Applied Animal Behavior
Welcome to the Applied Animal Behavior section!
Careers in Animal Behavior
So, you love animals and you’ve decided you might like to pursue a career in animal behavior. One of the first things you should be aware of is that different levels of education are required for specific jobs. In this section on CAREERS, you’ll find:
List of Careers
Careers that Do Not Require a College Degree
Careers that Require A College Degree
Careers that Require A Graduate Degree (MS, PhD, or DVM)
Training and Preparation
Technical Training/Special Certification
Community College Programs for Animal Behavior
Graduate Training (MS, PhD) at Accredited Universities
Certification Programs (do not require college)
Careers that Do Not Require a College Degree
- Dog trainer (although some programs for dog trainers require a degree or certification)
- Pet shop employee
- Groomer
- Professional handler (show dogs)
- Kennel worker, shelter kennel staff
- Worker at a stable (horses)
- Horse trainer (although some programs require a degree or certification)
- Zoo employee (trainers require degrees or specialized training, see below)
For a listing of jobs in zoos and Aquariums see: www.aza.org/joblistings
Careers that Require a College Degree
- Director of Training (at some dog training schools, zoos, other animal programs)
- Animal related business management (pet super stores, pet food industry)
- Curators, Docents (most require a BS degree) at a zoo, aquarium, museums
Careers that Require a Graduate Degree (MS, PhD)
- University professor, college teaching (PhD or DVM)
- Researcher (PhD or DVM)
- Research assistant (usually MS or above)
- Community College/Junior College teaching (MS or above; some require PhD)
- Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
Technical Training/ Special Certification (may also require college)
- Animal Assisted Therapy
- Animal Control Officer
- Dog Trainer
- Horse Trainer
- Marine Mammal Training
- Police K9 Training
- Search & Rescue Dogs
- Service Dog Training
- Zoo and Exotic Animal Training
Community College Programs Offering Associate Degree (2 years of college)
- Moorpark College (CA) Exotic Animal Training + Management
Careers in Animal Behavior University Programs
Graduate Training (Master’s and PhD)
There are hundreds of graduate programs that provide academic training related to animals. Many of these programs focus on basic research that is done in a lab setting. Examples of areas of study include: animal communication, applied ethology, behavioral ecology, ethology, natural history, social behavior, experimental psychology and zoology.
Within these categories, a graduate student can work on projects such as the vision of insects, reproductive habits of birds, choice of habitats for fish, sexual behavior in different species, aggression in specific species, sensory mechanisms, etc. If, in addition to the department’s curriculum, a faculty is willing to allow a student to gain experience and participate in projects related to applied animal behavior, these degree programs may be well-suited for preparing students who desire a career in animal behavior. For a list of these programs, see the Animal Behavior Society web page at www.animalbehavior.org
Applied Animal Behavior Programs
The programs below have provided students with the opportunity to do applied (real-world, non-lab) work in animal behavior. Because faculty members move and retire and research projects may change over time, when deciding on a graduate school it is important to interview faculty and visit the school.
These are at accredited universities; these are not online programs.
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
Cynthia A. McCall, PhD
334-844-1556
cmccall@acesag.auburn.edu
Applied ethology, Learning and Social behavior.
Secondary reinforcement in horse training, learning ability in horses.
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
Irene M. Pepperberg, PhD
520-621-8883
impepper@u.arizona.edu
Learning/cognition, development of communication in birds, African Grey Parrot.
University of California – Davis
Davis, CA
Lynette A. Hart, PhD
530-752-7722
lahart@ucdavis.edu
Applied ethology – companion animals and wildlife, human-animal interactions.
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Graduate Studies in Animal Behavior
570-577-1200
www.bucknell.edu/AnimalBehavior
This program in animal behavior is administered by the departments of biology and psychology. The program is intended primarily for those who hope to earn a Ph.D. or wish to amplify their expertise in an animal-related career, such as laboratory research, field research, or conservation biology. Although much of the coursework is lab-based, some of the students who have completed this program are working in applied areas.
University of California- San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Edmund Fantino, PhD
619-452-3927
efantino@ucsd.edu
Operant Conditioning, learning, reinforcement (pigeons)
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
M. Jackson Marr, PhD
404-894-2635
mm27@prism.gatech.edu
Operant conditioning, schedules of reinforcement, applications of behavior analysis at Zoo Atlanta
University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
Degree program in applied animal behavior.
The Master of Science in Biology degree offers a specialization in Applied Animal Behavior. This is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental program administered through the Masters in Biology Program, with adjunct support from the ASPCA (www.aspca.org). It is designed to provide graduate training for careers in applied animal behavior, including academia; companion animal behavior consulting; shelter behavior; training and enrichment for animal shelters, zoo, laboratory and livestock animals; and commercial pet care industries.
Indiana University
Center for Integrative Study of Animal Behavior
Bloomington, IN
William Timberlake, Ph.D.
812-855-4042
timberla@indiana.edu
Animal behavior and learning theory, supervised animal behavior projects in zoos.
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
Karen L. Hollis, PhD
413-538-2296
khollis@mtholyoke.edu
Learning, conditioning, classical conditioning (fish)
City University of New York/City College (CUNY)
New York, New York
Joseph G. Griswold, PhD (retired faculty)
212-650-8461
jggris@comcast.net
Social behavior and communication in dogs, has worked with shelter dogs
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Katherine A. Houpt, DVM, PhD
607-253-3450
kah3@cornell.edu
Veterinary behaviorist, works with horses, dogs, other domestic animals
Duke University
Durham, NC
John (J.E.) Staddon, PhD
919-660-5725
staddon@psych.duke.edu
Operant conditioning, work is theoretical and experimental (lab based)
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
John C. New, DVM
615-546-5576
jnew@utk.edu
Therapeutic use of companion animals (animal-assisted therapy)
University of North Texas
Denton, TX
Jesus Rosales-Ruis, PhD
Jesus.rosales-ruis@unt.edu
http://irgs.unt.edu/orca
Texas A & M University
College Station, TX
Bonnie Beaver, DVM
409-845-2351
bbeaver@cvm.tamu.edu
Behavior problems in domestic animals, environmental enrichment
Arlington, TX
James Kopp, PhD
817-273-3237
kopp@uta.edu
Operant conditioning, learning, reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement
Washington State University
Pullman, WA
Frances K. McSweeney, PhD
509-335-3049
fkmcs@mail.wsu.edu
Learning-reinforcement, work is mostly experimental (lab); has been on the advisory board for the journal Animal Learning and Behavior.
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Kennon A. Lattal, PhD
304-293-2001 x 608
klattal@wvu.edu
Behavioral theory, pet behavior, animal behavior problems, supervises research on animal behavior problems (dogs, cats)
Careers in Animal Behavior
Technical Training and Certification Programs
Animal Assisted Therapy (sometimes called “pet therapy”)
Delta Society-Pet Partners Program
Therapy Dogs International
Animal Control Officer
National Animal Control Association
Dog Trainers/Animal Behavior Consultants
Organizations for Professionals (certification, conferences, Continuing Education)
American Kennel Club (obedience and other clubs to teach training)
www.akc.org (Click on CLUBS)
Animal Behavior Society
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)
(certifies trainers, conferences)
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
(certifies trainers, conferences)
International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP)
(certifies trainers, conferences)
Private, Non-Profit and for Profit Dog (and Behavior) Training Schools
Cynology College (online program)
Animal Behavior College (online/at-home study)
San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
www.sfspca.org/academy/index.shtml
Karen Pryor Academy
Horse Trainer
Horse Training Schools (academic, apprenticeship, career schools, etc)
Marine Mammal Training
Dolphin Trainer website
International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA)
Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA)
(Does not have individual members, open to facilities and organizations)
The Society for Marine Mammology (SMM)
European Association for Acquatic Mammals
Police K9 Training
United States Police K9 Association
www.uspcak9.com/training/k9traininwhatwhenwhy.shtml
Search & Rescue Dogs
National Association for Search & Rescue
Service Dog Training
Zoos and Exotic Animal Training
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)