✅ What do you gain after completing the Dog Training Instructor course?

Upon completion of Level I training, participants will have the practical skills and knowledge necessary to conduct dog training in a conscious, ethical, and effective manner . The course emphasizes relationship-based work, understanding, and positive reinforcement.

🐾 The participant is able to:

• Train dogs using positive methods , developing basic obedience through rewards and building motivation

• Apply the principles of conditioning and effectively reinforcing desired behaviors

• Work with your own dog , as well as with other participants’ dogs and instructor dogs – which develops flexibility and the ability to adapt to different dog personalities

🧠 The participant has knowledge of:

• About aversive methods – knows why they are not recommended and what consequences they may have for the dog and the relationship with the owner

• A fact-based and research-based argument against the use of punishment , violence, and outdated training techniques

🏆 By completing the course you will:

Participants become informed and responsible trainers who can effectively work with dogs based on scientific knowledge, an ethical approach, and practical experience.
This provides a solid foundation for further professional development in the field of dog training.

Stage 1 – Qualification Consultation (free!) and Online Work (professional e-learning zone!)

A consultation to assess the dog’s abilities, possible leveling sessions or even full therapy. Dogs must be appropriately emotionally prepared to participate in the instructor course, which is why the Ethoplanet team provides preliminary consultations and support in preparing the dog for the course. This way, we primarily avoid frustration on the part of the guardian if something doesn’t go as expected. A good start is essential!
To schedule a consultation assessing your dog’s abilities, please contact us at: kontakt@ethoplanet.com

The consultation takes place by prior appointment at an agreed location.

The consultation is not mandatory; however, we encourage you to take advantage of it to properly prepare your dog for the classes and avoid disappointment.

Stage 2 – Theoretical Classes During the Course

PART I – BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND LEARNING

(e-learning platform)

MODULE 1 – Animal Behavior Analysis – Dr Agata Kokocińska

• Introduction to behavior analysis. Ethology. Behaviorism.

• Behavior. Actions. Instinct.

• What is behavior? Basics of behavior analysis.

• Characteristics of behavior analysis.

• Stimuli.

• Needs. Instinct. Drive and drive conflict. Motivation.

• Survival strategies and protective actions.

• Emotions: fear, anxiety, phobia, aggression, territoriality – biological foundations.

• Impact of stress on behavior. Stress as a state of mobilization (Selye’s concept). Homeostasis.

• Social behaviors.

• Environmental influence.

• Behavior modification.

MODULE 2 – Learning Theory and Behavior Modification – Dr Agata Kokocińska

• Learning theory. Memory. Intelligence. Types, processes, and mechanisms of learning. Habituation.

• Attention processes.

• Behavior modification. Classical and operant conditioning. Reinforcement quadrants. The concept of punishment and reward. Positive and negative reinforcements and punishments. Acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, stimulus generalization, stimulus discrimination. Ritualization and habits. Learned helplessness.

MODULE 3 – Dog Ethogram – Dr Agata Kokocińska

• Introduction. Human influence on dog behavior. Human–dog communication.

• Communication channels: olfactory.

• Communication channels: visual.

• Visual communication.

• Communication channels: auditory. Vocal communication.

• Calming/stress signals – simplified classification.

• Dominance behaviors.

• Stages of mental development in dogs.

• Human influence on dogs’ social competence.

• What is communication?

• Reinforcement.

• Relationships.

• Ethogram.

MODULE 4 – Basics of Dog Training

• Training methods

• Rewarding

• Sit

• Down

• Watch/Look

• Heel luring

• “Heel” position

• Crate/kennel introduction

• Muzzle

• Food refusal

• Stay

• Shaping

• Do As I Do

• Motivation

• Rewarding with the pendulum technique

Participants also receive access to two separate online courses:

• First Aid for Companion Animals

• Medical Training for Dogs

MODULE 5 – Medical Training for Dogs – SEPARATE CERTIFICATE!!!

PART II – THEORETICAL BASICS OF DOG TRAINING (live lectures during onsite sessions)

• Course participant introduction; discussion of human–dog relationships; assessment of each pair’s abilities.

• Dog behavior – domestication, zoosemiotics: canine communication, theory of dominance, assessment of dog needs.

• Overview of breeds and their functions in relation to behavior.

• Behavior analysis methods.

• Learning, memory, intelligence.

• Processes involved in learning.

• Reinforcements and punishment systems. Learning effective reinforcement.

• Types of motivation and how to build it.

• Overview of training methods.

• Behavioral disorders and their effect on training.

• Influence of training on therapy for dogs with behavioral issues.

• Scent work: Nosework and Mantrailing.

• What is Agility?

Stage 3 – Practical Work With Your Dog

PART III – PRACTICAL BASICS OF DOG TRAINING – WORKING WITH YOUR OWN DOG

What does practical dog training look like?

Ways of obtaining behaviors:

• Capturing

• Luring

• Environmental management

• Targeting (using an object to shape behavior: touch, focus, mat work)

• Do As I Do (Claudia Fugazza) – technique demonstration and practice (Instructor Level II)

• Shaping

• Offering behaviors

Motivation

• Types of motivation

• Assessing motivation – demonstration with each dog

• How to build motivation considering the dog’s emotions and issues

• What can disrupt motivation

Bridging stimuli

• What is a clicker? Types of bridging stimuli

• How a clicker works. Introducing and working with a clicker or alternatives

• Methods of extending behavior, e.g., “keep going signal”

Reward systems

• Social rewards (voice modulation)

• Object rewards

• Environmental rewards

• Jackpot

• Reinforcement analysis based on the hierarchy of needs

• Reward gradation (food, toys)

• Reward signals (from hand, ground, air, underarm, etc.)

• Selecting the right reward depending on the dog’s emotional state

• Loss signals as an opportunity for improvement (appropriate cue selection, interrupting work for calming)

• Reward systems for dogs with excessive motivation

• Ways of delivering rewards (single reward, series, throw, pendulum, chase reward)

• Delayed reward

• Building motivation (exchange games, pendulum, chase reward)

Training – individual commands

1. Focus on the handler

Foundation for all other exercises. Without focus, training is not possible.

2. Targeting

Nose target on an object.

3. Following

Following the handler with eye contact; essential for heelwork.

4. Heel position

Introduction to heelwork; achieved by luring, shaping, or the “bowl method.”

5. Heelwork

Walking at heel with focus.

6. Position changes: sit, down, stand

Mastering position changes from all starting points.

7. Loose-leash walking

Teaching the dog to walk on a loose leash and respond correctly to tension.

8. Stay

Maintaining position with emotional regulation and distractions.

9. Recall

Critical for safety and freedom; strong emphasis on recall and disengagement from distractions.
Use of recall cues, e.g., whistle.

10. Proper play with the dog

Toy as reward/motivation.
Commands: “yours,” “mine,” “drop.”
Tug games.
Retrieve.

11. Food refusal

Impulse control and emotional regulation.

12. Medical training

Introducing grooming procedures:

• Brushing

• Ear cleaning

• Eye cleaning

• Dental care

• Nail trimming

• Injections

• Temperature measurement

13. Muzzle training

14. “Place” cue

15. Play skills

Building trust, reducing resource loss feelings, teaching voluntary release.

16. Side position

Useful in medical training.

17. Introduction to training dogs for scientific research

Basics of Nosework

• Odor indication

• Odor imprinting

• Start ritual

• Sample selection

• Space, generalization, discrimination

• Ending the search

Prowadzący kurs

dr inż. Agata Kokocińska-Alexandre Etolog, Zoopsycholog, Trener zwierząt, Pedagog specjalny, Dyrektor Ethoplanet zobacz profil

Magdalena Wesołowska behawiorysta, trener psów zobacz profil

Antoine Alexandre trener psów, instruktor mantrailingu zobacz profil

Ola Wolloch Behawiorysta psów, Instruktor szkolenia psów I i II stopnia zobacz profil

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Dogs that struggle with being left alone should already be trained to stay in a crate/kennel.
   Therefore, we recommend bringing a kennel crate, especially for participants staying in double rooms.

2. You may participate in the course without your own dog.
   In such cases, we provide dogs from foster homes, cooperating shelters, or another previously approved source.
   Homework is then done with a familiar dog, or we agree on rules for working with an assigned dog.
   If you wish to choose this option, please inform us as early as possible.
   All details are discussed individually.

3. The exam is the same for everyone.
   However, considering the emotional level, health, and mental/physical condition of each dog, we allow extra preparation time when needed.

4. In the case of dogs with behavioral problems, or if such issues arise during the course, the training plan will be adjusted individually.

5. Participants are responsible for their dogs, both during training and when the dogs remain alone in hotel rooms.
   The organizers are not liable for any damages caused by participants’ dogs.

6. Aggressive dogs that may pose a safety risk will not be admitted to classes.
   Participants with aggressive dogs must undergo a preliminary qualification consultation, and they will be required to sign a safety declaration, including the use of training equipment appropriate for working with aggressive dogs.

7. Accommodation – at participants’ own expense.

8. Meals – at participants’ own expense.

9. We conduct classes in the following languages: Polish, English, French, Ukrainian

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE COURSE FEE

• Level 1 Instructor Course

• Certificate: Dog Training Instructor – Level I Specialization
  (Before receiving the certificate, a copy of a secondary school or university diploma must be provided.)

• HCCR Communication Workshop (zoosemiotics) – Ethoplanet certificate included!

• First Aid for Companion Animals – Ethoplanet certificate included!

• Medical Training – Ethoplanet certificate included!

• Basics of Nosework

• OP Therapy Workshop

• 10 hours of practical training at our ranch under the supervision of experienced trainers and zoopsychologists

• First exam attempt – included in the price

• Each additional attempt: 250 PLN

(Legal basis: Act of December 22, 2015 on the Integrated Qualifications System (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2017, item 986, as amended); Act of August 21, 1997 on Animal Protection (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2017, item 1840, as amended); Regulation of the Minister of National Education of April 13, 2016 on the characteristics of the second-degree descriptors of the Polish Qualifications Framework for vocational qualifications – levels 1–8 (Journal of Laws item 537); Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of August 7, 2014 on the classification of occupations and specialties for the labor market (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2018, item 227).)

LOCATION

Lavender Ranch Ethoplanet
08-445 Czarnowiec, Czarnowiec 28, Osieck Municipality
https://goo.gl/maps/hKz3w49STUdNuVJz7

Recommended Accommodation

Hotel Pod Sosnami – 4 km from the training venue
08-445 Osieck, ul. Warszawska 68
Phone: +48 25 685 70 14
https://noclegi.pl/hotel-pod-sosnami**-osieck
https://e-turysta.pl/hotel-pod-sosnami-osieck-117582.html

Transport

From Warsaw:
Train from Warszawa Śródmieście station to Otwock (approx. 35 minutes).
Then take the Wołoszka bus line to Osieck (there are two stops; get off at the “Rynek” stop).

For participants without a car, we provide transport from Hotel Pod Sosnami to the training venue.
Transport from Garwolin may also be arranged.