The Instructor Training Course: Teaching and Training will return in the future.
Think critically.
Teach effectively.
The Instructor Training Courses (ITC) are between three and a half to five+ full days of instruction depending on the course. We welcome auditors as well as full participants. ITC provides snacks and beverages throughout the day, and a completion celebration where we honor students with attendance certificates, trophies and awards. Each course is carefully designed to maximize your learning through a combination of workshops, dog training sessions, presentations, activities, games, lecture, discussion and homework assignments. Classes meet between 8 – 9 hours per day. Classes are limited in size to insure individual attention.
Courses Offered:
- The ITC: Teaching & Training focuses on classroom teaching, evaluating and exploring different training techniques and hands-on dog training skills. You be assigned two shelter dogs for the week! The goal is to better understand how to teach the individual dog and owner, increase effectiveness as an instructor, improve your skills and bring fun and enthusiasm to classes and private lessons. You’ll also learn about dog behavior.
- The ITC: Modifying Behavior places the emphasis on increasing your ability to transform problem behaviors, train the skills needed to build a behaviorally healthy dog and work with clients to produce positive results. This course primarily revolves around training the shelter dogs.
Why ITC: History and Philosophy
The Instructor Training Course: Teaching and Training (also known as the Original course) was conceived in 1997 out of a dream to create a special educational experience for canine professionals. The course would go beyond the two-day lecture series, or rigid programs that taught only a specific methodology. It would provide a traditional small classroom environment with innovative teachers to combine proven theory, empirical evidence, and common sense. The course needed to cultivate critical thinking through watching, listening, and doing. It would be hard work with high expectations but encourage fun, camaraderie and sharing. The environment needed to be safe and allow for personal choices, accepting each person’s journey as a teacher and dog trainer. And lastly, the course had to enrich the lives of homeless dogs.
The first course ran in 1999. Since then, the original course has run each year through 2017. We took a short break to move the course from New York to Colorado to start with a fresh, new look for 2019. In 2001, a consultation level course, ITC: Consultations and Problem Solving (previously named the Advanced Course ) was added based on encouragement from the course alumni and staff. In 2015 and 2016, we updated the course, made the class smaller and renamed it as ITC: Modifying Behavior.
All courses have an interactive format with limited enrollment for lots of individual attention in a supportive environment. Courses are limited to between 10 – 16 full time students depending on the staffing and location. The format includes: practice instructing, presentations, group projects, video analysis, games, and lecture. Our courses are always located at an animal shelter and include training shelter dogs. We provide educational opportunities without the pressure of testing or requirements for completion.
CEUs Available!!!
2019 CEUs :
IAABC
Full registration – 36
Auditors – 36
CPDT-KA and KSA
Full registration – 30
Auditors – 30
KPA-CTP
CEUs approved based on the number of CCPDT and IAABC units granted
NACSW CNWI
Full registration and Auditors – 10
If you need CEUs for another organization, please let us know. We will do our best to give you the supporting documents, so you can apply.
The following CEUs were approved in the past for the Modifying Behavior Course:
IAABC
Full registration -25
Auditors – 25
CPDT-KA and KSA
Full registration – 33
Auditors – 33
KPA-CTP
CEUs approved based on the number of CCPDT and IAABC units granted
NACSW CNWI
Full registration and Auditors – 3
If you have any questions please contact the Course Director, Dana Crevling.
