Member responsibilities: Continue education through IAABC approved course offerings to maintain credentials, obtain IAABC CEUs, track IAABC CEUs, enter IAABC CEUs

Host responsibilities: Apply to have course offerings evaluated for IAABC CEUs, track attendee participation, and disseminate codes to IAABC members.

IAABC CEU Department responsibilities: review host applications for IAABC CEUs, approve/deny/ask for more information when warranted, evaluate potential hosts, approve hosting accounts, assist hosts with CEU applications.

1. Purpose and Participants

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide consistent guidelines that can be applied by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) Continuing Education Program to:

Define the process for members to maintain their credentials through earning CEUs

Define the Continuing Education Unit (CEU) as a learning opportunity which enhances or expands the knowledge and skills tested in the members IAABC credentialing exam.

Define minimum standards, limitations, and sources for Continuing Education Units. Education that exceeds the level that is tested in our IAABC credential exams is considered ‘continuing’ education.

Provide guidelines to hosts and education providers for content eligibility and dissemination of CEU codes

Evaluate Continuing Education Unit (CEU) application qualifications through the approval process

1.2 Participants

The following program participants will be engaged during the CEU process. Roles are not mutually exclusive; one individual may hold multiple roles separately or simultaneously:

IAABC members, defined as those individuals who are currently members in good standing of the IAABC, regardless of whether they have passed a credentialing examination

IAABC credential holders, defined as those IAABC members who have taken and passed an IAABC credentialing examination and are currently in good standing within their credential approval period

Industry professionals, defined as those professionals in the field of animal training and behavior consulting who are qualified to teach others

Education providers, defined as any individual or organization, public or private, that offers continuing education aligning with the IAABC Core Competencies which maintains, increases, or develops the knowledge, skills and abilities used by industry professionals to provide services for their clients and the profession.

Hosts, defined as an individual or organization hosting an educational event presented by an education provider which adheres to the IAABC Standards of Practice and Ethics. Hosts are a subset of Education Providers who have been approved via the IAABC Continuing Education Department to have their education opportunities assessed for IAABC CEUs. Hosts must continue to adhere to these Standards of Practice and Ethics to maintain hosting approval. Hosting privileges will not be granted to organizations or individuals who offer other courses that do not adhere to the Standards of Practice and Ethics.

The IAABC Continuing Education Program, defined as the staff and volunteer members of the IAABC who administer the intake, approval, generation, distribution and tracking of CEU credits; oversee host and educational provider eligibility; and assist hosts in the application process.

The CEU Team, defined as a group of program managers. This team approval consists of consensus of two (2) out of the three (3) program managers; Continuing Education Manager, Membership Manager and Director of Operations.

2. Eligibility for Granting of Education via CEUs

All IAABC members and credential holders are eligible to be granted CEUs based on their successful completion of CEU requirements.

3. CEU Requirements

3.1 IAABC Non-Credentialed Members

IAABC non-credentialed members are not required to earn IAABC CEUs.

3.2 IAABC Credential Holders

IAABC credentials are valid for a three (3) year period beginning on the award date of the credential. Credentials must be renewed every three (3) years in perpetuity on the anniversary of the award date in order to remain valid. Credentials that are not renewed become expired on the three (3) year anniversary of the award or previous renewal date. Expired credential holders may no longer claim to be credentialed by the IAABC.

In order to remain eligible for renewal of their credential, individuals who hold IAABC credentials must earn at least thirty-six (36) CEUs in the three (3) year period beginning with the award date of the credential.

CEUs awarded by other credentialing organizations are not automatically eligible for IAABC CEUs. All CEUs must be evaluated through the approved IAABC CEU process prior to being awarded as IAABC CEUS.

CEUs earned prior to the award/renewal date of the credential or after the three (3) year anniversary of the award/renewal date are not counted toward the thirty-six (36) CEU requirement.

CEUs are applicable to one CEU period only. See section 4.2

CEUs are not carried over between CEU periods. See section 4.2

For holders of multiple credentials, each individual credential has its own three (3) year CEU period. However, CEUs earned in overlapping time frames may apply to more than one credential.

3.3 Exceptions to CEU Requirements

CEU requirements are waived for members of the IAABC with Emeritus status.

3.4 Renewal Process and Grace Period

All IAABC credential renewals are contingent upon payment of any applicable fees.

IAABC credential holders who have submitted proof of thirty-six (36) CEUs in a credentialing period are eligible for automatic renewal of their credential upon reaching their three year award/renewal date.

IAABC credential holders who have not submitted proof of thirty-six (36) CEUs in a credentialing period are not eligible for automatic renewal of their credential upon reaching their three (3) year award/renewal date, and their credential will expire automatically.

A six (6) month extension may be granted if requested prior to expiry and approved. See section 3.5 for details. The IAABC may grant a grace period for expired credentials to enter eligible CEUs (those CEUs earned during the applicable three (3) year period) at its sole discretion. Granting of a grace period does not change the dates of the next three (3) year credentialing period, which leaves 2.5 years in the current period in which to obtain all thirty-six (36) CEUs for that period.

3.5 Lapsed Certification renewal extension

In the event that a credentialed member has not been able to accrue the necessary thirty-six (36) CEU credits in a three (3) year period to maintain their credential(s), the member may request a six (6) month extension on renewal of their certification prior to its expiry.

Extension requests made after expiry will not be considered.

Expired credentials may only be reinstated by successful completion of the credential exam process.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) period that has lapsed due to extraordinary and/or unusual circumstances, may be extended at the sole discretion of the CEU Team. To receive an extension, the member must submit a written request prior to the three (3) year certification CEU period expiry.

All requests must be made to membership@iaabc.org no later than one (1) month prior to the expiration date.

The request must include a valid explanation of the extenuating circumstances preventing timely renewal of the certification.

Examples: bereavement, illness, hospitalization, personal issues, natural disaster, etc.

Every extension is evaluated individually on their own merit.

There is no limit to the number of times the member may request extension, however only one (1) extension per credential per period will be granted.

Extension requests are granted on a case by case basis upon approval by the Continuing Education Program Team.

The CEU Team consists of consensus of two (2) out of the three (3) program managers; Continuing Education Manager, Membership Manager and Director of Operations.

These program managers will review the request and the certificant will be notified of the outcome.

If the extension is granted, the member receives six (6) months to complete and upload the necessary CEUs for recertification. The member may collect CEU codes from previously completed CEU events OR take additional CEU event courses during this six (6) month period. The member is solely responsible for entering the codes into the IAABC CEU system, as well as ensuring the codes are within the appropriate CEU period dates. If granted, an extension the next CEU period is shortened by the length of that extension. Example: If the original CEU period is January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2023, and a six (6) month extension is granted, the CEU period will be extended to July 1, 2023. The next CEU period will be July 1, 2023 to January 1, 2026.

If the extension is not granted, the current certification CEU period deadline remains.

All CEUs obtained during the extension period, apply only to the expired credential period. Once the six (6) month extension is completed, the CEU period ends. The next CEU period begins and the requirement of thirty-six (36) CEUs within the new 2.5 year window remains. The dates of the following credentialing period will not be affected by the extension. Meaning the member will have 2.5 years to obtain thirty-six (36) CEU credits after the extension to continue to maintain the credential.

The three (3) month membership and credential renewal grace period and late fee does not apply to CEU periods or grant extensions to the credential CEU period renewal.

All credential holders must meet the requirements of thirty six (36) Continuing Education Units ( CEUs) for each three (3) year credentialing period, including six (6) month extension if granted, in order to maintain their credential.

4. Application of CEU Credits

4.1 Tracking CEUs

It is the responsibility of the IAABC credential holder to obtain and track the required CEUs for each three (3) year period. CEU codes must be submitted by the IAABC credential holder into the CEU tracker in the member portal in order to be credited towards credential renewal.

Although the IAABC offers this CEU tracker as a member benefit, any technical issues or errors inherent in the use of technology do not constitute an exception to the CEU requirements. Credential holders are recommended to maintain an ongoing list of CEU codes in their own personal records.

4.2 CEU Earned Dates and Application of CEUs

CEUs may be used one time for the three (3) year credentialing period to which they apply, based on the date the CEUs were earned. The earned date is dependent on the completion date of an educational event as determined by the IAABC, not the day of submission by an IAABC member, credential holder, or education provider into the IAABC CEU system.

CEU earned dates are determined as follows:

Origin of CEU Credit	CEU Credit Earned Date	Notes
Live event (continuous attendance)	Date(s) of event	One code per package event
Live event (single date)	Date of event	One code per attendance day
Asynchronous event Online webinar Online course Correspondence course	Date of completion as certified by IAABC on the Certificate of Completion	One code per course
Self-generated presentation	Date of presentation	One code per presentation
Self-generated article/book	Date of publication of article/book	One code per publication
Academic course	Term end date	Date of completion if not administered in regular terms

CEUs apply only to the credentialing period that they are earned in and may not be rolled over into the next credentialing period. CEUs are only able to be redeemed once, regardless of period.

4.3 Obtaining CEU Codes

IAABC CEU codes are distributed by event Hosts. An individual or organization hosting an educational event ("Host”) may request CEUs before or after the date of the educational event. If an IAABC credential holder needs a CEU code for an event they attended, they must reach out to the Host and ask them for the code or ask them to apply to IAABC for their event to be assessed for an IAABC CEU code. This individual request process does not guarantee that a code will be granted and does not constitute an exception to any IAABC CEU requirements, e.g. if attendance was not tracked by the Host, the code may not be granted. See section 5 for appropriate sources of IAABC CEU codes.

4.4 Taking a course not pre-approved for IAABC CEUs

It is the responsibility of the member to ensure that a course is IAABC CEU eligible prior to taking the course. A member who takes a non-pre-approved course may not receive IAABC CEUs for that course. Not all courses are able to be approved, and all course approval must be done through the host approval process. The member must contact the course provider, not the IAABC, to have them submit the course through the host approval process.

5. Sources of IAABC CEU Credits

CEU credits are provided to an Education Host once the course information has been properly assessed and evaluated by the Continuing Education Team through the process outlined in policy Continuing Education Policy. Only courses which have undergone this process are eligible to provide IAABC CEUs to their attendees.

CEU credits may be generated from the following processes:

5.1 Generation of CEU Credits by an education provider

An education provider creates and delivers an educational event. CEUs may be granted to the following types of educational events:

Academic classes (offered by an accredited academic institution, usually a college or university)

Online classes and webinars

In-person seminars and workshops

Hybrid in-person and online classes, workshops and seminars

5.2 Self-generation of CEU Credits by an IAABC credential holder

An IAABC credential holder presents at a conference or other industry event with multiple presenters. Only their presented portion qualifies for IAABC CEUs.

An IAABC credential holder presents a single event. The credential holder must submit verification for speaking, for example: ads, itinerary, registration form or other promotional information listing the credential holder as a speaker.

An IAABC credential holder authors an article and/or book of their own work. See section 14.2 for definitions Continuing Education Policy.

An IAABC credential holder publishes an article in a peer reviewed journal

Ineligible: podcasts, question and answer periods during presentations, blog posts, material that can be edited and quickly changed such as web pages, literature reviews, or the presentation of foundational level material. This is an incomplete list and any opportunities not listed may be reviewed at the sole discretion of the Continuing Education Department on a case-by-case basis by emailing education@iaabc.org.

5.3 R.A.C.E. credits as CEU Credits by an IAABC credential holder

An IAABC credential holder receiving specific Registry of Approved Continuing Education (R.A.C.E.) credits from a veterinary education program may submit proof of those credits to the IAABC Continuing Education Program to receive comparable IAABC CEU credits, subject to IAABC Continuing Education Program policies

The IAABC Continuing Education Program will review the submitted credits, ensuring their focus on behavior, and will issue IAABC CEUs to the credential holder on a case by case basis. The IAABC Continuing Education Program has the final authority to accept or deny R.A.C.E. credits based on its determination.

6. Content Eligibility for IAABC CEU Credits

CEUs will only be granted to educational events whose content covers one (1) or more of the current Core Competencies for which the applicant is seeking CEUs, with the exception of limited Professional Development Educational Events as detailed in section 6.3.

Definition of Continuing Education Units: education that exceeds the level tested in our IAABC credential exams is considered ‘continuing’ education.

CEU content will be focused on the continuing education of credential holders and beyond the scope of basic information. Introductory courses will not be considered nor courses suitable for the general public, whether or not that material could be useful for the trainer’s clients. Non-self-generated CEUs for material presented to groups who are not focused on IAABC core competencies will not be granted. Examples of these courses include, but are not limited to, presentations to governing bodies, attorneys, and caregivers who are not affiliated with animals.

6.1 Professional Relevance

Educational content must be directly related to one's capacity as an industry professional to be eligible for IAABC CEUs. Content must have a primary focus on animal training or behavior, or a secondary focus on professional development in the behavior consulting field.

Educational content must be relevant to ongoing professional improvement and not introductory in nature. Courses aimed at the general public are not eligible.

Educational content which includes the animal's physical health and wellness, licensed therapies, any discussion of pharmaceuticals, including psychotropic interventions, or nutrition, must be taught by a licensed veterinarian in the area of focus, in order to be considered for IAABC CEUs. (Exceptions may be made for recognized educators who have submitted an application and have been approved by the IAABC and must also be in accordance with the scope of practice of the professional who is presenting. ) These are considered "Wellness CEUs”. All wellness topics must be in reference to its effect on animal behavior. This includes but is not limited to: canine massage, canine physio, joint relaxation, aromatherapy, etc. This category of "Wellness CEUs” are limited to twelve (12) per re-credentialing period.

Therapies and interventions that are not evidence based are not eligible for CEUs. Including but not limited to: telepathic animal communication, energy work, and homeopathic therapy courses. The IAABC reserves the sole right of discretion, in consultation with its veterinary advisors, in determining which therapies and interventions are evidence based.

While content may reference specific products or services and include messaging that is promotional in nature, the educational event/publication must not be or appear to be primarily for generating sales of a product or service nor may it offer incentives for referrals or sales of material.

The IAABC reserves the right to request additional information regarding the validity of any content, including review of material when applicable.

6.2 Compliance with IAABC Standards of Practice and Ethics

Course compliance: to be eligible for IAABC CEUs, educational content must be based on current, scientifically-valid principles and adhere to the IAABC Standards of Practice and IAABC Code of Ethics. The IAABC reserves the sole right of discretion in determining whether content adheres to those Standards of Practice. The content must also fall under the current Scope Of Practice.

Host compliance: the IAABC will not approve CEUs for hosts that offer other education specific to the use of aversive tools, even if the course applied for adheres to the IAABC Standards of Practice and IAABC Code of Ethics.

6.3 Professional Development

The ‘Professional development’ category is defined as educational events that cover topics that are related to behavior consulting but are not directly related to training or behavior change. Examples include but are not limited to: interpersonal skills, ethics, business, marketing, software instruction, website creation, etc. Professional Development CEUs are limited to six (6) per credentialing period.

6.4 Wellness

The ‘wellness’ category is defined as educational content aligning with the IAABC Core Competencies whose primary focus is the animal's physical health and wellness, licensed therapies, or nutritional status when taught by a licensed veterinarian

7. Speaker Eligibility for IAABC CEU Credits

7.1 Academic Qualifications

Speakers must be transparent in their education and certifications on the course.

Courses, seminars, and publications providing education on scientific topics must be taught by a speaker with a correlated degree in that science: applied behavior analysis, learning science, ethology, genetics, and biology courses, for instance, may only be taught by experts with degrees pertaining to those fields.

First and second-party credentials do not qualify individuals as experts in any field.

First-party is defined as: taking a course and receiving a certificate of completion

Second-party is defined as: taking a course and then passing a test based on that course. Examples include, but are not limited to, expert witness experience, nutrition certifications, mediation specialties, and titles or certifications earned from trademarked programs that are not accredited.

7.2 Professional Credentials

Other courses, seminars and publications, including those referring to and employing those sciences, may be taught by experts with the following qualifications:

IAABC Certified or Accredited Credential Holder

CCPDT Certificant

KPA Certified Training Partner

DACVB Diplomates

CAAB and ACAAB Behaviorists

Practitioners listed on the ABTC register

Those professionals holding an appropriate higher education degree in the subject matter they are teaching.

Qualifications are not the sole determining eligibility factor. The IAABC maintains high standards of education and reserves the right to further inquire about an educator’s experience and education regarding any individual CEU application. The IAABC also reserves the sole right of discretion in determining the level and type of professional credential required in order for an educator to be eligible for IAABC CEUs for any individual educational event. For example, an individual with a behavior-related credential may not be deemed qualified to deliver a professional development presentation on business accounting.

7.3 Recognized Educators

Expertise cannot always be measured by academic study or credentialings. Educators wishing to present educational events who do not meet the above criteria may apply for IAABC Recognized Educator Status by filling out an application through education@iaabc.org detailing their education, experience, and professional capabilities.

Once approved, IAABC Recognized Educators may offer further education through IAABC by referencing their Recognized Educator Status. They do not need to reapply for Recognized Educator status every time.

7.4 Cancellation of Eligibility & Revocation

IAABC reserves the right to remove CEU approval and/or approval as a Recognized Educator from a provider or a program that has been found to violate the IAABC CEU policy. The IAABC may remove an educator’s approval including, but not limited to, the following situations:

False CEU certificates are being issued to participants/attendees, including expired certificates from a previous instance of the educational event

False statements are made on the application revealed to be untrue by audit or participant report

Evidence of claiming IAABC endorsement, accreditation or credentialing in violation of Section 13

The event conducted is not the event approved by the IAABC Continuing Education Program

Non-compliance with the Standards of Practice, Code of Conduct, Ethics, Scope of practice, or any other IAABC standard.

In the case of evidence of the above, the Educator will be notified via email and will have twenty (20) business days to respond to correct the issue. The IAABC reserves the right to notify all relevant parties, including participants, of any violations.

If the IAABC chooses to remove approval of CEUs that were already earned by an attendee and the removal was due to no fault of the attendee, the CEU credits will not be revoked from the CEU log. The IAABC may revoke CEU credits from IAABC members and credential holders if the IAABC determines that they were obtained through fraud or deception.

8. CEU Credit Calculations for Educational Events

8.1 Attendee/Participant CEU Calculations by Type

Lecture or Workshop - Attendees/participants will receive one (1) CEU per hour of lecture or workshop time.

Animal Training – This is defined as an attendee working individually with a live animal under the immediate direction and supervision of the event presenter or their designated assistant. It can also include a small group of attendees working together, under the immediate direction and supervision of the event presenter or their designated assistant, with set goals to be achieved and approved by the presenter. Attendees/participants who submit videos for later review by a presenter do not qualify for animal training hours. In events where working and auditing spots exist, only those individuals working with the live animal will earn animal training credit. Attendees/participants who qualify will receive 1.5 CEUs per hour of hands-on animal training time.

Homework is defined as work completed by the participant outside of the lecture portion of an eligible learning event, and must require data gathering, research and/or review of course materials. Homework must be reviewed by the event presenter or their designated teaching assistant, and must achieve a "pass” or passing grade to earn CEU credit. Attendees/participants will receive one (1) CEU per two (2) hours of Homework time.

Correspondence is defined as work completed by the participant to author a book or printed publication. Attendees/participants will receive one (1) CEU per 10,000 words of material.

8.2 Limitations on CEU Credits from Educational Events

Break and meal times must be deducted from the event times specified on the CEU application.

Single-speaker educational events regardless of length will not be granted more than twenty-five (25) CEUs.

No educational event regardless of length and number of presenters will be granted more than thirty-six (36) CEUs.

9. Application for IAABC CEU Credits

Education providers or event Hosts may apply for CEUs by filling out the CEU Application form on the IAABC website and submitting any required fee. The code will be delivered to the applicant upon approval by the IAABC Continuing Education Program. Education providers should communicate with their event Hosts to ensure that applications are not duplicated.

9.1 IAABC Continuing Education Program Reviewers

The IAABC Continuing Education Program is composed of volunteer IAABC members who are appointed by the Executive Director to solicit, review, and approve applications for IAABC CEUs. The Continuing Education Program bases its decisions on the IAABC CEU policy as well as professional knowledge of the subject matter and familiarity with the industry.

9.2 Confidentiality of the Approval Process

Application materials submitted by applicants for IAABC recognition are confidential, subject to disclosure within the IAABC when necessary to comply with the assessment criteria. When reviewing an application, IAABC reserves the right to seek expert advice and relevant information from external sources, provided such information is maintained in confidence by the IAABC Continuing Education Program and the external source.

9.3 Duration of Validity

All ongoing, on demand or repeated events will be approved for a term of three (3) years. If additional instances of a repeated event are scheduled after the approval of the initial application, they will receive default approval during the three-year approval term.

At the expiration of the term, and prior to expiry, hosts must review and update hosting information and course content to ensure the accuracy of the course material at that time. Note: Updates to speaker/instructor must be done through a new application. Please see section 7.

After three renewals or nine (9) years, Hosts must confirm that educational materials in the event have been reviewed and revised in order to remain current with advancements in behavior science and technology. Non-updated courses will not be renewed for CEUs.

10. Verification of Attendance

The Host of any educational event is required to track attendance and may only distribute CEU codes to IAABC members or credential holders who have been verified as attendees. Purchasing or enrolling for an educational event is not sufficient evidence of attendance.

10.1 In-Person Events

For in-person educational events, the Host should maintain an attendance log for all those attending. The IAABC reserves the right to request and audit attendance logs as a condition of participating in the IAABC CEU process.

10.2 Virtual Events

To verify attendance for webinars or online educational events (whether live or previously recorded), Hosts shall either give two (2) code words during the lecture or provide participants with a multi-item quiz regarding the presented material that does not have easily researched answers. Participants must submit the code words correctly to the Host or receive a passing grade on the quiz for verification of attendance. After such proof has been received, the Host may provide Members with their Approved CEU Form code.

For webinars or online educational events that are live, Hosts may take attendance during the first and last fifteen (15) minutes of the educational event to verify attendance. Hosts may also submit alternative methods for verification of attendance to the IAABC before the educational event.

11. Issuing CEU Credits to Attendees

Hosts will provide to attendees a pre-approved "event code" that IAABC members and credential holders may enter into their user accounts. Attendees should also receive an official Approved CEU Form provided by IAABC that should include the IAABC logo, host name, education provider name, educational event name, date and location, and participant name. A Host signature (digital or physical) is also required.

For live events, the IAABC recommends that such forms be provided within the final three (3) hours of the educational events in order to prevent attendance fraud.

In some cases, event Hosts may have the opportunity to submit CEU codes into the CEU tracking system for direct application to the attendee’s CEU record. The IAABC member or credential holder must still receive a copy of the Approved CEU Form so that their personal records may be updated.

12. Appeal for Denied CEUs

In the event that a CEU application is denied, the applicant may appeal to the IAABC Board of Directors by writing to the Board President at president@iaabc.org. The applicant must submit evidence and information in support of the application in writing to support the appeal. The IAABC Board of Directors may, at its sole discretion, request additional information prior to ruling on the appeal.

Any appeals will be considered at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Approval of an appeal requires a 2/3 majority to pass.

If the appeal is not granted by the IAABC Board of Directors, the applicant may not reapply for CEUs for the same educational event unless the educational event content has been significantly altered.

13. Advertising Approved Educational Events

13.1 Limitations of IAABC Education Program Approval

The Continuing Education Program reviews educational events based on meeting the requirements of the IAABC CEU Policy. IAABC does not accredit, endorse, or certify any specific educational event, nor does IAABC approval validate the content of the event. Education providers may not embellish or misrepresent the status of a course/educational event by stating the content therein is verified, approved or certified by the IAABC. In addition, IAABC logos may not be used to represent education that has been approved for IAABC CEUs. Such violations may result in the revocation of hosting privileges.

13.2 Approved Wording

Educators may reference approval by the IAABC Continuing Education Program in their marketing materials. The approved language is as follows:

13.2.1 Pending Approval

"This [type of program] is pending approval for ____ hours of IAABC Continuing Education Units.”

13.2.2 Approved

"This [type of program] has been approved by the IAABC for ___ hours of Continuing Education Units.”

Although variations on this wording are acceptable, no language should indicate that the IAABC plays any role other than the approver of CEUs for IAABC credential holders.

14. Application for CEU Credits by IAABC Members and Credential Holders

IAABC members and credential holders may apply for CEU credits in some limited circumstances.

Self-generated CEUs are earned by the individual participating in self-guided research and education with the goal of developing instructional material for other industry professionals or for the improvement of the industry in general. Repackaging current techniques or foundational level material does not qualify for self-generated CEUs. All self-generated CEUs are credited with the intent of supporting proactive scientific inquiry on the part of the participant.

Academic education may be credited for CEUs, but in many cases academic institutions will or cannot apply for IAABC CEUs themselves. Therefore, IAABC members and credential holders who undergo formal academic education may submit applications for CEUs from academic programs that they have completed.

14.1 Self-Generated CEU Credits from Public Presentations/Lectures

Educators can earn 1.5 CEUs per hour of public presentation/lecture at a conference or other industry event with multiple presenters. The presentation must meet the subject matter and scientific qualifications outlined under eligibility.

Animal training classes or general educational services regularly offered to the general public as part of a credential holder’s animal training and/or behavior consulting business do not qualify for CEUs.

An educator may only request CEUs once per presentation/lecture regardless of the number of times/locations in which it was presented.

14.2 Self-Generated CEU Credits from Publications

14.2.1 Authoring Articles

Authoring an article published in an animal industry or peer-reviewed publication which meets the subject matter and scientific qualifications described below may qualify for two (2) CEUs.

An "article” is defined as a researched piece of work, approximately 1000 words or more, with references, quotes and citations. An animal industry publication is defined by The IAABC as the distribution of printed or electronic reproductions by an industry organization for sale to the public or as a benefit of paid membership. The public presentation of your published work may be eligible for CEUs on a case by case basis.

An author may only request CEUs once per article regardless of the number of publications in which it was published.

14.2.2 Authoring Books

Authoring a non-fiction book that is instructional in nature and adheres to the IAABC Standards of Practice may qualify for CEUs as listed below. Book publication date must be within the Member’s three year credentialing period. Compilations of other individuals’ works do not constitute an author’s own work.

12 CEUs may be earned for a book whose target audience is other animal behavior professionals.

8 CEUs may be earned for a book aimed at the general public.

4 CEUs may be earned for one or more chapters in a multi-authored book.

14.3 Applying for Self-Generated CEU Credits

IAABC credential holders may apply for self-generated CEUs by filling out the CEU Application form on the IAABC website and submitting any required fee. The code will be delivered to the credential holder upon approval by the IAABC Continuing Education Program.

14.4 Limitations on Self-Generated CEU Credits

The IAABC recognizes the importance of learning from other industry professionals. Therefore, no more than half of CEUs credited towards a credentialing period, i.e. eighteen (18) CEUs, can be earned from a credential holder’s own work as detailed in sections 14.1 and 14.2.

14.5 Academic CEUs

IAABC credential holders may apply for CEUs from academic courses delivered by institutes of higher education by filling out the CEU Application form on the IAABC website and submitting any required fee. The code will be delivered to the credential holder upon approval by the IAABC Continuing Education Program. Education from trade schools or other professional programs does not qualify as academic education and must be obtained through the general CEU process upon application by the education provider or event host.

Addendum

CEU Credit Limitations by Type

Name & Location	Restriction Type	Maximum	Definition
General	None	36	Continuing education aligning with the IAABC Core Competencies which maintains, increases, or develops the knowledge, skills and abilities used by industry professionals to provide services for their clients, the public, and the profession
Wellness Section 6.4	Content	12	Educational content aligning with the IAABC Core Competencies whose primary focus is the animal's physical health and wellness, licensed therapies, or nutritional status when taught by a licensed veterinarian
Professional Development Section 6.3	Content	6	Professional development educational events that fall outside of the Core Competencies but meet all other CEU requirements
Self-Generated Section 14.4	Source	18	CEUs earned from a credential holder’s own work