Diploma MSc Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling

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Diploma / MSc Companion Animal Behaviour
Counselling

• Dr Anne McBride
• Course Director
• amcb_at_soton.ac.uk

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What is Animal Behaviour Counselling?

• Resolution of behaviour problems
• Primarily in the field of pet ownership
• Other applications in e.g. zoological
  establishments
• Animal Assisted Therapy
• Multidisciplinary subject
• Theoretical and applied

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Opportunities

• Self-employment
• Animal rescue charities
• Within veterinary groups
• Human charities assistance dog training
• Hospitals and other health providers
• Services police, customs, local authority
• Research
• e.g. animals and human health - psychological and
  physical
• dogs epilepsy, dogs and bladder cancer.
• Animal welfare, animal cognition

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Student Base

• Mature
• National and International
• Variety of backgrounds
• Psychologists
• zoologists
• Vets / vet nurses
• Police / army / assistance dogs
• Rescue
• Trainers / practising counsellors
• Life - changers

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Entrance Requirements

• Degree in relevant subject e.g. Psychology.
  Preferably 21 or above
• 2 years relevant animal handling experience
• Not just your own pets!
• E.g. stables, kennels / cattery, training classes
• Livestock farming
• Zoo / lab animal experience
• Voluntary or paid
• Must like people and animals!!

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Course structure

• Part-time, modular 1 week units
• 12 units for PG Diploma
• Plus research project for MSc
• Can do PG Dip over 3, 4 or 5 years
• 1 year extra for MSc
• 20 places per annum to PG Dip. September intake

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Course content

• Ethology and Anthrozoology
• - natural animal behaviour
• Anthropological / sociological aspects of the
  human animal relationship
• Human Psychology
• Human animal relationships, function of pet
  ownership, pet loss, counselling skills
• Companion Animal Law
• Ethics, relevant UK Law, how to be an expert
  witness

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Course content - 2

• Learning Theory
• How animals learn
• Applied Learning Theory
• Application of theory to behaviour problem,
  practical training and use of behaviour
  modification techniques, human learning styles
  and their application in animal behaviour
  counselling

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Course Content - 3

• Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology
• CNS, Hormones and animal behaviour, how different
  classes of drugs used work
• Applied Neuropsychology
• Diet and behaviour, medical causes of problem
  behaviour, adjunctive drug and complementary
  therapies e.g. homeopathy, osteopathy.
• Research Methods

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Course Content - 4

• Animal Welfare
• What it is, how it is measured, how it is applied
  in animal behaviour counselling and behaviour
  modification aids.
• Case Studies one
• History taking, report writing, cat behaviour
  problems

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Course Content - 5

• Case Studies Two
• Dog behaviour problems
• Case Studies Three
• Behaviour problems in other species e.g. rabbits,
  parrots, horses, small mammals
• Knowledge is cumulative and successive units
  built on, synthesise and apply that from previous
  units.

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MSc Projects range of topicsheld in New
College library

• Perceptions held by pre-adolescents of their
  relationships with companion animals
• Relationship between human behaviour and
  attitudes to the behaviour of the domestic dog
• Physiological and Behavioural responses of
  rabbits to tonic immobility
• The effect of the death of pet dogs on owners
• Review of the cat-human relationship with special
  reference to asthma

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• Comparison of Japanese and UK attitudes to dogs
• Animal Assisted Therapy in UK hospitals and
  Prisons
• Appearance of the handler and peoples
  perceptions of the temperament of the dog
• The value of dogs in increasing interpersonal
  communication levels in withdrawn/uncommunicative
  patients with enduring mental illness
• Influence of management on the behaviour of pet
  rabbits in Switzerland
• The effects of aromatherapy oils on the behaviour
  of stabled horses