News

A well-trained animal is a happy animal. And happy animals make for positive, safe work environments. That is why Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture, is excited to announce a new online non-credit course in animal behaviour and training. 

Operant Conditioning Behaviour Analysis (OCBA): Level 1 is a one-of-a-kind, interactive online course that promises to take skills training to a whole new level. 

A one-on-one approach helps each student develop the necessary skills to train animals of any species. Students will be introduced to the theory and skills of positive reinforcement training.  The principles and techniques learned in the course can be applied to working with animals used for companionship, service, recreation, agriculture or research. 

OCBA is becoming the standard of care and training in all facets of animal training and husbandry. OCBA training enriches the animals’ environment and their interactions with handlers, is a cost effective way to provide a positive environment for animals and staff and is a valuable skills set that can be used to train any species.  

 “We realized that the market for this specialized training would be international in scope,” explained Sarah Macdonald, Manager Continuing Education at the Faculty of Agriculture.  “So being able to offer this course using distance technologies such as video and online discussion forums, was an opportunity for growth and to share our expertise with the world.”

Pair that expertise with highly qualified instructors and Dalhousie’s reputation for excellence in education and the potential for this course and others like it, are far- reaching. “This program is an exciting opportunity to deliver technical training in a pure online format and we have had interest from across Canada,” added Macdonald.

“There are many international opportunities as well as an untapped market for these skills also lies in the research laboratory. Our co- instructors previously developed a workplace training module at a research laboratory and the feedback has been very positive.”

The demand for trainers and handlers with OCBA knowledge and experience is growing. Many zoos, training facilities and rescue organizations recognize and require their staff to use such techniques.

Heather A. Logan, along with her daughter Melissa Cox, is a co-instructor for the course.  Heather is a renowned expert in Operant Conditioning Behaviour Analysis who has achieved Level Three certification through Bob and Marian Bailey in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She has run a successful breeding and training facility since 1972 and is a sessional lecturer at the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus.

Melissa has worked with animals from an early age and specializes in using OCBA to handle research animals. She earned her Doctorate in Genetics from Texas A&M University (TAMU) and has completed post-doctoral fellowships at Pfizer Global R&D and The Jackson Laboratory. She currently lives in southern Germany and works as a geneticist at the University of Tübingen.

Visit our website for more information.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by telephone at (902) 893-6666, or email at jmaceachern@dal.ca.

Photo courtesy of Robert MacLellan http://robertmaclellan.viewbook.com