As I said in my last post the ABTC has now completed its suite of standards for the animal behaviour and training sector but many people are asking what this means to them and how they can be listed on the various national registers. The first point to be clear about is that only organisations can be granted membership, individual practitioners cannot become members of the ABTC in their own right except by invitation of the Council. Organisations that represent practitioners should apply for membership and part of that process is to demonstrate how their practitioners meet the appropriate standard. Historically each organisation has developed its own method of assessing people based on what they deemed to be important rather than matching their requirements to a universal standard so it is no surprise that each organisation has different membership criteria. The ABTC seeks to harmonise this situation so that each organisation will be meeting the same high standards, some organisations may exceed the requirements and others may need assistance to ensure the standards are met.

As it is expected that this process will take some time the category of Accredited Animal Behaviourist (AAB) was created, it applies to all those currently carrying out the role of behaviourist with a reasonable level of education and training that does not quite meet the strict requirements of either Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CAB) or Animal Behaviour Technician (ABT), in short a ‘Grand-parenting Scheme’. Be aware though, this is not a free ticket to avoid eventually becoming qualified in one or other of these two roles. People who most appropriately fall into this category have until the end of March 2016 to get themselves onto this register, after which new applications will no longer be accepted. Those who are on the register at that time will have until the end of March 2021 to complete any gaps in their education and skill sets to transfer onto the CAB or ABT register and the AAB category will then cease to exist.

The message therefore is to either convince your organisation to join the ABTC or move to an organisation that is already a member (or is taking steps to achieve membership), I am also personally aware of at least two possible new organisations in the making based on ABTC requirements that feel too many practitioners are currently unrepresented.

This is the point at which the individual can start making a difference to animal welfare by making their needs felt to those who manage their chosen group and get on board with the ABTC, a movement that is now a permanent fixture in the animal behaviour and training sector.

At the end of June this year the ABTC published the standard for Animal Behaviour Technicians (ABT) (http://www.abtcouncil.org.uk/standards-for-practitioners.html#tech ), this latest standard completes the suite of core roles in the sector of animal behaviour and training. It provides practitioners with either a career ‘stop-point’ or a point at which they can start working with a range of behaviour issues to gain practical experience as they continue their studies towards becoming a fully qualified Clinical Animal Behaviourist.

Although training rehabilitation forms a good part of the role the main emphasis will be towards offering advice and educating owners and handlers to avoid issues arising in the first place, prevention always being preferable to cure. This makes it an ideal role for veterinary nurses, dog wardens, rescue establishment workers and many more in the animal care sector, as well as trainers and training instructors who want to progress with their education.

Inevitably there are a lot of questions about this role as it is new to the sector so I will attempt to address the ones most likely to arise:

Can I be a Canine Behaviour Technician? In a sense you can in that you can specialise in dogs but it is important that you have a working knowledge of other species too because frequently other animals form part of the social environment that dogs are kept in and therefore have an influence on their behaviour. Equally, this is a core role that applies to the animal care sector which means that people can specialise in dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, parrots or any other species they wish to hence the use of the word ‘animal’. This is the same reasoning behind Animal Behaviour and Training Council, Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Animal Trainer, Animal Training Instructor etc.

Why doesn’t the name include the word behaviourist? As there are already three standards that include the word ‘behaviourist’ (although the Accredited Animal Behaviourist will cease to exist in 2021) there is a need to create a clear distinction between the roles and avoid confusion for those engaging the services of such a practitioner. The title was the subject of lengthy discussions and as there are technicians in other parts of the animal sector it was finally decided to go with an established convention.

How do I become an ABT? As the year progresses you will find courses becoming available that are designed around the standard but in the meantime ABTC member organisations will be able to submit their members’ names for inclusion on a new register based on previous education and assessment of practical skills that satisfy the role requirements.