PACT’s established 1 year Canine Instructor Course is delivered via our Online Classroom platform and two 3-day practicals.
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 lectures delivered weekly over 12 weeks
- Q&A sessions with your tutors
- Weekly post-lecture self-assessments to do in your own time
- Additional webinars to help with your studying
- Dog training tutorials for weekly at-home practice homework (with discussion group)
- Two 3-day 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
To obtain PACT membership leading to the ABTC’s ATI status: 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].
PLEASE SEE THE Q&A TAB (ABOVE) FOR ANSWERS TO MOST COURSE QUESTIONS
ONLINE LECTURES AND Q&A SESSIONS
Course start date: 15 October 2020
New lecture posted every Thursday
PRACTICALS (Witney, West Oxfordshire) *Please note that dates may need to be rescheduled due to the evolving situation with COVID-19 *
Practical 1 Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 January 2021
Practical 2 Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 May 2021 (inclusive)
ASSESSMENT (Witney,West Oxfordshire)
Theory and Practical Assessment Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 September 2021
Course Fee: Usually £1550 but £1240 during Lockdown/post-Lockdown
Bookings close 14 days before course start date
Fee includes:
- All course materials
- All course lectures and tutorials 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 (due to increase slightly soon) 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?
Only if the fee is fully paid before the course start date. The online platform is incompatible with staggered instalments as the course progresses.
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. Extensive support is given with assignments to ensure every student can cope at this level.
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.
- The downloadable handouts, a 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
- Work your way through the online tutorials at your own pace
- 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.
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. Full slides are available for some lectures only. Downloadable handouts will be provided and students are encouraged to take extensive notes.
Will there be breaks during a lecture?
You can pause a lecture and take a break at any time.
What happens if I miss a lecture?
Once posted, lectures remain on your dashboard until the end of the course.
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.
