News
Behavior Checklist Exam Is Now Live
Aug 25, 2023
The BCL Certification Exam Is Now Live After many many months of work and collaboration with the International Working Dog Registry, we are very excited to announce the Behavior Checklist (BCL) Certification Examination is now live. The Behavior Checklist (BCL) is a behavior scoring system used internationally by organizations breeding and / or training dogs for service and as guides. Developed by Dr. James Serpell from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, in collaboration with multiple guide dog organizations, the BCL provides a common language and coding to describe aspects of behavior in a variety of observations from puppy test through training. BCL data are used to identify dogs needing extra support, matching pups to handlers, tracking behavioral trends over time and to aid with genetic selection using estimated breeding values. The BCL certification exam is a co-venture between the IAABC and The International Working Dog Registry (IWDR), a program under the International Working Dog Association (IWDA) umbrella. The IWDR’s mission is to provide data driven genetic selection tools for informed dog breeders. About The BCL Certification Exam The certification exam contains a number of randomized videos in which dogs are exposed to a variety of novel experiences in a curated environment. Some of the behaviors that are scored are Anxiety in unfamiliar places Fear of noises, people, dogs or underfootings Hyper Attachment Handling and body sensitivity Willingness to engage Applicants score each dog based on a standardized scoring rubric, and Pass or Fail is determined based on inter-rater reliability against gold standard scores. Who Should Take This Exam? This exam is available to any dog professional and is the first IAABC certification available to non-members and members alike. Dog trainers and behavior consultants will benefit from a defined and standardized scoring system to potentially help clients or working dog schools determine a dog’s suitability for further training as service dogs, or to collaborate with breeders in determining suitability for breeding programs aiming to produce dogs that have the best chance of genetic predisposition towards desirable traits. Successful completion of the exam qualifies individuals as certified dog evaluators for service dog breeding. It is the goal of IAABC and IWDR to help recognize evaluators who can help build the working dog registry. How to Prepare For the Exam It’s important to note that the BCL uses a specific rubric with which to assign scores for each dog. Applicants can access study and practice resources by creating a free account on the IWDR website here. Resources available include a 3-part BCL webinar series, the BCL scoring form, the GDBart overview, behavior definitions, scoring and testing information, and a library of BCL behavior items and video examples. How To Sign Up For the Exam Any dog professional can sign up for the exam through the IAABC website. The exam is available for a $65 (USD) fee. If unsuccessful, applicants are provided with one retry, free of charge. To sign up visit the IAABC Website and navigate to The Behavior Checklist under the certification tab.
Are you online all the time? We need you to Volunteer for CHATRA!
Jul 19, 2023
CHATRA When you go to iaabc.org, you will see in the bottom right corner: We need YOU to man this post! Put our Live Chat system into ONLINE MODE! By simply volunteering a few hours of your time each week, you can direct the public to all the amazing resources the IAABC has to offer. We provide training, and a full bank of questions and answers to draw from. We just need you to be online! We're looking for a few current IAABC members who understand the value of customer service, and who'd like to volunteer to help our amazing live chat Chatra team. Any level of membership is welcome to help, and is appreciated. You'll really get to know the IAABC this way, answering questions from the public reaching out to us on our website's live chat. The goals are to: - Help people looking for help - Encourage people to take our courses, to join, and to participate. - Help the public looking for consultants. It's an easy-going schedule, where you basically pick your hours each week, and the team is fantastic and supportive. You'll join our Slack team of volunteers and staff, which is kind of a private Facebook group where all IAABC projects and planning takes place. You're also first line for when we have an issue on the website or elsewhere we don't know about. We do NOT answer behavior questions on Chatra, but we do get some heartbreaking questions, many of which help us learn what the public needs, and lets us think how we can answer those questions in a bigger way. Often it's people who won't read the website (How do I join? How do I log in? Where can I learn about the classes that are LITERALLY IN FRONT OF ME AS I TYPE THIS...) The Volunteer position requires: • A Current and Active IAABC Membership (any level) • Access to phone or computer during your shifts. • The ability to always be courteous and understanding toward the public. • Ongoing communication with the Chatra team about questions. • That you're reliable regarding your shifts, though people often cover each other's shifts when things arise. • That you join Slack, which is a messaging platform.
This is a key but not very heavy-lifting position, and we will be recruiting four members immediately! Message communications@iaabc.org
CPBC Application OPEN NOW
Nov 2, 2022
The IAABC is proud to announce that its Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant application is in its final round of testing and is set to be released in February. This represents the only parrot behavior specific credential in the world and we are thrilled to welcome many new parrot behavior specialists into our community.
IAABC Represents at APDT Conference
Oct 26, 2022