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A group of dogs with their owners.

Develop the skills and knowledge needed to train a variety of animal species.

Undergraduate Certificate in Animal Training

Quick Facts

Total Credit Hours: 9
Tuition: $398 per credit hour*

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Animal Training Certificate

dog-training-certificate-image.jpgHaving a background in animal training and familiarity with animal behavior is essential for anyone who wants to work with animals for a career. This includes anyone from veterinarians and vet technicians to zookeepers, professional animal trainers and wildlife professionals.

Husson University's fully online undergraduate Certificate in Animal Training program provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to train various species of animals. As a student in this program, you'll learn about different aspects of animal training such as animal behavior, human-animal interactions, how to apply training techniques to different animal species and the impact of environments on animal training goals.

Upon completion of the Animal Training Certificate, you'll be able to:

  • Describe the role of animal behavior in animal training approaches.
  • Assess the impacts of human-animal interactions on both humans and animals.
  • Evaluate standards of best practice in animal training.
  • Apply animal training principles to create a species-specific reference manual.

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*All rates subject to change

2023 Start Dates

Term 6        

July 3

Term 1

August 28

Term 2

October 23

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Animal Training Courses

AB 201 Animal Behavior

In this course, students will study animal behavior through biological and psychological lenses. Deep exploration into the behavior of a species of the student’s choosing will complement examples of many species through the coursework. Students will design and conduct an ethogram study on their species informed by factors that impact behavior, types and categories of behavior, applied behavior and animal emotion and cognition. The course project includes the ethogram study as well as an animal behavior timeline, behavior graphics and a behavior management plan all specific to their focus species.

 

AB 301 Animal-Human Interactions

In this course, students will study the history of animal-human interactions, current research in anthrozoology and the application to practices in domestic, wild and captive environments.  Students will also study the effects of animals on humans and of humans on animals with specific focus on animals and environments of the student’s choosing. Students will create an Evaluation of Animal-Human Interactions in Practice for a species and environment of their choosing.

 

AB 401 Animal Training

In this course, students will study the basic concepts of learning theory, associative and non-associative learning, classical and operant conditioning and social and observational learning as they apply to animal training. Students will explore the application of different training techniques to a variety of species and examine the effects of stress and environments on training goals. Students will complete a Training Manual for a species and environment of their choosing.

Highlighted Faculty

Taylor Rezvani, Ph.D, M.A.T.

Taylor Rezvani, Ph.D, M.A.T., is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Whole Dog Academy, an education-based nonprofit that includes a career school for dog trainers. She is passionate about improving animal-human relationships and animal welfare through research and educational outreach, especially concerning the veterinary field and domestic dog preventative behavioral care. As an educator, Taylor strives to expand opportunities to educate people about animal behavior and welfare, particularly within the veterinary profession. Taylor has designed and delivered in-person and online curricula for high school, undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students as well as vocational learners. Interdisciplinarity has always been an important and natural part of Taylor’s personal educational trajectory, starting with her two undergraduate degrees: Human Biology (Animal Behavior: Biology/Psychology/Sociology) and Media Studies (Film), both from Pitzer College. She earned a masters degree in teaching biology from Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling and an interdisciplinary doctoral degree in Zoology, Psychology and Education from Washington State University. Currently, Taylor is a postdoctoral fellow at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she assists with developing and curating educational materials regarding domestic dog welfare.

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For more information

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 Phone and Email Address
Online Enrollment Counselor Online Enrollment Counselor

 207.992.1972
 Peabody Hall
1 College Circle
Bangor, Maine 04401