Why You Should Consider Other New ABC Programs

By Animal Behavior College

ABC is very proud of our graduates and loves to hear stories about your successes. Our students have moved on to have successful careers working for other companies as well as many becoming their own boss and starting their own business.  However, the endless opportunities haven’t stopped there.  Over the years, we have had graduates go on to start radio shows and podcasts about dog training. Still, others have had articles published in newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

We have had grooming graduates go on to win grooming awards and also publish grooming articles. Some of our graduates have appeared on TV and some work with animals for motion pictures. In addition, ABC graduates have started animal rescues, and thousands have volunteered at animal shelters and rescues across North America. To put this another way, ABC knows that many of our graduates have taken what they learned at ABC and built on that foundation as their paths led them in a variety of directions.

It is because the pet industry has so many options and ways to specialize that we want to make all alumni aware of some of our lesser-known courses and offer a significant discount to any alumni wishing to enroll in one of these programs.

The first one is ABC’s Cat Training Program (CTP).

The CTP is an 11-stage course and covers the following topics:

• Basic Overview of Cats: Covers feline characteristics, cat breeds, coat types, and cat socialization and development periods.
• Learning Theories and the Feline Mind: Introduces you to cat psychology, behavior, and communication.
• Cat Training Tools, Behavior Modification Products & Essential Cat Care Items: Describes various cat training tools and explains cat care essentials.
• Preventing Unwanted Behavior: Explains why and how prevention can steer kittens away from unwanted behavior.
• Basic Cat Training: This teaches you training cues to get a cat to sit, down, and off to name a few.
• Cat Behavior Management and Treatment: Explains why cats engage in certain behaviors, such as cat spraying, and teaches you how to manage them.
• Cat Nutrition and Basic Care: Provides you with detailed knowledge on cat care, including health and grooming.
• Safety Concerns, Techniques & Practices: Instructs you on proper cat safety protocols, such as cat-proofing a home and handling reactive cats.
• Business Building: Covers business building tips to help you start a cat training business upon graduation.
• Shelter Experience & Pet First Aid and CPR Certification: This allows you to spend time in an animal facility and observe cat behavior as a volunteer.
• Final Exam & Graduation

Who should take this?   

Any graduate who loves cats wants to help them and the people who love them. This includes groomers, dog trainers, and veterinary assistants.

Why should I consider taking this?  

Dog trainers can add a vital skill set to their repertoire, making them more marketable and more easily able to establish an online presence and network. Simply put, there are a great many dog training experts out there but far fewer cat behavior specialists. So becoming one might be an intelligent business call, not to mention that the ability to train cats means you can widen your net to help even more animals in need.

Dog groomers who understand cat behavior can offer salons the chance to accept more cats, a relatively untapped market.

Veterinary assistants who understand cat behavior can offer valuable expertise to their hospitals.

Dog training, pet grooming, and veterinary assisting are competitive fields, and becoming a cat trainer might help you stand out in getting hired, promoted, etc.

ABC feels very strongly about supporting our alumni and assisting them in being the best they can be. Toward that end, all Alumni enrolling in the CTP between May 31st, 2022, and December 31st, 2022, may take this course for $997.50. This is a discount of 50% 

If you are interested in taking advantage of this special offer for our alumni only, just drop an email to our Director of Admissions at: Candace@animalbehaviorcollege.com  She will make sure you get taken care of immediately as one of our valued alum.  For more information about the CTP, visit: https://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/cat-training/

Next, let’s talk about our Aquatics Maintenance Program (AMP).

This course is designed for fish hobbyists who want to take their interest and passion to the next level. Can you make a living designing and maintaining aquatic environments? Many people do. Think of all the hotels and businesses that have beautiful aquariums. Who do you think designs them and helps maintain them? This skill set isn’t typical business knowledge, which means it’s a specialty, which means it is usually outsourced to a trained professional. Also outsourced is the maintenance (and sometimes) the design of advanced, high-end aquariums for high-net-worth individuals.

Still, others don’t wish to design aquariums professionally but absolutely love maintaining them and simply can’t learn enough about this fascinating topic so they can more effectively enjoy their favorite hobby.

The AMP is a 10-stage program that covers the following topics:  

• Aquarium Maintenance Basics: Introduces you to topics such as aquarium chemistry and the nitrogen cycle, principles of animal husbandry, routine aquarium maintenance requirements, troubleshooting and water parameter guidelines.
• Aquarium Setup Basics: This stage covers how to meet clients’ needs and expectations as well as how to build a system, aquarium sourcing, tank sizing, aquarium installation, how to establish an aquarium and adding livestock.
• Freshwater Aquariums: This stage discusses all types of specialty freshwater aquarium setup and husbandry requirements, with a focus on the following topics: requirements for a fish-centric display setup, breakdown of freshwater fish types, “monster” fish systems, cichlid systems, tropical fish systems and troubleshooting freshwater fish tanks. You will also learn about planted fish tank layouts, aquascaping, hybrid paludarium setups, fish tank design, freshwater fish care and husbandry.
• Saltwater Aquariums: Topics include fish-only tank design, how to setup a saltwater aquarium, understanding reef aquariums, saltwater species compatibility basics, coral care requirements, troubleshooting saltwater tanks and husbandry considerations.
• Pond Basics: Topics include the basics of pond care, pond maintenance procedures and schedule, pond equipment, long-term pond maintenance, troubleshooting, species information and pond fish care.
• Species Guides and Sourcing: This stage will provide in-depth care requirements and compatibility information for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species. Topics include freshwater species guide, saltwater species guide, sourcing livestock, husbandry requirements, compatibility information, healthcare, acclimation, feeding, and long-term care. You will also learn how to establish a breeding/reproduction fish tank setup for customer sales.
• Equipment Maintenance: You will become familiar with equipment purchasing considerations, evaluating equipment for client needs, and long-term servicing of aquarium equipment. This stage also covers setting up and maintaining aquarium equipment, scheduling and performing long-term aquarium equipment maintenance and basic aquarium service equipment needs.
• Commercial Aquariums: Learn how to scale an operation and begin maintaining large and more elaborate systems for commercial clients. Topics include advantages of commercial clientele, commercial aquariums as advertisements, considerations of building larger commercial aquarium setups and aquarium maintenance requirements and scheduling.
• Business Building: Covers how to take what you have learned and apply it to building your own business.
• Final Exam and Graduation

 Who should take this?   

Any alumni who love designing or maintaining aquariums and are looking to learn more or start a career designing and maintaining aquariums.

Why should I consider taking this?  

Because you love keeping fish or designing aquariums and want to learn more. Because you are looking at other business opportunities, and this one intrigues you.

ABC feels very strongly about supporting our alumni and assisting them in being the best they can be. Toward that end, all Alumni enrolling in the AMP between May 31st, 2022, and December 31st, 2022, may take this course for $997.50. This is a discount of 50%

If you are interested in taking advantage of this special offer for our alumni only, just drop an email to our Director of Admissions at: Candace@animalbehaviorcollege.com  She will make sure you get taken care of immediately as one of our valued alum.  For more information about the AMP, visit: https://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/aquarium-maintenance/

Finally, let’s talk about what many of us at ABC consider our most amazing new program. That’s not quite right. Let me put this another way. When ABC management and staff look at our programs, the reactions are usually something like this; Everyone likes the courses and believes they can help those who take them. Some folks at ABC are interested enough in a specific program that they want to take it themselves, but not everyone. Do all the dog trainer people wish to take AMP or the CTP? Nope. Many do, but not everyone. This is true of our groomer and veterinary graduates as well. Yet, everyone who heard about our Zookeeper Assistant Program (ZAP), and I mean every single person, had the same reaction. “Oh! That’s so amazing! I want to take this!” “Do you want to learn to be a zookeeper assistant?” we asked. “No, but I have always loved and been interested in wild (exotic) animals, and this would be a great program to take even if just for fun and learning about these amazing animals!”

The ZAP is a 10-stage program that covers the following topics:

• Introduction to Zoos and Zookeeping: Students will learn about zoos, wildlife sanctuaries, and accreditation. This stage also covers zoo regulations, zookeeper responsibilities and what working at a zoo is like.
• Exotic Animal Housing and Exhibits: Information all about housing animals at the zoo including how to build an animal exhibit including horticulture, furnishings, substrate, guest and animal safety, pest control and enclosure maintenance.
• Animal Health: Students will learn all about exotic animal health including animal nutrition and diet, animal restraint and capture, the warning signs of illness or stress, and all about routine medical care and treatments for exotic animals in the zoo.
• Zoo Conservation and Breeding Programs: Learn how zoo employees and volunteers make a difference in the world of animal conservation. This stage covers Species Survival Plans, animal reproduction, Studbooks and population management, animal re-introduction programs and research.
• Exotic Animal Behavior, Enrichment and Training: Explore the basics of training philosophy including classical and operant conditioning, as well as, how to solve behavior problems. This stage also covers the natural behaviors of zoo animals along with different types of enrichment such as food-based, physical, sensory, and social, for a myriad of different species.
• Daily Zookeeping Routines and Husbandry: This stage reviews the different ways zoos and wildlife sanctuaries keep track of their animal inhabitants.
• Zookeeping Safety: Subjects in this stage include legal requirements, work hazards, zoonotic disease prevention, zookeeper assistant safety, guest safety, animal safety, emergency response and evacuation plans for both guests and animals.
• Zoo Visitor Education and Relations: You will learn how to educate different audiences that visit the zoo, including children and adults. Emotional, intellectual, and behavioral education techniques, as well as community outreach is also covered.
• Building your Zookeeper Assistant Career: Learn about the next steps in your zookeeping assistant education and how to find work at a zoo or wildlife sanctuary.
• Final Exam and Graduation

Who should take this?   

Any alumni with a passion for exotic animals or wildlife conservation and anyone interested in getting involved in this part of the animal industry.

Why should I consider taking this?  

Because you spend more time watching wild animal shows than you do with your family. Because you have a deep interest and passion in this topic and want to learn more. Because you have a genuine desire to work in a zoo or wild animal rescue environment and would like a foundational understanding of exotic animals and zookeeping in general.

ABC feels very strongly about supporting our alumni and assisting them in being the best they can be. Toward that end, all Alumni enrolling in the ZAP between May 31st, 2022, and December 31st, 2022, may take this course for $997.50. This is a discount of 50%

 If you are interested in taking advantage of this special offer for our alumni only, just drop an email to our Director of Admissions at: Candace@animalbehaviorcollege.com  She will make sure you get taken care of immediately as one of our valued alum.  For more information about the ZAP, visit:  https://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/zookeeper-assistant/