Having trouble understanding the alphabet soup of animal behavior credentials? What do all those letters after a person’s name mean? Are they important?
Finding experienced, credentialed animal behavior specialists is important for your pet and your family!
A companion animal with a behavior problem is a serious issue for most owners. You need to find help and you want to find qualified help. Our first recommendation is to consult with your veterinarian. Your vet should always be the first person with whom you discuss a behavior issue. All too often, the behavior problem is part of a larger set of health issues. The four areas of possible concern we recommend you discuss with your veterinarian are: pain, irritation/infection, endocrine and sensory. An example that we see often is aggression in dogs caused by arthritis or other source of pain. So take any behavior problem to your veterinarian first.
Finding a qualified animal behavior professional is important for your pet and your family!
If your vet recommends that you see a behavior specialist and does not make a recommendation, you should look for professional certification. In the United States, there are no federal or state regulations about who can call themselves animal behaviorists or dog trainers. There are many people out there that “practice” animal behavior and even a number of organizations that provide online training to become an animal behaviorist, but we recommend only the following professional certifications for the field that we now call applied animal behavior:
- Board certification in veterinary behavior via the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
- Certification as an Applied Animal Behaviorist via the Animal Behavior Society
- Certified Animal Behavior Consultant
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer
At Companion Animal Solutions, we’re proud to have educated, experienced, credentialed professionals on staff who possess thousands of hours of experience working with clients to successfully solved their pet’s behavior problems. Have questions about your pet’s behavior? Need help finding a qualified specialist in your area? Feel free to Contact Us!
