What are the qualifications of a CAAB/ACAAB?

Sharing your home with an animal can be one of the most rewarding experiences when things are going well and one of the most challenging experiences when things are not. When things go badly, many pets find themselves relinquished to shelters or passed along with their problems to another family where the cycle often repeats itself. Fortunately, there are other options.

As the leading professional organization in North America for the study of animal behavior, the Animal Behavior Society (ABS) provides a trusted board-certified framework that demonstrates to the public that certain individuals meet the minimum standards of education, experience and ethics required of a professional applied animal behaviorist as set forth by the Society. Trained and experienced, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB) are both academically and experientially equipped to help.

CAABs have advanced graduate degrees in the science of animal behavior and have met the requirements of the ABS by demonstrating a completion of six to ten years of formal academic experience leading to a Master's degree for an Associate CAAB (ACAAB) or Doctoral degree for a formal CAAB (FCAAB), hands-on experience, and adherence to ethical standards. While anybody can call themselves a "behaviorist" or "behavior consultant", individuals certified by the ABS have demonstrated the necessary formal academic preparation and experience that signifies them as area experts.