Learners in the Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist certificate program receive comprehensive education, training, and practical experience with canines in order to ethically incorporate canines into their professional treatment strategies.

Three areas of competence with canines are emphasized throughout the program:

• Ethics
• Knowledge
• Skills

Learners in the Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist endorsement program will:

• Evaluate their personal biases and preferences, then apply that greater self-knowledge to implications for their professional practice with canines

• Improve their understanding of canine behavior and welfare needs across a wide spectrum of canines, then apply their understanding of canines to their professional practice

• Develop skills to not only select and train a canine initially for inclusion in animal-assisted work, but also to perform on-going, continuous behavior and welfare assessments

• Develop a thorough understanding of the concept of informed consent as it applies to the canine(s) they work with in their professional practice across the canine lifespan