Summary Information

• Ethology Academy offers a variety of courses:
• Basic Courses,
• Advanced Courses,
• a Grooming Business Course and the
• Animal Assisted Activity Course.
• All the courses are year courses, running from February – November.
• All courses are certificate courses.
• All courses are essentially done via correspondence.
• Enrolment commences on 7 January every year and concludes on 28 February.

The Basic Courses

Ethology Academy offers Basic Animal Behaviour courses in four different companion animal species namely dogs, cats, horses or birds (parrots). These certificate courses all consists of four modules and stretch over one calendar year. The Basic courses are essentially conducted through distance learning, but students also get the opportunity to attend a seminar on the species they have enrolled for. The seminars are annually presented at different venues in the country (Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Banana Beach on the Natal South Coast).  For the Basic Course, attendance of a seminar is recommended, but not compulsory. The enrolment fee for this course is R5000. The seminar attendance fee is included in the enrolment fee but the student is responsible for his own travel and accommodation expenditures. More on courses for dogs, cats, horses or birds.

Add-on Courses
Students who have completed the Basic Course (or are currently enrolled for the Basic Course in any one of the options) can ‘add-on’ by enrolling for a second/third species.  The cost of an ‘add-on’ is 50% (R2500) of the full course fee (The enrolment for the ‘Add-on’ courses closes at the end of May of every year). More ...

The Advanced Dog Behaviour Course

The Basic Course: Dogs is a prerequisite for enrolling for the Advanced Behaviour Course: Dogs.  The Advanced Course: Dogs is a one-year certificate course and the attendance of a three-day seminar/workshop is compulsory.  The student has the option of attending this compulsory seminar in either Cape Town or in Pretoria. Enrolment fee for 2010 is R5400. A student can enrol in the same year for the Basic Dog course and the Advanced Course. More ...

The Advanced Cat Behaviour Course

The Basic Course: Cats is a prerequisite before students can enrol for the Advanced Cat Behaviour course.   The Advanced Course: Cats is a one-year certificate course and the attendance of a two- day seminar/workshop is compulsory.  The student has the option of attending this compulsory seminar in either Cape Town or in Pretoria. The enrolment fee for 2010 is R5400.  A student can enrol in the same year for the Basic Cat course and the Advanced Cat Course. More ...

NB:
A student can enrol in the same year for the Advanced Dog course and the Advanced Cat Course. The fee for the Advanced course: Cats is then reduced to R3600.

The Advanced Horse Behaviour Course

The Basic Course: Horses is a prerequisite before students can enrol for the Advanced Horse Behaviour Course. To be successful in this course a student must be familiar with ground work, stable routines and a fairly accomplished rider. The instructors assisting with the practical aspects of this course are all SANEF qualified and SANEF guidelines are adhered to. This course is also a one-year course and the attendance of a three-day seminar/workshop in Pretoria is compulsory.   The enrolment fee for 2010 is R6000.00. NB: a student can enrol in the same year for the Basic Horse course and the Advanced Horse Course. More ...

The Grooming Business Course

This course is aimed at persons already working in the grooming industry, prospective grooms, kennel personnel and pet owners in general.  Attendance of practical workshops (a one day seminar in Pretoria and a two- day workshop in Johannesburg) is compulsory. Students will also be expected to do at least 40 hours of practical work in a grooming facility of their choice. The cost of the course for 2010 is R 5,400.  The Basic Behaviour course (dogs or cats) is strongly recommended before doing this course, but not a prerequisite. More ...

The Animal-Assisted Activity Course

The AAA course is aimed at persons who want to use animals to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities / chronic illness / restricting physical circumstances. The curriculum includes aspects of human behaviour, theoretical foundations for human-animal interaction and the scientific support for Animal assisted activities. Attendance of a two – day seminar in Pretoria is compulsory.   The enrolment fee for 2010 is R5400. The Basic Behaviour course (any of the four species on offer) is strongly recommended before doing this course, but not a prerequisite. More ...