, Dr Kun Guo, Dr Kerstin Meints and their team at the University of Lincoln have revealed that dogs also display a left gaze bias when looking at a human face. Interestingly, they have this most strongly with human faces, not with other dogs when both faces are neutrally emotional, and this indicates that they have developed a strong desire to interpret what we are feeling. The ability to interpret our moods would be useful for dogs, and would have a distinct biological advantage. They know that it’s safe to approach if we are smiling or calm, and that it’s better to steer clear of us if our faces show signs of anger. Dogs can also read the subtle cues that we give, even unconsciously, through our body language and through the scents caused by chemical changes that occur when we are nervous or afraid. This will be covered in Unit 6, which explains the language of the dog, and in Unit 12, when you explore how to deal with emotional issues in dogs.

Yes, here is the coursework assignment for Unit 4: The Emotional and Mental Needs of the Dog ​ 1. a) Describe the emotions you have observed in dogs and how these were expressed and b) describe the dog’s primary emotional needs. Word limit 2000 ​ 2. Identify the bonding hormone and explain why it is important in our relationship with dogs. Word limit 500 3. Explain the left gaze bias. Word limit 500 4. Explain why mental stimulation and environmental enrichment is essential for dogs and how we can provide this. Word limit 1,000

You can read the basic outline of each unit in the diploma course here.

You can enrol on this page. If you are involved with a rescue, you can enrol through this page to gain a 50% discount on the course fee. Your completed enrolment form will be sent to us (please ensure you have typed in the correct email address), and we will send your course files as soon as we receive this. Your course files consist of your welcome letter that explains the study process, a PDF version of your course textbook, a list of recommended books, a case study form, a list of recordings of previous webinars, and your ISCP charter.

Yes, because the ISCP is globally approved as a training college and the diploma is accepted in all countries. As you will be studying from home, distance is no object. All you need is an internet connection and an understanding of English language. We have students and graduates in 60+ countries, including England, Wales, Isle of Man, Scotland, Orkney, Jersey, Northern Ireland, Eire, America, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Greece, Estonia, Croatia, Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Malta, Cyprus, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Poland, Ukraine, South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius, Bahrain, Dubai, Iran, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

Yes, you can pay as you go, module by module. You will need to enroll separately for each consecutive unit as you progress through the course. You can find our easy installments page here. Please note that if you have enrolled on the certificate course you cannot switch to single unit payments for further studies to diploma level.

If you’re in any way involved with a rescue, whether you help out with fostering, dog walking, assessments, transport runs, vet runs, fundraising, or in any other capacity, you’ll qualify for a 30% discount on the course fee.

We are unable to arrange transfers of this kind because the course files that you have received are sent out digitally and cannot be returned. As all ISCP courses are protected under copyright and Intellectual Property laws, course files cannot be used or photocopied for any purpose other than for personal study, and must not be shared with others.

Yes, you can. This is tailored specifically for each individual. You can find out more about the diploma course as CPD here.

The only qualifications you need are an understanding of the English language, a desire to understand dogs, commitment to studying, and the application and self-discipline necessary to write the essays of up to 3,000 words that are required as part of your coursework at the end of each unit. Some of our students have no qualifications, haven’t studied for years, and are exploring a career change. We also have students who have gained a degree or PhD in animal behaviour and wish to focus purely on dogs. The courses are written in such a way that both inexperienced and experienced students can understand the information given.

Students are sent the course files on enrolment, and once you have received these we cannot give a refund because the course materials are sent digitally and cannot be retrieved. However, you can opt to have a 14 day ‘cooling off’ period on enrolment. If you decide to have this, you will need to inform us by email to secretary@theiscp.com as soon as you enrol so that we can wait for 14 days before sending your course files.