Measuring Behavior

by Roger Abrantes

MeasuringBehaviorCourse

Course Description

Measuring Behavior—Stop “guessing” and start “knowing.” Discover how to predict behavior accurately. Learn how to sample behavior, create and use ethograms, evaluate your results, and present your findings. Study how to measure changes in behavior such as frequency, intensity, duration, number of errors, speed, latency, and fluency.

Course Level

Intermediate/Advanced. Parts of this course are at an advanced level. A mandatory course in the CACE and CAAE curricula.

Course Textbook

“Measuring Behavior”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Book contents

Chapter 1 Measuring learning.
Chapter 2 Designing a research project.
Chapter 3 Collecting data.
Chapter 4 Questionnaires.
Chapter 5 Analyzing data.
Chapter 6 The chi-squared test.
Chapter 7 Presenting data.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Agonistic Behavior

by Roger Abrantes

AgonisticBehaviorCourse

Course Description

Agonistic Behavior is all forms of aggression, threat, fear, pacifying behavior, fight or flight, arising from confrontations between individuals of the same species. This course gives you the scientific definitions and facts. More than that, it also gives you a critical review of popular interpretations and misinterpretations of these terms, helping you to evaluate information and develop your scientific views.

Agonistic Behavior is one of our most challenging courses addressed to the genuine student of behavioral sciences. Its subject-matter is essential to understand behavior and behavior modification techniques.

Course Level

Intermediate to Advanced. It is a challenging course which requires an active effort from the student. However, you will feel handsomely rewarded by the knowledge and insight, you will have acquired upon completion.

Course Textbook

“Agonistic Behavior—On Aggressive, Fearful, Dominant, Submissive, and Pacifying Behavior”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

In this course, you won’t get the book. Instead, you’ll read texts especially prepared for each lesson.

 

Course content

Lesson One:

  1. The Conundrum of the Behavioral Sciences
  2. Evolutionarily Stable Strategies and Behavior
  3. Ethogram—Social and Agonistic Behavior

Lesson Two

  1. Maternal Behavior
  2. The Origin of Pacifying Behavior
  3. Pacifying Behaviors

Lesson Three

  1. Fearful Behavior
  2. Aggressive Behavior

Lesson Four

  1. Dominant and Submissive Behavior
  2. A Critical Analysis of the Concepts of Dominance and Aggression

Lesson Five

  1. Let Reason Prevail Over Force

 

All lessons contain numerous references for your further studying.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Read the texts. Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Applied Animal Learning

by Roger Abrantes

SMAFCourse

Course Description

SMAF is a tool to help us in applying learning theory to practical behavior modification.  SMAF is a language to describe learning with all its components. Its objective is to enable us to plan our action with the highest possible degree of precision and to analyze the expected and observed results. Some parts of this course are just above beginner level, supplementing animal learning theory—others are for the advanced student of behavioral sciences. The SMAF part in itself will require more effort from you. You should, preferably, have taken Animal Learning before you take SMAF.

In the first two lessons, we give you an introduction to SMAF. In the second lesson, you’ll watch movies showing all the necessary steps to teach a dog the skills “Sit” and “Down” with the highest possible precision. Professor Abrantes shows and explains how to describe all the learning tools we need, one at the time. In the third lesson, you’ll read the SMAF manual with detailed descriptions and examples.

Join the course forum. We have moved the SMAF Team group from Facebook to the forum in our website. It is now the place to meet your peers interested in SMAF, exchanging ideas and POAs (Plans of Action).

Course Level

Advanced. This course is for the advanced student of behavioral sciences and for the animal trainer who wants to achieve maximum precision.

Course Textbook

“Mission SMAF—Bringing Scientific Precision Into Animal Training”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

SMAF is a revolutionary approach to describe learning processes with the same high precision you write musical notation or a computer program. We dare say it is much ahead of its time. This book, which we call, “The SMAF Manual,” gives you all the rules to enable you to go ahead right away writing your own training plans of action.

 

Book contents

Foreword.
Chapter 1 Introduction.
Chapter 2 The Morphology and Syntax of SMAF.
Chapter 3 Examples of POA.
Chapter 4 Quick Guide to designing a POA in SMAF.

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Animal Learning

by Roger Abrantes

Animal Learning

Course Description

Animal learning is the science that studies how animals learn the various behaviors they display. We review all the fundamental principles of learning that you need to master for training animals or to implement behavior modification. Animal Learning is a course based on scientific evidence and research and independent of political agendas or trends. It is indispensable for animal trainers and instructors.

In lesson one, we deal with motivation; lesson two reviews classical and operant conditioning; lesson three goes into detail with learning, signals, discrimination, generalization, stimulus control, and much more.

Course Level

Intermediate to advanced. It is an essential course for an animal trainer. Some of the content is at an advanced level and may require an extra effort on your part. Join the course forum and pose any question you may have. Your tutors will answer you. You should, preferably, have taken Evolution and Anatomy and Physiology before you take Animal Learning.

Course Textbook

“Animal Learning”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Book contents

Chapter 1 Learning.
Chapter 2 Signals.
Chapter 3 Discrimination, generalization, and stimulus control.
Chapter 4 Increasing and decreasing behavior.
Chapter 5 Reinforcement schedules.
Chapter 6 Advanced operant procedures.
Chapter 7 Plan of action.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Ethology

by Roger Abrantes

Ethology Course

Course Description

Ethology is the study of animal behavior in its natural environment. This is one of the most important and fundamental courses in your curriculum. Without a reliable knowledge about animal behavior, we can’t expect to create a gratifying relationship with our pets or the animals we train. Some of this course’s content is at an advanced level and requires increased dedication on your part. The course’s final test focuses on the most important points—so don’t worry if a few questions seem harder to understand. You will appreciate them better once you continue your studies. You should, preferably, have taken Evolution before you enroll in ethology.

This course has ten lessons. They follow the chapters in the textbook (see below).

 

Watch the movie “Animal Behavior Crash Course” by Hank Green. The movie is an appetizer and an introduction to the current course, to give you a general idea of animal behavior. We will review the terms, concepts, and much more in detail in this course’s ten lessons.

For the present purpose, watch the movie and enjoy embarking on this journey into the discovery of animal behavior.

 

 

Course Level

Intermediate to advanced.

Course Textbook

“Ethology—the study of animal behavior in the natural environment”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Roger Abrantes wrote “Ethology—the study of animal behavior in the natural environment” for his students as their primary textbook on this all-important topic. The book is a must for everyone seriously interested in understanding animal behavior—and the best possible introduction to this fascinating subject matter. You can take this course as part of a program granting a diploma or as a single course.

“Ethology” is an appealing and beautifully illustrated book. It addresses its questions to the point with sound, scientific explanations. It is not cluttered with footnotes. The author chose to keep all references to an extensive list at the end of the book. You read it as fluently as a novel—its narrative is compelling. The online version, which you get when you enroll in this course, has the advantage of giving you all updates at no extra course. Once you enroll in this course, you can return anytime you like, re-read the book or check the updates. If you like, you can also attempt to achieve a better test score.

 

Book contents (the lessons in this course correspond to the chapters in the book)

Chapter 1 Ethology—history and principles.
Chapter 2 Genetics and behavior.
Chapter 3 Evolutionary strategies.
Chapter 4 Sexual behavior.
Chapter 5 Instinct and learning.
Chapter 6 Communication.
Chapter 7 Social behavior.
Chapter 8 Agonistic behavior.
Chapter 9 Animal economics and intelligence.
Chapter 10 Evolutionary perspectives.

We give you the book in a beautiful flip-page format in lesson 10 for your convenience and enjoyment. The book is an optional choice. Please note that the book contains some extra text and illustrations not transcribed in this course’s various lessons and chapters. You need not read the book to complete your course, though you may want to read it to get the additional material and enjoy the beautiful classic book format we have created.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Canine Proficiency Verification

by Tutor Team

CanineProficiencyVerificationCourse

Course Information

A Proficiency Verification is a session where you demonstrate that you have the necessary practical proficiency in handling an animal. Proficiency Verifications are not exams or obedience contests. At the EI, we do not care for exams and grades, and we do not deal with obedience. We are interested in good communication skills and the appropriate use of learning theory, so we show the animals we train, the respect we believe they deserve. 

 

Theory and Practice Hand in Hand

You need theoretical knowledge and practical experience to be a good dog trainer. Once you have read and understood the theory, you begin training your dog. Ideally, you should start the training after having taken the first three courses, “Evolution,” “Animal Training My Way” and “The 20 Principles All Animal Trainers Must know.” If you are an experienced trainer, you will probably take this proficiency verification without problems and without too much preparation time. It’s not a difficult proficiency verification per se, but note that we require simplicity, precision, and kindness. To combine all three—we know from experience—is what our students find the most challenging.

 

Science and Ethics

We base our approach to animal training on science applied with thoughtfulness. We require precision for it leads to the best results in the long term. Kindness and leniency (or sloppiness) are different matters. We promote and encourage the former, from ethical and scientific points of view, but not the latter. There are many ways to train any particular skill. You choose the one that best suits you and the animal you train, keeping in mind that whichever method you select, it must conform to sound science and deep respect for all living organisms.

 

Proficiency Verification Preparatory Course (PVPC)

If you are a beginner, you should maybe attend a PVPC, which we regularly organize in various locations. Watch the Forums page’s sidebar. If you follow a PVPC, your instructor can conduct and approve your proficiency verification, and we will add it to your curriculum.

 

Video proficiency verification (VPF)

If you have no opportunity to attend a PVPC, you may submit a VPF. Read the instructions to send your VPF in the guidelines for this course and lesson.

The PV is a full one-on-one tutored course. You and your tutor keep in touch via our messaging system and Skype if necessary. You upload your video clips to our cloud for your tutor’s review and comment. Once your tutor is satisfied with your work, you will receive your approved check mark.

 

Canine Proficiency Verification Part One deals with the skills you and your dog must master; Part Two deals with canine problem behavior where you demonstrate that you can professionally handle a canine problem case and create the correct behavior modification program.

To Ponder

  • Kindness and leniency (or sloppiness) are different matters. We promote and encourage the former, from ethical and scientific points of view, but not the latter.
  • Our Proficiency Verifications require simplicity, precision, and kindness. To combine all three—we know from experience—is what our students find the most challenging.

Online Studying and Tutoring

Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Keep in touch with your tutor via our messaging system.

 

Pedagogy

by Tutor Team

Pedagogy

Course Description

Pedagogy is the study of the principles and methods of instruction, teaching, and education. This course will make you a better instructor by reminding you of the essential principles in pedagogics, the art of teaching, and by giving you some tricks of the trade. Learn how to motivate your students and clients. As a teacher, how knowledgeable and skillful you are amount to naught unless you can transmit it to your students.

In lesson one, you’ll read the article, “The Ten Principles of Motivation.” It is a short article; read it carefully. The lesson’s quiz will challenge your critical thinking, vis-Ă -vis what you have learned so far, presuming you have taken all courses in the order we envisaged.

In lesson two, you will watch a movie and learn how to incline others to adhere to your ideas.

In lesson three, you will watch a movie about active and passive learning. You’ll discover surprising facts that can turn your classes into instant successes.

Finally, in lesson four, you’ll read your main textbook for this course, Pedagogy, a collection of ten articles by various authors with sound recommendations and proven guidelines for teaching adults.

Our course is an introduction to pedagogy, this vast and crucial topic in education. We trust it will encourage you to seek further knowledge, starting with our recommended literature. “Knowledge to everyone… everywhere” needs good teachers, it needs you.

Course Level

Beginner. This course is an introduction to pedagogy and essential to everyone who intends to teach.

Course Textbook

“Pedagogy”

by various authors.

 

Book contents

Chapter 1 — 101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class
Chapter 2 — The Most Important Day: Starting Well
Chapter 3 — 10 Things to Make the First Day (and the Rest) of the Semester Successful
Chapter 4 — What Influences Students Attitudes Towards A Course
Chapter 5 — 30 Things We Know For Sure About Adult Learning
Chapter 6 — Lesson Plan Procedures
Chapter 7 — Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
Chapter 8 — Good Teaching
Chapter 9 — Motivating Students
Chapter 10 — Forty Successes

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Read the article(s) and book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Canine Problem Behavior

by Roger Abrantes

CanineProblemBehaviorCourse

Course Description

Canine Problem Behavior reviews the most common causes of canine problem behavior. This course is an introduction to canine problem behavior.  You should, preferably, have taken The 20 Principles All Animal Trainers Must Know and Canine Behavior, before you take this course, which is essential for dog trainers.

Warning: treating animals for problem behavior requires exceptional knowledge of that species normal behavior as well as mastering learning theory in theory and practice. Do not attempt to apply behavior modification techniques if you do not have the necessary qualifications. This course will help you resolve mild cases of canine problem behavior. For severe cases, you must seek the advice of an experienced and qualified behavior consultant (CAAE and above).

Course Level

Intermediate to advanced (this course is mandatory for all CPDT, CACE, and CAAE students).

Course Content

In lesson one, you’ll watch “10 Strange Dog Behavior” and in lesson two, “10 Facts About Dogs.” You’ll have to complete a quiz for each lesson. Each one of your answers, right or wrong, will have appended a science-based comment. More than once, you will be surprised by how little popular knowledge resembles what we really know (scientific proven).

In lesson three, Professor Abrantes gives a presentation where he reviews his notes from the files of the Ethology Institute, picking up some interesting and common cases of canine problem behavior.

  • 20 common questions and answers about dog behavior.
  • The most common cases of canine problem behavior.
  • CHAP—Canine Home Alone Problem.
  • Aggressive behavior.
  • Fearful behavior.
  • Hyperactive dogs.

We have throughout the years treated over 10,000 animals for problem behavior, the majority of them being dogs.

CanineProblemBehavior

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Dogs Home Alone

by Roger Abrantes

DogsHomeAlone4-1024x538

Course Description

Canine Home Alone deals with the canine problem no. 1—the dog cannot be left home alone without showing clear signs of distress behavior.

This course is a DIY program for dog owners to cure or prevent serious problems. If you are a dog trainer, teach your clients this proven, straightforward and efficient method.

Lesson one shows a case for you to analyze and poses you a few questions. Lesson two gives you the textbook that you have to read carefully.

Course Level

Beginner to moderate. This is one of the most important courses in canine problem behavior. It deals with crucial issues, which result in dogs being re-homed or euthanized all too often.

Course Textbook

“Dogs Home Alone”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

This book is a best-seller. The present edition is a much enlarged and revised version of the original book from 1997.

Book contents

  • Chapter One — The causes of canine home alone problems.
  • Chapter Two — Don’t do this! Old wives’ tales don’t work.
  • Chapter Three — Treating the causes and not the symptoms.
  • Chapter Four — The direct treatment of CHAP.
  • Chapter 5 — The daily routine.
  • PS — Psychopharmaca.
DogsHomeAloneBookCover-384x563

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Dogs and Children

by Roger Abrantes

Dogs and children—a Natural Relationship (DogsAndChildrenCourse-1-1024x538)

Course Description

Dogs and Children is the course that everyone should take independently of whether one has children, dogs, both or none. It is our (adults) duty to protect them, who need it most, our children and our animals. Dogs and children are wonderful together when all goes well. Learn how to prevent serious problems from occurring and how to give your child and dog some fun and meaningful activities so they can develop a good and respectful relationship.

Course Level

Beginner. This course is for everyone.

Course Textbook

“Dogs and Children”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Book contents

  • Dogs and children
  • Choice of dog
  • Safety rules for babies born into a home with a dog
  • Teaching the child
  • Teaching your dog
  • Prevention is better than cure
  • The first conflicts
  • Rules and feeling safe
  • Children and other animals
DogsAndChildrenBookCover-384x563

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Ethology Institute