A SHARED VISION
Enhancing and enriching the lives of dogs and their owners is a goal for all the members of the Charter group, including the International Canine Behaviourists.
Enhancing and enriching the lives of dogs is the aim of the International Canine Behaviourists.
In this series, we’re introducing you to the organisations that make up the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter, a new group intent on bringing the behaviour and training professions together for the benefit of dogs and dog owners.
Every single one of these organisations ensures its members adhere to the highest professional standards, and work using the most up-to-date, science-based, and positive methodology.
This month the spotlight falls on the International Canine Behaviourists (ICB); we spoke to the organisation’s Chair, Brigitte Barton.
Q
How did the ICB start?
BB: “I guess the reason behind starting International Canine Behaviourists goes back further than I care to say! From six months of age I was completely hooked on dogs — Ivo, our Cocker Spaniel, was my best friend! We shared everything; my sledge in winter, my daily school walk, even my bananas! So, Ivo was a major influence on me and I subsequently went on to have dogs throughout adulthood.
But my fascination with behaviour, and my passion for helping dogs who were suffering in any way, was triggered by a beautiful dog called Chief. He was a Border Collie, an ex-farm dog, who came to me 20 years ago, and he was a biter. He was clearly experiencing extreme difficulty and it was this that motivated me to begin my canine behaviour studies. Sadly, we
had to let Chief go; frontal lobe epilepsy was the suspected cause of his biting, which was pretty much a daily occurrence. But my love for studying the behaviour of dogs continued and the rest is history, as they say! There are obviously various organisations aimed at canine training and behaviour, but I, and ICB’s other founding members, felt that there was always something missing, something not quite hitting the complete and deep ethical awareness that we share. So, we created ICB in order to fulfil this need.”
Q
How does the ICB work?
BB: “As our name suggests, ICB is an organisation focusing on behaviour. Our members are all able to train new behaviours in dogs of course, but they are committed to understanding all
the possible root causes of behaviour, assessing the why, who, when, where and then developing a highly individual programme for dog and owner. Emotions play such a fundamental role in the output of behaviours, and we are passionate about recognising the various emotional states that dogs are experiencing, and helping them to alter these into positive, fulfilling feelings. As well as this, we all have a strong desire to help the dog-owning public to truly understand their companions. There is, sadly, still so much misinformation being circulated — on TV, in newspapers, on social media — and it really is time that we left out-dated ideas behind. We’re so lucky to have access to a wealth of scientific research, which is expanding our knowledge to an amazing extent.”
Q
How are your members accredited?
BB: “Our members have all been through an application process that includes a face-to-face interview (or during the pandemic, a video call!), which allows us to get to know them, and vice versa, in order for us to mutually decide whether they will fit within the organisation. Our high welfare and ethical standards are rigid, and as such, our members are passionate about working without fear or pain, without aversive equipment, and only in ways that the dogs and their owners are comfortable with, and a pace at which they can succeed.”
Q
What do new or aspiring professionals get out of ICB membership?
BB: “ICB’s membership experience is a very supportive, educational, and community minded one. Some of our members join us initially as affiliates, while they are still studying and building their business. Each member is assigned a mentor, and this is extremely popular, as starting out as a behavioural consultant can be so daunting! By nurturing them through these stages, we hope to provide them with all the resources they need, and also there’s always a friendly face to turn to.”
Q
How do your members stay up-to-date?
BB: “Continuing professional development (CPD) is so important to us! There is so much new research happening all the time, new ideas, new ways of approaching things, and none of us ever stops learning, however long we’ve been doing this! Ultimately, the more we can develop our knowledge on an ongoing basis, the more we can help our clients and their dogs. We really enjoy offering CPD and we invite anyone to join us for our regular webinars, along with our members. It’s always a really enjoyable session that allows people to ask questions and give feedback. The subject matter is diverse — sometimes it surrounds behavioural issues such as separation anxiety, fence fighting, learned helplessness; sometimes it’s veterinary issues, or diet-related, or it could be how we form good working relationships with our clients, how to build our self-confidence — a whole array of things!”
Q
Why did you get involved with the Charter group?
BB: “Joining forces with the eight other founding members of the Charter was really important to us. For so long this industry has been unregulated, and there are so many logos and acronyms out there that it becomes very difficult for dog owners to know who to trust, and what any of them mean. We feel that creating an ‘umbrella’ for a range of organisations, all sharing the same ethos, extremely high standards of practice, and a shared vision for the future, means that we can begin to bring the industry together. The
Charter’s ‘green tick’ is a recognisable symbol to anyone searching for a trusted authority. We feel that competition is unnecessary in this field — there are far too many dogs displaying behaviours as a result of emotional compromise, while on the positive side, there are many owners who are keen to learn how to work with their dogs in a fear and force-free way.
As a group, we don’t mind who gets to help them, as long as it’s someone who is practising with a solid knowledge base, who is conscientious and ethical, with welfare at the forefront of their approach.”
Q
What kind of dogs and owners does the ICB deal with?
BB: “We are very pleased to welcome all clients and their dogs with any behavioural issues, and indeed there are many different views on what a behavioural issue actually is! We are happy to work with those who feel that their dog’s digging up of the garden is an issue — just as we are with those with full-blown fear-aggression.
“Our members are our ambassadors and the key to enhancing and enriching the lives of dogs and their owners. Under normal circumstances we visit clients in their home in order to observe them together with their dog(s) in their usual environment. This provides the best insight into their day-to-day lives, and also helps them to feel at ease during our consultation.
“By meeting the dogs and talking to their owners in-depth about the behaviours they are seeing, as well as various possible contributory factors like history, diet, medical conditions, family set-up, changes to routine, and such like, we can really begin to understand them. As medical conditions can sometimes be causal factors in behaviour, we always ask clients to have their dog checked by a vet before commencing with any remedial work.”
Q
How can people find out more about the ICB?
BB: “Visit our website www.icbglobal.net where you can find a behaviourist, and a whole host of other information.”