This Scholarship Program is based on the honor system.
I offer a lot of free resources to help pet owners and animal professionals get happier animals that are reasonably well behaved and thrive with people.
But some of my courses are paid. These paid courses constitute my living and fund the production of my free courses and all the other free educational content that I create. I’m really grateful to host a global audience, and I’m acutely aware of the vast range of economic realities that my audience is facing.
So, I’m offering scholarships – I don’t want financial constraints to limit people’s access to this information!
This Getting Emotions Scholarship program is based on the honor system. Please, only submit an entry for a potential scholarship if it’s truly needs-based. I’m entrusting you — on your honor — to apply for a scholarship because without it, taking the course would not be financially possible right now.
In my selection efforts, I’ll strive to focus on finding candidates that can somehow make an impact in their community – among animals and people. Check out the details below, and get to it.
The Getting Behaviour Scholarship Program.
What it is: Complimentary access to the Getting Behaviour Course – the Foundations of Animal Training.
How to be considered: Read the following questions and post your answer in the comments below.
Make sure your response is 250 words or less.
- In which country do you live?
- How many animals would directly or indirectly benefit from your taking the course?
- Do you do any animal-related teaching?
- If admission to the Getting Behaviour course landed in your lap, how would it help you, the animals in your care or your community? What difference would it make to you and the animals and people around you?
Everything You Need to Know
- You apply with a written comment below. Yes, it must be public. No email entries will count.
- Answer the four questions above.
- Limit your total word count to 250 – longer applications will be disqualified. If you’re unsure of whether you’re at the limit, count them here.
- I’ll award a number of scholarship seats; a specific number is not predetermined.
- The entry deadline for this scholarship is Wednesday, November 27th at midnight PST, and the recipients will be notified on Thursday.
- No purchase is necessary to receive a scholarship.
- I’m the judge and my decision is subjective and final.
- Remember: I’m looking for heart, compassion, drive and the ability to follow directions. Show me how this course will help you create meaningful change.
I can’t wait to see your entry!
ps – when you write your entry, it might not become visible immediately – you might just be brought to the top of the page. No worries, the comment is in limbo waiting for approval, which should occur within 12 hours. If it’s been more than 15 hours and you still don’t see it, let me know!
Dear Karolina,
This is Mother Mary Veronica Fitch of the Franciscan Congregation of Divine Mercy from the United States. I believe thousands of animals would benefit from my taking this course because I could learn to teach the basics better. In the end the basics are what the people we help need the most. I am somewhat of a training nerd, I know I could obtain a more solid foundation through taking this course and they would too. I work with animals and families- especially children, all of whom have been traumatized. We also now have 4 human members in our community. The young aspirants or sisters to be, need a good foundation. I am 61 now and I need to train them well so they can continue the work after me, as it is so deeply needed. Animals are wonderful and have an amazing gift for healing people. The people too, help the animals to heal, opening the way to a happy and mutually enriching life.
We seek to become a worldwide Catholic religious order. My taking this course could benefit very many people and animals. By God’s grace we are changing lives.
Your courses have deeply affected my life and outlook. Because of what I’ve learned I am a far kinder human being and this kind ness is spreading. God bless you Karolina for considering me for a scholarship, You have changed lives!
I’m Liz and I live in the UK.
The direct beneficiaries of the learning would be the 10 rescue cats I am guardian to, which includes 2 semi feral FIV colony boys. I am also currently fostering a semi feral mum cat and 2 kittens whilst we are waiting for rescue space. I also do some part time work as a catsitter, so any learning could also directly benefit those cats I visit.
Indirectly, it would benefit many others as I am a volunteer Scan Angel, which means I scan found animals for microchips to try and get them home.
Whilst I don’t directly do any animal teaching, I do try and signpost people on Facebook and Nextdoor. I firmly believe in sharing the knowledge I have acquired, as it helps me to help more cats that way.
With the extra knowledge I would gain from the course, it would help me enrich the lives of the cats who live with me and also those cats I look after. In the wider community, it would allow me to continue to share the knowledge on sites, particularly where it may help prevent someone from relinquishing a pet. Longer term I would like to set up a feral sanctuary or volunteer for rescues, so the course would allow me to understand the cats better but also how to help maximise their chances of finding their happy ever after.
I live in the Unites States and I have been working as a Veterinary Professional for 18 years. In more recent years, I have started my journey to become a Feline Behavior Consultant. I am a certified cat trainer through Animal Behavior College, certified cat friendly professional, and certified fear free Veterinary professional. I have been working under a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant for 2 years, and I feel this course could benefit me by explaining the technical and educational terms and methods in a format other than observing another person’s consultation. If I was able to have this scholarship, it would benefit all the cats and dogs that I see at my clinic, but also the cats I hope to have in the future with my own consultations. Thank you for your consideration.
I live in Sweden and if I were to be admitted to the Getting Behaviour course I honestly believe that uncountable animals would benefit both directly and indirectly from it. Let me explain:
I teach new dog owners how to train and take care of their pooches (non-profit) at my local working dog club. With the learnings from your course I would be at a much better position to find solutions to behavioural problems, find new ways to teach and it will most likely give me a stronger confidence teaching it.
The knowledge and practical training I can give the puppy owners will probably stay with them for their future animals to benefit from, as much as the dog they currently have.
1. Portugal.
2. Directly, 20 animals of my own (dogs, horses, donkey, cats…). Indirectly, dozens of clients and animals, potentially hundreds, would benefit from the improved understanding of animal behavior I would gain and share through personal lessons and training, and online coaching.
3. Yes, I’m a certified natural horsemanship instructor. I work a lot with positive reinforcement with the animals I train, and I’m passionate about liberty training!
4. If I were granted this opportunity, it would profoundly impact my ability to help both the animals in my care and the people I work with. I am deeply committed to help animals and humans find a true connection, with a relationship based on trust, respect, and communication. This course would provide me with a scientific framework for understanding behavior, allowing me to offer more effective, compassionate solutions to behavioral challenges.
For the animals, this would enhance my ability to address issues like trauma, anxiety, and fear, promoting their emotional well-being and helping them thrive. With a deeper understanding of how animals think and feel, I could meet each animal’s unique needs, fostering healthier relationships.
Also, it would allow me to share science-based methods with owners and trainers, empowering them to resolve behavioral issues with kindness and patience. I could create lasting, meaningful change, helping animals and people build stronger, positive bonds. My drive to improve and grow, combined with this knowledge, would enable me to make a real difference in the lives of both animals and their human partners.
1. I live in Portugal.
2.By taking this course, I would directly benefit my 8 horses, 1 donkey, and 6 dogs, as well as indirectly benefit dozens of other animals mine or another people. With a deeper understanding of animal behavior, I could improve my approach to their training, care, and communication. This course would provide me with tools to address behavioral challenges more effectively, ensuring each animal receives the individualized attention they need. Additionally, it would help me develop a more compassionate and empathetic approach, creating a calmer and more positive environment for all of them.
3.Yes, I am actively involved in teaching others about animal care. I guide individuals in managing horses and dogs, focusing on building trust, understanding non-verbal cues, and using positive reinforcement techniques. I share my knowledge of animal behavior to help others improve their relationships with animals, aiming for mutual respect and understanding.
4.If admitted to the course, the impact would be profound for me, the animals, and the broader community. I would be better equipped to address behavioral issues, leading to happier, healthier animals. This knowledge would help me strengthen my bond with each animal, improving their quality of life. I could also pass on this valuable information to others in my community, teaching them how to approach animal care with patience, respect, and understanding. This course would empower me to make a meaningful difference, not only for the animals I care for but also for the people who interact with them.
So, you already know a bit of my background. (Unemployed for three years, living on the countryside with my guard dog mix that has a lot of health issues and is reactive, i have taken dog training courses at our community college and i was teaching aqility for our aqility club so we could train for free and determent to work with dogs just to sum it up) I am still home unemployed, but i took one more course of dog training in our community college. I have also gotten myself an internship at a dog trainig academy that will start january. So going forward strong I started to think about this Getting behaviour course as i was going through your amazing course of Advanced Animal Training. I felt like this would be the next natural step and the topic of the course is soooo interesting! I really wish i could buy your course cos i know it would be worth it. Thank you for everything so far and i hope to see you at Getting behaviour
I live in Lithuania.
I work with 10-30 different dogs every month, either directly or online.
I have been working as a dog trainer for more than 10 years, although recently I’ve been less active in my field.
If I take the course, I believe it would help me regain my motivation to work with dogs and their owners again. I mainly work with reactive dogs, and I’ve become a bit fed up with the same old problems. I believe I have a strong foundation in training, but sometimes I struggle to find the right approach to reach the owner’s mindset and spark their willingness to change their behavior in order to improve how their pets act. This leads to burnout. I know that without a motivated trainer, it’s hard for the owners as well. Lectures, workshops, and seminars have always helped me keep going, but recently, I feel that many of the events I’ve attended haven’t been as valuable.
I don’t want to stop training, but at the same time, I feel that something new is needed—a new approach, a new community, and science-based discussions.
I wasn’t going to apply until I saw your Facebook post. And thought, why not. Even though I have been lucky enough with one course previously. I live in Norway. I have had some government sponsorship for a dog trainer course locally which ends in two weeks. But I want to learn more. I am education junkie I suppose. So far I have not charged for any consulting og training I have helped others with. I have been helping people over the phone, offered support and advice online on messenger and in groups, and had one home visit, helping my family and friends too of course. What I really need is how to teach and speak their language, which it seems this class offers as a benefit aswell as learning all basics. After reading your blog WTF I realized there is a lot more understanding and learning to be had for me. I have some functional disabilities which has made me unable to work for some time now and I’m hoping to start working part time helping people in the future. I will continue to take on cases for people who can’t afford to pay. Because I know exactly what it’s like and how important this is for the animals welfare, as is the owners. How many animals exactly I couldn’t say, but not a low number. Thank you for the time. – Margarita Aurora
The three horses that owns me and I live in Sweden.
They would all benefit from me taking this course and be being able to use the knowledge I gain together with them. I also hope I will be able to use this course as a starting point in what I hope will be my new career as an instructor in horse behaviour and horse ethics. This would help a lot more horses to a better life with their owners.
I believe everything you do with animals is somehow teaching them things. It’s my responsibility as their human to make sure the animals in my care are prepared for whatever the world might throw at them. I would love to help others do this as well. I haven’t done any teaching for money, but I gladly help anyone who asks for advice. If I get admitted to this course I hope to feel more secure in my knowledge, to be able to explain better why we do what we do and why we get results. My dream is to help horses and owners to be their best selves together and I am sure this course would help me move closer to that dream. Coincidencidently I have just gotten a lot of time on my hands but not a lot of money why this scholarship felt perfect in time.
Hello,
My Name is Zac I live in South Australia and I am a volunteer instructor at Canine Behaviour School and Woodville Communtiy Dog Training Centre (both not-for-profit community dog training facilities) and I also work in dog boarding at Beaus Pet Hotel.
I have a degree in animal behaviour and I’m relatively new to the dog training world but I really enjoy it and want to learn and do more with it.
I think this course would be very valuable with the dogs I interact with at work to give them the best care I am able to. I instruct or assist in, usually, 5 classes a week (between the 2 places I volunteer) of various skill levels, beginers with puppies to older dogs sharpening their skills. The more I learn the better I can teach the people in class and the better lifes their dogs live (hopefully). At some point in the future I also want to start my own dog training buisness and this course would give me so much information I can put to use and confidence to teach.
Thank you for your consideration for this scholorship, have fun with the course hopefully I will see you there.
Regards Zac
Dear Karolina
I am living in Denmark where I train and educate my own horses and other people’s horses through many years now. I’ve always believed that the horses are my best teachers and I love learning more deeply about ‘the way of the horses’. I would really love to incorporate more fun and natural understanding into horse training and your approach through your webinars and educations I find very inspiring.
My passion is helping committed riders understand their horses better and become loving and enjoyable companions for their horse partners on their journey together. I also love helping riders find the horse who suits them the best and help them getting a good start together.
If I got the scholarship, I would be able to influence not only my own horses’ wellbeing but also the horses that I encounter on a weekly basis when I teach and help other riders out and when I train horses. I am a mentor for a couple of young riders who work with horses and they would also benefit from my knowledge.
I used to write blog posts about horse training and I would like to write about what I encounter on the Getting Behavior Course just as I would post info on my instagram profile where most of my followers are riders.
Thank you for offering scholarships. It is a wonderful idea that I hope to be able to pass on with my contribution to young riders
Hello, I’m Amanda, and I live in the USA in rural West Virgina. In my area, there is a definite shortage of positive-reinforcement based training and learning options for dogs. Most local trainers are of the dominance-based, shock or prong collar mentality, which is terribly sad. A friend and I are trying to change that, one dog at a time. We own Your Proper Pooch Dog Training LLC, a small positive reinforcement training school. I have a background in Assistance Dog training, and she has experience rehabilitating rescue dogs. We work hard to advocate for the dogs that are brought to us, and to teach their owners alternatives to aversive training methods. We usually see about 75-100 dogs per year, give or take a few. We work with a variety of dogs, from new puppies brimming with promise, to rescue dogs that need to learn to trust again. We teach basic manners, tricks and obedience, and help clients with Therapy Dog and Assistance Dog training as well. We work hard to make learning fun for both the dogs and their people. I would love to be awarded a scholarship for the Getting Behaviors Course. Learning more about training and building relationships with animals is a passion of mine, and I love putting this into practice with my own six dogs, as well as with client dogs. A scholarship would therefore benefit not only myself and my personal dogs, but also the clients and the dogs we serve.
I live in the U.S. and work in the Behavior department at a shelter. An average of 200 dogs/cats at a time will benefit. I teach dog training classes and privates to the public and volunteers, work with dogs and cats at the shelter, am a mentor to 7 people in our department, and provide adoption counseling for behavior cats and dogs. With a deeper understanding of behavior I can share that knowledge with my clients and mentees, implementing new protocols to help the shelter animals experience less stress during their stay here which helps them get adopted sooner, and helping animals already adopted to stay in their homes.
I have a good amount of experience working with both dogs and cats with behavioral issues, but I know there is so much more to learn! Sometimes I look back at when I started helping people with their animals, and I wish I knew then what I know now, so I could have helped them more, so I’m always looking to learn and grow. It may sound kinda mushy, but I truly do want to help more people live in harmony with their animals. More knowledge and implementation of that knowledge can mean the difference between life and death, sometimes it just means the people and animals will live together more peacefully, both are huge winners to me.
Hello, my name is DeAnne and I live in the United States.
Taking this course would directly benefit the 10 animals that are under my care. Indirectly, it would benefit a lot more! All of my friends and family come to me first for any animal advice. I also foster cats and kittens with my local humane society. I have fostered dozens of animals to date.
I don’t do any animal related teaching right now, but I plan to in the future! This training can help me get closer to launching my own cat behavior business which will help countless others in the future. I intend to pay it forward and will offer scholarships, too, once I get well established.
All of the cats that I care for are feral or former feral cats. Because of this, they are all shy. Learning more about training and behavior would help me figure out the best way to teach them and give them confidence. This, of course, makes a huge difference in how adoptable these cats are, and keeping them in their homes once adopted, so it impacts their lives so much.
Having this extra knowledge would make a big difference to me, my friends and family, the foster programs I volunteer for, and my future clients. It would be great to be able to know more to help more people and their animals.
Hello,
I’m Melissa and I live in Belgium. I’ve started my own dog training business this year and am studying to become a dog behaviorist. I’m looking to expand my knowledge to be able to better help my clients and their dogs.
When I first became a dog owner, I was facing a lot of challenges and became passionate about dogs and their behavior. I went looking for answers but quickly became aware of all the misinformation out there. I was struggling to find a professional to help with training and raising my dog, as I was looking for a professional that had the necessary education and knowledge to substantiate their training. I hope I can make a difference through thorough, science based education in a profession that is sadly not regulated. In order to gain more practical experience in dog training, I also volunteer at a non-profit organization that offers dog training at a low cost.
I’ve spent this year growing my business in dog training and next year, I’ll also open my home to dog boarding. I’ve chosen to limit the number of boarded dogs to a maximum three dogs at the time, so I can meet their personal needs and requirements and provide an environment that has a positive contribution to their stress levels during boarding. I believe the knowledge from this course will support me also in this part of my business.
Thanks in advance for considering me for this scholarship, I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
Hello,
My name is Sergej and I live in Croatia. I have been volunteering with a therapy dog for 10 years as part of the R.E.A.D. program at the Association for Guide Dog Training and Mobility. The knowledge I would gain from this training would directly help dozens of dogs we train each year to become therapy, guide and assistance dogs in the processes of socialization, training and later in the work itself. As we are the only non-profit organization in Croatia that deals with assigning assistance dogs, therapy dogs and guide dogs and the waiting lists are large, education would significantly improve the training processes and other activities related to dogs. The budgets we have for education are very modest. The impact on the community, individuals, animals of each assigned dog to a person with disabilities, institution… is immeasurable and that is what drives us forward.
I live in DK with my alaskan klee kai, Saga. My passions are dogs and people (especially kids). I’m a newly voluntary (certified) dog trainer in a voluntary association (DcH Nivå) where the cost of training is low, so more people and dogs can benefit. I love to share knowledge about how to make animals thrive, and how to built a positive relationship (and what great benefits it ensures for both dog and owner). We’re about a 100 members, and I have a class a week with 6 dogs and people. On dec 7th for example I’m teaching to the whole association about noise phobia (that I learned from you at Hund360). I’m also currently studying to become a dog behaviourist. This course would help me to become a more experienced dog trainer, with great new knowledge and a broader and deeper view on training and guardianship. I’m just crazy about animals, and my BIG dream is to write books to children about dog behaviour. I hope the difference would be to feel more secure as a dog trainer, as I’m still new in the game, and I so want dogs to feel good in our strange world. I’m so hoping to be even more excited about animal behaviour. Kind regards Ina Raahauge
Hi,
My name is Natalie and I live in Australia. I am a foster carer in dog rescue and have also completed a course in canine remedial massage. My family and I are very passionate about dog rescue and have had the privilege of fostering 21 dogs so far. We also have our own dog who we adopted 2 years ago. We are always researching and sharing information we discover with foster carers to be able to help the dogs in our care begin to live the life they deserve. We have seen first-hand how understanding a dogs behaviour can transform their lives and our relationship with them. We would love to do this behaviour course to help us on our fostering journey and be the best carers we can be. We want to make a difference to as many dogs as we can. I will teach my children all that I learn as they are so passionate about helping dogs. We will all share what we are learning with our fellow foster carers to increase knowledge and help us understand the hundreds of dogs in foster care as well as those who adopt from us.
I would also be able to use and share this knowledge when I start treating dogs through remedial massage in the new year. It will be very important for me to have a good understanding of dog behaviour when meeting new patients and making them feel as comfortable as possible during treatment.
I’m a certified clinical animal behaviorist based in Belgium. Through my business, I support pet owners and adopters, and I dedicate an great amount of time to pro bono work, providing expertise to shelters. I regularly teach animal-related skills in workshops and community sessions, while also sharing knowledge through newsletters and social media.
The “Getting Behaviour” course would create a significant, far-reaching ripple effect, benefitting countless animals and their caregivers. It would allow me to equip volunteers with practical tools, improve animal welfare, and enhance adoption success. With deeper knowledge, I could better train shelter volunteers, making animals more comfortable and adoptable in various environments. This advanced training would allow for more precise, effective behavior modifications tailored to each animal’s needs.
Our local shelter is currently at risk of closing, but a group of dedicated volunteers have secured funds to save it. I’m committed to paying it forward by teaching essential training techniques like clicker training, cooperative care, and pattern games. We also want to provide a course for new adopters, so they have the necessary knowledge about their animal.
By sharing effective methods and information with the community, my goal is to make compassionate, informed animal care accessible to all. For me, this course is about creating meaningful change – empowering caregivers, educating adopters, and ensuring that every animal has the opportunity to thrive, whether in a home or a shelter. It’s about strengthening the bond between animals and people, leading to happier and healthier lives for both
Hi. My name is Liz and I live in Toledo, OH USA. I have 3 dogs, 2 cats and 6 chickens that would benefit directly from my learning more. I also manage 2 Facebook groups with over 5000 members combined. One is a block watch group and the other is a breed specific dog group. Behavior and training are often brought up in both groups and I am looking to give the best and force free advice possible. Unfortunately the US lags on that compared to eu. I am not currently training professionally, but would like to. Getting the scholarship would help me be more informed on the type of training that I want to be doing. Not the way I did 30 years ago. I would be more confident in knowing I was getting the right information out to the public.
I am a teacher of small animal nursing, in Sweden, and in August I’m also going to touch on nursing of horses. And I haven´t worked with horses for twenty years… Crash course much needed.
When I teach I allways keep focus on the animal perspective, but I want to learn more, and the ”small tips’n trix’ in the world of understanding one another”.
I have one dog, one cat, and two donkeys at home, and I very much live together with them appreciating our bond of respect and love.
I hope of going to Gambia for a couple of weeks volountaring at a rescue of donkeys and horses and hospital for all kind of animals early spring. I will also teach and try to spread my knowlege to the people -young and old- I will meet there.
I so hope, cross my fingers even, to get to attend the behaviour course and am ready for it landing in my lap, promising to spread the knowlege. The number of potential recipiants of the spred knowlege is impossible to asses. A lot is a good measurment.
Best regards, Anna-Karin
Hi Karolina!
I have started Angel’s Dog School and I have got a large work area in southern and central Sweden I meet people every day with preconceived notions about animals, but my target is dogs. I started by having a few customers every week and now after 6 months there are more and more people who are interested in learning to understand their dogs. This week I have personally met and talked about my business to 160 people and I make progress every week. But the most important is that people hear that today we know much more about animals feelings and needs.
An important part is to tell people that we can train and think in a more adjusted way. I was prepared for dominance, but not that people in 2024 actually believe that dogs don’t have sensation in their skin or claws, that’s crazy! It scares me!
I teaches and talks a lot about dog language and plays with people to show how crazy it gets.
I work a lot with the play between owner and dog.
I am also writing a material about how children and dogs can socialize in a safe way.
I encounter problems daily I wish that I could give more dogs a better life. Knowledge is power and it takes training to face old prejudices and change in the long term. It would be fantastic to have support in my journey.
My name is Maria Larsson, and I reside in Sweden. I have two dogs and two pionus parrots that would benefit from this program. Additionally, I am in the process of establishing a parrot rescue organization, and this program would be extremely beneficial in achieving my goal of training and finding suitable homes for these parrots.
Animal training is one of my greatest passions, and I currently use clicker training methods. If I were fortunate enough to participate in this course, I believe I could significantly improve the lives of numerous parrots, including those I already own, and strengthen our relationships.
Furthermore, I would be able to assist individuals with “problem” parrots by providing training guidance, enabling them to keep their pets and potentially reducing the number of parrots that are rehomed
My name is Fie and I live in Denmark. I´m a dogtrainer and behaviourist. Many dogs and owner all over Denmark will benefit from me getting this course. I have dogtraining and help people with behaviorproblems, so hopefully I would be able to get all the good stuff out to as many as possible. And who ever who want to hear me out. I live on my own with my dogs and unfortunately I can´t work full time so the money is small. I´ll do my best to get the word out both on my webside, facebook and instragram
I live in South Australia and I am a Volunteer Instructor at the Canine Behavioral School in Adelaide. I work with a wide variety of puppies and handlers so I want to learn more about what helps animals and humans to understand each other and work together. I have been volunteering at CBS for five years now and I really enjoy being able to help humans communicate with their dogs and form a beautiful bond and a wonderful friendship.
Last year I completed your Challenging Behaviour Course and that has been very beneficial in helping people and dogs in my CBS classes as well as many people in my community. My dog and I do a 7km walk every day and I see so many people create problems with their dogs and then they don’t have the skills to remedy the situation. Having completed your course, I have been able to help them to work through their issues and develop a beautiful relationship with their dog.
Christmas time is when I see a lot of new puppies appear in my community so the Getting Behaviour course looks like a wonderful learning opportunity to assist people in my community to develop a wonderful relationship with their new puppy. It’s much easier to teach the puppy how to live with its human than to remedy issues that cause frustration for both.
I live in England. The animals that would directly or indirectly benefit from me taking the course cannot be counted as I help as many people and their companions that I can. This includes vulnerable people that don’t have access to a trainer / cannot afford one and people online who post in groups, desperate for guidance. I rescue and rehab wildlife also, while helping vulnerable people in the community. All of which are on their own learning journey in a time and place. Even a moment can make all the difference to what comes next. How a moment is approached can change a paths direction.
I engage in animal related teachings where I have the opportunity to educate. For example; It can be a spontaneous act if I see a person struggling to walk a pulling dog, it can be coaching someone on catching and/or caring for injured wildlife, it can be online when voicing opinion on a canine behaviour problem. I seize opportunities to teach people better ways of communicating with animals and living alongside them. My time is free and I use it wisely to ensure the people that need it most, are not left behind.
Getting admission to the course if it simply landed in my lap, would help me to help others in my local community and online. It would further educate me and I’d be better able to change more lives through the power of kindness and knowledge combined.
I live in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
My two dogs—a rescue and a working-line German Shepherd—would directly benefit from my participation in the course. Additionally, as a volunteer at local animal shelters, I work with many dogs in need of behavioral rehabilitation and care. Through this, over 30 animals, including both my own and those at shelters, would benefit either directly or indirectly.
Yes, I assist dog owners and shelter staff by providing guidance on improving dog behavior. This includes helping adoptive families transition shelter dogs into their homes and educating them on training techniques.
Admission to the Getting Behaviour course would be transformative for me, my dogs, and the broader animal welfare community. For my own dogs, it would help refine my understanding of their unique behavioral needs, enhancing their quality of life. For shelter animals, I could implement advanced strategies to address behavioral challenges, increasing their chances of adoption. This would also enable me to guide shelter staff more effectively and improve the long-term outcomes for many animals in care. For the community, this knowledge would allow me to empower pet owners with better techniques, fostering stronger relationships between families and their pets. Ultimately, this course would make me a more capable advocate for animals, creating a ripple effect of improved understanding, care, and well-being for countless pets and their owners.
Cheers!
I live in Poland. I am a novice force free gundog trainer / instructor.
I own 4 gundogs: 2 tollers, a labrador, and a springer spaniel. I compete with them in working and tolling tests, and hopefully in field trials in near future. I try to show that with force free methods one can be successful in the gundog world (which is full of aversives). I am fairly successful being the only person in Poland with an elite class (the highest one) toller.
My teaching journey has only started but I do 1:1 and group teaching for 15 people /dogs (regular training sessions) and I organize educational webinars about gundog-related stuff (with no fee for as much as 30 attendees every time). I was invited to do a series of workshops for toller owners in Czechia in 2025. I have a decent reach on Instagram with over 7000 people following (Udorp Gundogs).
The gundog community is quite old-school when it comes to methods. I want to educate people in the community and show them that with more ethical approach one can get good results. Also, I want more gundog owners to be involved in the community. I feel that now many of them is not doing any gundog training because of the popular gundog = hunting = aversive methods association. That is why I focus very much on teaching the foundations appropriately and always seek ways to improve my approach. Getting the scholarship for GB course would help significantly with this.
Hi
My name is Chrissie and I live in the UK. I own one rescue dog with complex needs she has led me to do lots of searching for answers and has put me on a path of growth. I have volunteered in rescue for over 5 years. The first rescue I volunteered in was mainly involved with Romanian dogs and I became curious about the behaviour I saw and took a number of courses to discover more. My current rescue works with mainly British dogs we have about 30 dogs in at one time. The dogs present with many complex challenges and behaviours. . I started as a walk volunteer however now I am increasingly involved in providing enrichment activities and simple training. The more I observe and know the more I become intrigued and the more I realise I don’t know. I am eager to understand dogs more. I believe I have helped many dogs and new adopters over the years sharing the knowledge I have gained. I would love to take this course and really focus my dog study. I have a real dream to have the knowledge and confidence to be able to share my knowledge with other volunteers and new adopters . I do little impromptu sharing but would like the confidence to share information in a knowledgable way and. In a way that people can relate to .Knowledge and understanding of dogs has grown tremendously over the past decade however the knowledge is still new . Many dogs still remain misunderstood , many good kind dog owners find themselves with difficulties partly because of holding onto the knowledge of the past. The new way of viewing the dogs we share our lives with needs to be spread as widely as it can. I would hope that this course would offer me the confidence and knowledge to get out there and share the joy of being a dog owner who is in tune with their pooch.
Hello my name is Brenda Mackenzie and myself and my family run Pampered Pets Scotland Ltd and Highland Canine Coaching. We are a small family business in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands with a fabulous team who are all training at the moment.
I am a qualified coach with IMDT and our ethos is choice training using positive reinforcement and holistic care. We want to learn as much as we can to be able to educate and help as many people as we can to prevent behavioural issues in our wonderful four legged friends and give them a better quality of life so they can feel safe, understood, loved and happy. Through education we can teach all the guardians how to do this and in turn help them to feel knowledgeable, calm and happy allowing them to achieve a life long bond with their dogs. I would love to be chosen to take part in your courses and get further education to be able to help dog and their guardians achieve success. Thank you x
Hello , my name is Melina & i live in Athens ,Greece . I am so gratefull to you Karolina , that i succesfully completed your advanced animal training last April which positively completelly transformed my previous knowledge . I ‘ve been a succesfull dog agility handler & i am the founder & admin of a respected private fb dog group in my country with 1.760 members so far . In the meantime, my soul dog Reyna crossed the rainbow bridge on the 8th of September in my arms , so i haven’t completed the grieving period yet & therefore i am not a dog parent right now as i was back on April 2023 when i started your advanced aminal training courses . I am still eagerly enriching my education every single day as if my angel was here with me . Many dog parents/guardians benefit every day from my teaching & consulting in person or in my group , irrelevantly of any payment .People in my group are gratefull to me as i am to you for my previous scholarship . Thank you Karolina Westlund !
I live in the US. I have 3 dogs. Two of the dogs were essentially dumped on me.
I do not do any animal related teaching.
The course would help me because I can’t walk the dogs together due to pulling and/or aggression. Many days I spend hours walking them separately and I simply do not have that much time to give. I have owned dogs all my life and never had this much trouble. Past dogs were people and animal friendly and a joy to walk or take on outings. They could be off leash and still behave well. Two of the dogs are male siblings and pull terribly. They are strong as bulls and I have to use myself as an anchor. They’ve gotten better with people, but are aggressive to any animals encountered in our rural area. One especially barks at animals on tv. Im afraid they may hurt someone. Most people in the neighborhood are afraid of them. The third is a male lab who finds deer, squirrels, rabbits, etc. irresistible and has pulled me off my feet many times. I hope this course will help transform them into calm, friendly dogs.
I live in Wales. I have no formal qualifications in any animal-related subject and I am not a teacher, so it would be my own dog who would benefit most if I took this course, but I am also a committee member for a local dog showing club, so it could help me advocate for best practices for the many dogs and handlers who attend our shows. My dog is dog reactive (he’s an intact male with a difficult adolescence) and to help him I have had to learn (and unlearn!) a lot, but we are making progress and he is able to enjoy some social encounters now. Because of him, I became very interested in animal behaviour and am now considering a career in dog training and behaviour. For me this course would be a strong step towards learning about animal behaviour, and a fresh start as I move on from being a carer for my mum, who is now in full-time residential care. There are not many behaviourists or even trainers in my area, so there are local opportunities to help people understand and live harmoniously with their animals. For background, I grew up with my mum’s golden retrievers, who were trained using “traditional” methods. As I got older I started to see the behavioural issues these methods had caused. This realisation made me determined to find a better path for my dog, and it is something I would like to help others achieve as well.
Hi, my name is Joana and I live in rural England, UK. I am early on the journey of working professionally with dogs (and in the future, other species) with behavioural challenges, both adaptive and maladaptive. I currently am taking on a mix of clients in my close community for practice and accessibility for a very low fee or for free and paid clients, whilst slowly building a buisness and continuing on a learning journey. At the side I work with human children, many of them very interested in learning more about training too! In addition I do odd jobs unrelated to the field to pay my bills. In the local area we sadly only have “balanced trainers” and I see the fallout from this regularly. I am wanting to do my due diligence to become a knowledgeable and ethical trainer and this course would help with this. My current focus is to hone in on the basics of training, as “advanced training is just the basics done really really well” as Ken Ramirez says, so my aim for this course is both to find gaps in my current knowledge level, the natural progression for my own skill level and to find inspiration in how to teach my clients. Through my close community of non human animals and their caretakers (young and adult) and my clients, I am regularly reaching 1-3 animal learners per week, with the aim of reaching many more in the future and over the years.
1. I live in Australia
2. I’m an animal physio and volunteer with canine behavioral school as an aspiring instructor. I interact with around 30 dogs a week.
3. I’m learning to be an instructor at canine behavioral school and I talk to the dog’s person about lots of things including force/fear free training during the physio appointment . I use training techniques to teach people how to achieve the physio exercises at home.
4. It would help me better understand why the dogs I see might be behaving the way they are, help explain to their people why, and help problem solve it to achieve positive change. Most dogs I see have had a lot of pain for a long time, so there’s a lot going on for them. I want to have the best understanding of dog behaviour so I can explain it well to the people and help them commit to change. I’m passionate about force free and cooperative care and talk about this a lot with clients. I often see dogs who are confused by their person’s ‘balanced’ training methods, and occasionally dogs who are being trained with completely aversive tools like prong collars and choke chains. I’d like to be able to do a better job of helping these people understand why they need to change their techniques.
I live in the U.S. I’m associated with an estimated 135 animals, mostly dogs, through activities such as dog sports, training opportunities, community volunteerism, and neighborhood associations. I train my own dogs and find myself in a position to offer support and positive reinforcement to colleagues, neighbors, family members, and others in dog sports. Through sharing information, research, and positive reinforcement to my humans, subtle and not so subtle changes happened in some of the animals’ lives. I am not an animal trainer by profession, but I am a teacher (of humans) by profession. Positive reinforcement, shaping, and making changes is what I do for a living with the humans. It’s easy to carry those skills into the animal world. The more I know about animal behavior, the more I can intentionally or vicariously be helpful. I believe in the innate goodness of people and know most mean well, but lack knowledge or skill. We all need more skills, empathy, and knowledge to work with our animals…. and our children. Like children, every dog learns and responds differently to various factors. Their body language tells the story and we must learn to read it. Humans can respond with more patience and flexibility if we understand behavior better. Understanding will help build trust and better relationships, and sometimes, safer environments. Always in learning mode, I have frequent opportunities to share. This course will expand my knowledge, deepen my comprehension, and allow me to share more when the opportunity is presented.
I am a dog trainer and have been since 2019. I have 2 spaniels one with osteoarthritis and spondylitis and the other with elbow dysplasia, as you can imagine getting desired behaviours as not been easy but at the same time I have learnt so much and need to learn more.
Hi.
I’m in Australia.
I’m a volunteer dog instructor with our local community not for profit dog training club. I’ve been doing this for 22 years. I’ve tried to stay up to date with positive training techniques and understanding dog behaviours through readings and taking courses. This course scholarship would give me a deeper understanding I’m looking for to assist people to get the behaviours they want from their dogs to live together harmoniously.
I do this because I love dogs and enjoy helping people to understand their dog.
This course would help me to help our club members (over 80 members) to better understand their dogs and their behaviours. We run beginner courses 9 months of the year, so this information would be helping new members coming to learn about their dogs.
This information will also be included with our other volunteer instructors and incorporated into our teaching and learning. We share what we know , when we know more , we can share more…
I look for to hearing from you.
I live in Denmark, and work as a dog trainer. In a year I work with +300 dogs, at puppy class, teen class and an empowerment class. Furthermore, I have 1:1 teaching, I’m studying to be a behaviorist and I plan on doing behavioral training 1:1.
In private I have my English Springer Spaniel, Nori, almost 6 YO. She is an umbrella dog, she has SA, she’s afraid of driving, doesn’t like any kind of husbandry and is a bit jumpy. We are in the process of figuring out what kind of allergy she has.
My own dog would defiantly benefit directly of me taking this course, but the many dogs I work with on a daily basis, would also benefit from the course.
I would love to know more about behavior and help all dogs in my community, both in and out of class. It would be so nice if I could help more when there is behavioral problem in class, sometimes it can be difficult to read the dogs body language in such a short time, so learning even more about emotions would be so wonderful. I also wish to become better at teaching my clients shaping, I feel like people are a bit impatient when it comes to training, so I definitely need some better skills there.
This course would be a huge step up for me, and I really feel like both I and all “my” dogs would benefit from it.
Hi my name is rachael and i run a dog business & charity called Rachaels retreat & rehoming. My aim is to not only help dogs get rehomed in emergency situations but keep them rehomed and not passed from one heartbroken owner to another. A common problem when any dog gets rehomed is the behaviours that then follow from trauma &/or being in a kennel rescue. My charity works to avoid kennel rescues & being PTS. I tranfer the dog from the situation to a foster on stand by and then after being assessed sent for a rehome with me available for any support to keep the dog in that home. Ive been doing this for aprox 1 year and have helped 46 dogs total. Only 4 have been unsuccessful and had 2 or more rehomes. We will grow to hundreds if not thousands in the years to come (im only 27 so ive alot of time to bump these numbers haha!) I do not have the funds for qualifications for what im doing. This makes things alot trickier. I shadow some great trainers, i read ALOT & ive some small attendance certs as they can be cheap and great info. Please consider me for a scholarship so i can learn and pass on to my area, help so many dogs come out of an awful situation into a safe one. One were the owners that want to help actually get the support and knowledge on how to.
Thank you.♥️
Hi, my name is Maria, I am currently living in Italy but planning to move to Germany next year. I have a dog currently but planning on getting a second one. The learning from this course would directly help my dog and the dogs from the shelter I volunteer at as well as potential adoption tutors I help here in Italy as well as in the UK. I volunteer for a rehome NGO.
I am a sort of dog professional (far from being a good one like you) I have done two years of study of dog behavior in Brazil (almost 250 hours) and currently doing a Diploma on Canine Osteopathy. I am hoping to do the CSAT next year to also help with separation anxiety but I feel it is never enough! the knowledge is endless.
If admission to the Getting Behaviour course landed in my lap, I would keep on doing what I am already doing but with more knowledge. I like your perspective on things and have been following your methods regarding noise phobias. I already volunteer as much as my free time allows me to because I simply want to help dogs and owners communicate better. Your GB course would allow me to further deepen my grasp and provide better support to the pups in my community.
I live in a small rural community in Northern CA in the US. I am a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and I volunteer my services to the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino Co.
a non-profit, completely locally funded by donations, I provide training and behavioral consulting for dogs in our care, and fosters, and adopters. This often consists of developing behavioral plans and demonstrating to staff, fosters and adopters how to do hands-on training, but also read body language, management and counseling on how to keep the animals, the public, and other animals safe. We do adoptions to neighboring counties as well. For those adopters, I do video conferences to address behavioral issues that have come up since they took their animal home. The goal is to help them learn what they need to know to have this animal be successful in their homes.
You can visit our shelter page https://mendohumanesociety.com/ Our stats for 2023 showed an annual intake of 1199 animals, 557 of which were dogs and 642 of which were cats. In my discussions with our managers, we’ve set a goal of me branching out to provide training and behavioral support to our cat team, fosters and adopters in 2025. Thus my interest in this course.
I am retired on a fixed income and am in the process of treatment for cancer so funds are taxed presently. I appreciate being considered for a scholarship to help me grow in ways that will help my community.
Hello, my name is Audrone and I live in Lithuania. I have no specific animal-teaching related sertificates, all my experience comes from some private lessons with behaviourists in my country.
I have a reactive australian shepherd with a bunch of bonus behavioural problems in him. Behaviourists we meet says, that we have full “premium package”, so this course mostly would help me and my dog, I hope it’d help me to help him manage his stress levels and reactions while going out and in daily walks, not be scared of casual things and places, as I believe, that deep in his heart he’s a lovely dog, which is scared of the enviroment surrounding him, and he just expresses his feeling with agression. If I would get the course, I hope, that it would help us to live more casual/relaxed life without worrying what could go wrong, maybe we could even go out without avoiding our neighbours, as my dog might stop attacking them sometime. For me personally – if my dog would get more confident ir relaxed with the help of this course – it’d help my mental health as well, as the stress is countagiuos and I do have constant overthinking with lots of ‘what if’