You’ve been working with behaviorally challenged animals for a while, and you’re good at what you do. Now you’re wondering, is now the time to apply for IAABC certification, and get yourself a shiny new set of letters after your name? The process can seem daunting because it’s a lot of writing, not to mention the stress of being assessed! So why click that big Apply Now button? Here are three good reasons to take the next step in your animal behavior consulting career with us: Potential clients need reassurance that they’re working with someone who can really help them and their animal. Someone who has demonstrated their knowledge and skills, and has a network of peers they can draw on for support. Getting IAABC certified means you can proudly display our logo on your business website. We take pains to ensure nobody claims certification who is not entitled to it, so when your clients see our name, they know they’re working with an expert.
Image: IAABC Logos
You’ll also be listed on our Consultant Locator. Our goal is for everyone seeking help for an animal with behavioral challenges to be able to access a certified expert, no matter where they are. To meet this goal, we offer our Consultant Locator on our website, where anyone can go and find help locally or remotely.
Membership also comes with benefits! At any level of membership, you’ll qualify for discounts on books from Dogwise, online courses through The IAABC Foundation, and many more practical perks.
Image: Decorative image of a male eclectus parrot holding some stick-shaped toys in his beak.
2. Confidence and Community
With no official license needed to call yourself a dog trainer or animal behavior consultant, it can be hard to know whether you’re ready to jump into this work.
Joining IAABC as a Supporting member gives you access to our community of incredible people. Everyone from shelter volunteers to internationally known veterinary behaviorists and academics contribute to our discussion groups, and they can help you figure out where you’re at in your journey. Applying for certification is the next step. Our certification process is the most rigorous in the industry. We don’t use multiple choice quizzes, we ask you to write up case studies of clients you’ve worked with, so we can get a real sense of what you know and how you use it. Nothing gives you confidence like achieving something challenging!
3. Helps the animal training and behavior industry gain the legitimacy it needs
The IAABC is working to raise the standards of animal training and behavior consulting all over the world. We’re pushing for better legal frameworks to regulate who can call themselves a professional dog trainer. We’re sharing resources with shelters, rescues, daycares, pet stores, veterinarians and yes, trainers, to make sure that everyone knows what good training and behavior work looks like. Positioning IAABC as a trusted voice in the industry needs educators, and we believe that our certified members are our most compelling way to demonstrate what high-quality, sensitive, effective behavior and training work really looks like.
Think you might be ready to apply? Go here: https://m.iaabc.org/join/application-handbook/
Stay tuned for our series on the skills and knowledge our successful applicants have, coming in the next few weeks!