Dog Behaviorists - Page 7

And a fine job of it you did, only in all fairness to the OP, is there any substance to the title of (Dog Behaviorist) in the first place?

Or is it just another gimmick sales ploy?

Momo,
if you would share, what is it you do for a living anyway?
I'm just curious.

And a fine job of it you did, only in all fairness to the OP, is there any substance to the title of (Dog Behaviorist) in the first place?

Or is it just another gimmick sales ploy?

Ok, there are quite a few types of Animal behaviorists.  I know some of you don't think much of Doctorate degrees, but they do require a significant amount of work to complete and its not all in a classroom (requiring applied research, residency, etc).  Here are some descriptions of the two most well known certifications (not written in my words) :
 
Applied Animal Behaviorists, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAABs) and Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (ACAABs)

An applied animal behaviorist has earned an MS, MA or PhD in animal behavior. They are experts in dog and cat behavior and often in the behavior of other companion animal species as well, such as horses and birds. Some CAABs are veterinarians who have completed a residency in animal behavior. Some behaviorists have also met the requirements for certification by the Board of Professional Certification of the Animal Behavior Society (ABS). Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAABs, those with a doctoral degree) and Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (ACAABs, those with a master’s degree) received supervised graduate or post-graduate training in animal behavior, biology, zoology and learning theory at accredited universities. They possess the relevant education, research and practical experience according to specified academic and ethical standards. They are an exclusive group, numbering only about 50 in all of North America.

Effective applied animal behaviorists will have expertise in (a) behavior modification, so they know the techniques that produce changes in behavior, (b) the normal behavior of the species they’re treating, so they can recognize how and why your pet’s behavior is abnormal, and (c) teaching and counseling people, so they can effectively teach you how to understand and work with your pet. Many applied animal behaviorists know basic common medical conditions that can impact an animal’s behavior. Most are also familiar with psychotropic medications, such as tranquilizers and antidepressants, which can enhance the effectiveness of a treatment program. Most CAABs work through veterinary referrals, and they work closely with veterinarians to select the best behavioral medications for pets. You can find a list of CAABs and ACAABs at www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com.

Veterinary Behaviorists

Knowledge of animal behavior isn’t required to earn a veterinary degree, and animal behavior isn’t comprehensively taught in most veterinary training programs. However, some veterinarians seek specialized education in animal behavior and earn certification through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. To become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (Dip ACVB), veterinarians must complete a residency in behavior and pass a qualifying examination.

In addition to having knowledge of domestic animal behavior and experience treating pet behavior problems, veterinary behaviorists can prescribe medications that can help speed along your pet’s treatment. Issues that often require the use of medication include separation anxiety, phobias, compulsive behaviors and fear of people, objects or other animals. You can find a list of veterinarians with ACVB certification at www.dacvb.org.
So as you can see, its not all about the animal, but can also be about being able to "treat" and "modify" the behavior of the humans who own the animal.  We can all agree that a good "gut instinct" trainer may know dogs, but that doesn't mean he can convince an idiot human to properly handle their dog.  In situations like this where the human is the idiot, an Animal Behaviorist trained in Human psychology and certified later in their career for dogs after a residency, will almost certainly be able to better deal with a difficult and clueless human client having trouble with their dogs. 

So if you believe someone who went to get a doctorate and pushed through a residency for Certification as an Animal Behaviorist is scam feel free to keep avoiding the dentist and other professionals who got doctorates and are really just scamming all of us.  This also answers another question, if some says they are an Animal Behaviorist and doesn't have a Doctorate (Masters degree in some limited cases) its probably pretty safe to assume they are full of it.

 

It occurs to me that there must be some point at which the academic
qualifications someone has will be overtaken / bolstered by their practical
experience.  Assuming they are successful in attracting a clientel, and
give a good service, they will get more hands-on experience than they
started studying with.

If they are not successful, they will no doubt eventually go and do something
else for a living.  IMO, my acquaintence who is a 'properly' qualified Behaviourist
is good at it because she already had much training experience under her belt.
However, if she had started her studies without that previous experience, but
did have whatever 'it' is, in terms of natural affinity / knowledge of dogs (ie was
born with the know-how), she would surely have acquired sufficient experience
by now, because she has been practising  her trade for some years.  Would it
not, therefore, be very unfair to take a prejudiced view that because she has the
pieces of paper she cannot be any use at it ?   Surely better to judge everyone
on individual merit ?

Actually, the academic side did a good job to support why someone with credentials need to be seriously considered and what to look for in the credentials.  Personally, I would still approach someone who waves their piece of paper with caution, but I will no longer simply dismiss them. 

What I have not seen is the support that there are "good" behaviorist that train what I am looking for.  I am not looking for a trainer/behaviorist to help resolve a problem. 

I am looking for a trainer/behaviorist that trains beyond "command and obey."  I am looking for someone that teaches body language and communication between a dog and owner.

I do not think I am explaining this correctly.  My only point of reference is from a horse training perspective.   Here is what exists from a horse training perspective. 

There are some horse trainers in the US that provide 1 - 3 days or 2 - 3 weeks of a workshop (for lack of a better word) where I bring my horse and we stay at the trainers location during the workshop time frame.  The workshop consists of learning how to communicate with your horse based on body language to make the horse and rider a team.  It is more than learning how to get on a horse and make him go/stop. It is learning how to approach the horse as a leader; how to reassure a horse in a new situation that, you, as the leader, have control and everything will work out.  It is learning how to be the leader of the herd/horse.

Make sense?

Is there something similar for dog training?  If so, what are they called?  Would I use the same evaluation of the business (yes, training for money is a business) as I would use for a behaviorist [based on all the input provided in this thread]?
 

fawndallas, I think you will have to contact each behaviorist listed individually, near you and see if they conduct training/assessments in this manner.  I doubt any website could adequately convey a process like what you have described, since most Animal Behaviorist I have run into are mostly working off referrals.  They don't get that many clients blindly from the web, so the website certainly are lacking in many ways and wouldn't likely go into details on their process. 

Here are the directories:

http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory:

http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/

For example here is a Vet in Santa Maria whom is a Certified Animal Behaviorist and looks like she does show jumping as well.  She would certainly be familiar with such a process and could explain why it would or would not work with a dog:

http://orcuttvet.com/Vets/dr.brenda.php

 

I'll take that as a no Momo..
 

Agreed MindHunt 

I like the term " dog behavior specialist."  This would be a trainer who focuses on behavior, communication and leadership.  There are a lot of terms out there that are used to generate a client base.  Sometimes a piece of paper or label really helps.  But a piece of paper minus years of hands on experience is useless.  And then there are those that have years of hands-on experience that never really "get it."  I've met many an accredited so called "behaviorist" that was very limited in their assessment and handling abilities.  Most of them like to think they rely on half the operant conditioning formula.  I've seen many "behaviorists" that have no business handling powerful, fearful or intense dogs.  My mentor always said, "Practice makes permanent."  So someone can practice poor handling skills for years and never get perfect, but rather just get better and better at poor handling.