Education Programs
ICS offers training and certification through on-line courses and seminars.
ICS Courses
Understanding Canine Behaviour & Macro Communication
Creating Balanced Training Programs
Equipment & Advanced Handling
Learning Theory - The Psychology of How Dogs Learn
Safe Group Play - Accidents Are Not Part of the Canine Care Business
Canine Care Specialist - Certification
Defensive Handling - Certification
Working Dog Handler - Certification
Creating Explosive Power & Extreme Control in Protection - Certification
Understanding Canine Behaviour & Macro Communication
The evolution of the domestic dog from wolfs is not a straight line.
The evolution of the domestic dog from the wolf drives all canine behaviour. Learn how this evolution took place and its impact on the domestic dog. Along the way you will explore the role of primitive breeds in the evolutionary process, and their unique training needs. You will delve into how hyperspecialization in the purebred dog its role on canine behaviour.
Learn about the structure and behaviour of wolve packs.
Canine behaviour is expressed through Macro Canine Body Language. Dogs are communicating with us constantly, all we have to do is listen. Learn how to identify and interpret Macro Canine Body Language, preventing inter-species miscommunication and directing the care and training of dogs.
A fundamental understanding of canine behaviour and communication is required by all advanced handlers and professionals.
This course is a pre-requisite for all additional courses offered by ICS.
Creating Balanced
Training Programs
Explore how Learning Theory provides powerful tools to teach dogs new behaviours. Learn about how schedules of reinforcement impact how to reward dogs, allowing the phasing out of treats and rewards in training while ingraining the desire to perform obedience at the same time!
Delve into one of the most controversial topics in dog training today, the use of correction.
Learn how the 3 Phases of Canine Learning and Root Cause Analysis direct all decisions we make in dog training.
This course is a pre-requisite for all advanced and working dog handling and training courses.
Equipment & Advanced Handling
Both equipment selection and handling skills directly impact your success in caring for and training dogs.
The training collar that works best for one dog could be a disaster when used on anther dog. Learn the advantages, disadvantages, sizing and handling of all types of collars, leashes and training equipment for dogs. This knowledges ensures that you choose the right equipment for the right dog, and that the equipment is sized correctly, improving your handling and training results immediately.
Advanced handling ensures both your success and safety when handling and training dogs. Learn the best ways to communicate with dogs, how to safely change equipment, and manage getting them into and out of dog runs and crates safely.
This course is a pre-requisite for all canine training courses offered by ICS.
Learning Theory,
the Psychology of How Dogs Learn
Learning Theory is the branch of psychology pertaining to how animals learn. Explore the most powerful training techniques based upon the science of Learning Theory, such as: operant conditioning, classical conditioning, desensitization, habituation, extinction bursts, etc.
Explore what Learning Theory is, how it was introduced to dog training, how to correctly apply these techniques, and its limitations in dog training.
Safe Group Play
Accidents and dog bites are an accepted part of the dog business at many facilities, but this should not be the case!
Understanding the group dynamics of a dog pack, how adding new dogs on a regular basis creates unstable packs, how group dynamics work in unstable packs, and understanding how to keep play safe prevent accidents and dog bites from occurring.
Customers have a right to expect that all canine care professionals have the knowledge and skill to keep their dog safe!
Canine Care Specialist Certification
Caring for dogs takes more than love, it takes knowledge and skill on many topics outside of how to simply ensue they have fun when they are with you.
The ICS canine Care Specialist Certification provides the education every person working in the canine care industry should have.
This course includes topics such as safe group play, identifying signs of illness, how to determine when a vet visit is needed, proper medication administration and documentation, infection control techniques, cleaning products that are safe for dogs but kill infection spreading bacteria and viruses, etc.
This course is offered to individuals and as part of facility staff training and certification for boarding kennels, dog training facilities, doggie daycares, and to shelter / rescue staff and volunteers.
Certificate Course
Defensive Handling Certification
While we all love dogs, we know that there are times when some dogs will become aggressive while in our care.
Dogs use body language as the primary means to communicate, which includes threats of aggression and aggression. They also have innate behaviours that include aggression.
Because of this, defensive handling skills are required by all professionals in the canine care industry to keep the dogs in our care save, and to keep us safe too!
This certificate course focuses on identification of risk factors for aggression, techniques to break up a dog fight, and self defense handling skills..
Certificate Course
Working Dog Handler Certification
Work dogs are an entirely different animal than the average house pet!
Working dogs have been specifically designed to be opinionated, high drive and dominant. These dogs still work for a living today in jobs such as search and rescue (SAR), policy and military work, detection dogs, herding, and hunting.
From avalanche SAR dogs to avion control dogs, our health and safety depends on these dogs, these dogs require the highest level of care and training.
This course provides an understanding of how to care for working dogs during their entire lifespan! From puppy selection, training, housing, feeding and retirement, we look at their special needs, and the knowledge and kill that their handlers need to meet keep them safe and working at peek performance.
Certificate Course
Competition Handling
Everything counts in competition!
Competition dogs, and their handlers, are expected to execute precision behaviours, reliably, under extreme circumstances and pressure. High level competitors feel the sharpness of the judge’s pencil and weight of the spectators eyes. Training at this level goes well beyond the norm, and enters into the world of precision dog training!
Judges begin their assessment from the moment they see you and your dog, until the trial is over. While the most points are awarded for the exercises, how the dog performs the exercise, the crispness of your handling and the enthusiasm your dog exudes all paint a picture that impact your score.
This program focuses on how to pick up the extra points in the details of your training and handling, ensuring no point is left on the field!
Creating Explosive Power & Extreme Control In Protection
Dogs bit for many different reasons, and the reason a working dog bites matters!
Dogs have evolved from the wolf, one of natures most successful predators. Their protective instincts, combined with their innate social behaviour to work in coordination with the pack, has helped us hunt and care for both our livestock and our families.
Today, dogs still retain these protective and social instincts which are used by the police and military, in competitions such as schutzhund and Mondioring, and by families to protect their businesses or homes.
The quality of a dog’s grip and where they are looking when on the sleeve, the tone of their bark, and their body language all telegraph their mindset in protection work.
Understanding the roles of Prey Drive versus Fight Drive, and the use of control and bottling produce explosive power in protection training!
This level of intense protection work requires extreme control. Use of exacting obedience and in-depth understanding of social structure provides precision in protection.
When a dog’s protect instincts are needed you want to know that your dog has been trained to the highest. Your dog’s power in protection and control in obedience give you the most points on the field or the most stopping power on the street!
Certificate Course
