PACT’s established 1 year Canine Instructor Course will be delivered via our Online Classroom platform and two long weekend practicals from March 2020.
Successful course completion (inc. assessment) and subsequent PACT membership entitles our trainers to display the PACT-KSA acronym and logo, as well as the right to appear on the ABTC Register as a REGISTERED ANIMAL TRAINING INSTRUCTOR and display the ATI logo.
Course structure
- Watch 16 online live lectures delivered weekly over 12 weeks
- Q&A session with your tutor(s) after each lecture
- Access to 4 lectures to watch in your own time
- Weekly post-lecture self-assessments to do in your own time
- Additional free webinars to help with your studying
- Dog training tutorials for weekly at-home practice homework (with discussion group)
- Two long weekend practicals to attend in person (inc. an assessment preparation session)
- Four short assignments throughout the year
- Theory and practical assessment to attend in person
Free careers advice
- A complimentary careers advice session with your tutor if required.
- Non-biased advice (guided by the ABTC criteria).
What you will gain from this course:
- Solid practical training skills (training dogs and coaching people to train their dogs)
- Become familiar with dog training equipment and training methods
- Know how to carry out a training consultation
- Be proficient with all aspects of running 1-2-1 sessions and group classes
- Know how to deal with common training issues
- Understand the function of breeds and needs of different types of dogs
- Understand how dogs learn
- Understand the main behaviours of dogs
- Understand how dogs communicate
- Know about science-based canine nutrition
- Know about canine husbandry and first aid
- Know the relevant animal law and welfare requirements
- Understand the relevant health and safety requirements and how to carry out a risk assessment
- Become proficient at running a dog training business
THERE ARE TWO COURSE OPTIONS:
Leading to PACT membership: Full online lecture attendance, weekly online tutorials, assignments, attend practicals and assessment, log sheet including minimum required training hours, plus submission of 2 short and 2 longer training cases [receive a certificate of attendance, plus a certificate of assessment upon successful completion].
Leading to certificate of lecture attendance only: Full online lecture attendance – with weekly online tutorials and assignments optional. No practicals or assessment. Suitable for overseas students.
PLEASE SEE THE Q&A TAB (ABOVE) FOR ANSWERS TO MOST COURSE QUESTIONS
ONLINE LECTURES AND Q&A SESSIONS
- Lectures posted every Thursday/Q&A session at 9 pm GMT every Thursday
- An alternative can be arranged for overseas students booking on the Lectures Only option
ONLINE LECTURES
APRIL ENROLMENT
Course start date: Thursday 23 April 2020
Lectures every following Thursday (except Thursday 25 June 2020) until 2 July 2020
MAY ENROLMENT
Course start date: Thursday 14 May 2020
Lectures every following Thursday (except Thursday 25 June 2020) until 23 July 2020 – See the Course Dates above (click on tab)
PRACTICALS (West Oxfordshire TBA) *CORONAVIRUS – Please note that dates may need to be rescheduled*
Practical 1 Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June 2020
Practical 2 Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2020
ASSESSMENT (West Oxfordshire TBA) *CORONAVIRUS – Please note that dates may need to be rescheduled*
Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2021 or Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 February 2021
Course Fee: £1550
Two payments option: £1575
Payment options:
- Pay for the whole course upfront at £1550
- Pay a deposit of £525 now and pay the remaining balance of £1050 (Total £1575) before the course starts. Deposit will be refunded at 50% in the event of cancellation
- Please contact us via the contact form if you wish to split the payment
Bookings close 14 days before course start date
Fee includes:
- All course materials (including course booklets)
- All course lectures delivered via our online classroom
- All Q&A sessions and discussions via our online classroom
- Both course practicals to attend in person (inc. an assessment preparation session)
- Ongoing support from your tutors
- Additional free short webinars to support your learning
Fee does not include assessment nor membership. Click here for assessment fee. PACT Membership is currently £60 per year, plus £12 for yearly ABTC registration.
PLEASE NOTE: In order to protect our Intellectual Property, you will be required to sign a Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement before the course start date, stating that the course material (nor any part of) cannot be shared with any third party.
Can I pay by instalments?
Instalment plans are considered on an individual basis based on personal circumstances. Please contact us via the contact form if you need to stagger payments.
Is this course right for me?
The course has been devised at Level 4 and is suitable for everyone. There are no pre-requisites. The course is aimed at anyone wishing to become a canine instructor.
What will I gain from this course?
- Solid practical training skills (training dogs and coaching people to train their dogs)
- Become familiar with dog training equipment and training methods
- Know how to carry out a training consultation
- Be proficient with all aspects of running 1-2-1 sessions and group classes
- Know how to deal with common training issues
- Understand the function of breeds and needs of different types of dogs
- Understand how dogs learn
- Understand the main behaviours of dogs
- Understand how dogs communicate
- Know about science-based canine nutrition
- Know about canine husbandry and first aid
- Know the relevant animal law and welfare requirements
- Understand the relevant health and safety requirements and how to carry out a risk assessment
- Become proficient at running a dog training business
Upon successful completion and assessment, gain PACT-KSA (Knowledge and Skills Assessed) status and right to display logo, and eligibility to apply for the ABTC ATI (Registered Animal Training Instructor) status and ATI logo.
Why choose this course?
The PACT course has been designed around the ABTC (Animal Behaviour and Training Council) criteria. The academic content is fully referenced to evidence-based peer-reviewed research, and is up-to-date and accurate. The syllabus is comprehensive and contains no pseudoscience, bad science, or bias. When you sign up for this course- you will not be getting hastily patched together lectures, with poor content, garnered from other courses, workshops and seminars that we’ve repackaged as our own.
What do I need for the course?
- You will need a PC or MAC and a good broadband connection.
- A quiet space somewhere.
- Your course booklet, notebook and a pen.
- Access to dog(s), and later, people and dogs to train.
How much work will I need to do?
- Post-lecture self-assessments exercises
- One or more short weekly dog training practice exercise(s)
- Four short assignments to be submitted throughout the year
- Train dog(s) and coach people to train dogs to build training hours throughout the year
- Study and revise for theory assessment
Allow at least 2-3 hours per week for coursework, and 1.5-2 additional hours when building your training experience.
Will have to do homework and assignments?
If requiring a course certificate and assessment, yes.
The option to sit the lectures only at a reduced rate is available, but this will exclude practicals and assessment, and a certificate of lecture attendance will be issued only. This option is available regardless of whether the course is full or not. Email us via the contact form if you require this option.
Can I choose to sign up for some lectures only?
The whole course has to be undertaken as a whole.
Will I get a copy of the lecture slides?
In order to protect our Intellectual Property, we are ceasing the sharing of full lectures slides. Downloadable handouts will be provided and students are encouraged to take extensive notes.
Will there be breaks during a lecture?
Yes, there will be breaks.
What happens if I miss a lecture?
Each lecture will be available for 7 days.
What happens if I need to drop out of the course after the cut-off date for refunds?
You will be offered a place on the next course which is convenient for you.
