Course Unit 

Description 

Unit One

How the Course is structured...the historical development of psychology...a background to canine psychology...the evolutionary path from wolf to dog...why psychology is essential for understanding, training and treating dogs

Unit Two

The stages of development from uterus to adulthood...how dogs develop social skills...the consequences of adverse experiences during development...advice on buying a puppy

Unit Three

How do dogs think?....intelligence tests for dogs... how dogs communicate with other dogs and humans...what can dogs understand of human verbal and body language?...do dogs learn rules or habits?...can dogs feel shame or understand the concept of fairness?

Unit Four

How do dogs learn?...the principles of classical and operant conditioning...how to teach a dog absolutely anything by means of shaping...why punishment can do more harm than good

Unit Five

Why do people own dogs?...the different roles dogs are required to play for owners...matching or mismatching owner and dog personalities...the effect of owner attitudes on dog behaviour

Unit Six

How to evaluate and diagnose a behavioural problem...the information you need...how to set about treatment...the importance of individual diagnosis...breed and gender variations

Unit Seven

Neurotic disorders - how to recognise and treat ...separation relatedproblems...phobia...general nervousness...excitability...obsessive-compulsivedisorder

Unit Eight

How does aggression develop in the individual dog (or human)...the different types of aggression and how to treat them...breed and gender variations

Unit Nine

A few of the most common miscellaneous problems...eating problems...sexual mounting...problems on walks...chasing...roaming...jumping up...rage syndrome...how to prevent problems occurring in the first place...six case studies

Unit Ten

How to set up a practice as a dog psychologist...essential personal qualities....the business plan...running the practice....sample survey questionnaire...sample press release...index to complete Course.