Skills Building

Canadian Academic Continuing Education and Professional Development

Courses and Programs


ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY IN COUNSELLING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please get in touch with the educational institutions to access more information.


Dalhousie University: Certificate in Animal Behaviour

Offered by:  Biology, Psychology and Neuroscience

Coordinator: Dr. Simon Gadbois (Psychology and Neuroscience) simon.gadbois@dal.ca

The Certificate in Animal Behaviour provides students with an opportunity to specialize in Animal Behaviour through a set of courses and a research project.

For more information please click here. 

Lakeland College: Animal Assisted Wellness Courses

Add new skills to your professional tool kit with Lakeland’s one-of-a-kind animal-assisted wellness program.  Our program is the first college-level certificate in animal-assisted wellness in English-speaking Canada.  Through the online post-credential program, you can expand your professional practice.  Read more... 

Animal-Assisted Wellness Jobs and Careers 

Additional qualifications from the animal-assisted wellness certificate provide human services professionals with another tool for working with people from all walks of life and all types of care settings.  Read more...

Ontario Colleges: Animal Care

Dedicated animal lovers who enjoy the technical side and handling aspects of caring for animals are in high demand.  As a result, animal care programs at Ontario colleges prepare students for a career with countless opportunities.  As an animal care graduate, you’ll assist veterinarians, develop nutrition and wellness plans, provide companionship to a wide range of animals, and much more.  Read more...

University of Calgary

The University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) believes strongly in the importance of teaching about One Health concepts in the veterinary curriculum and is also heavily involved in a variety of One Health Research topics.  Read more...

University of Alberta: Bachelor of Science in Animal Health

Turn your passion for companion and performance animals into a career with this major.  These animals are found in search and rescue, sport, animal-assisted therapy, and service to improve the well-being of individuals.  Courses cover the physiology, nutrition, behaviour and evolving role of companion and performance animals, as well as the sociology and psychology of the human-animal bond.  Read more...

University of Guelph: Equine Programs

EQUINE GUELPH COURSES - short, focused online courses at TheHorsePortal.ca and 12-week Certificate and Diploma

Short courses include Equine First Aid, Biosecurity/Disease Prevention, Behaviour and Safety (youth/adult version), Welfare Code of Practice/Equine Care and Welfare, Large Animal Emergency Rescue and many more!

12-week online courses at uoguelph.ca/equinestudies can be taken individually/special interest or work towards certificates in Equine Science, Business, Welfare and a Diploma.  12-week offerings are award-winning, university-accredited, and chosen by students in over 40 countries seeking evidence-based, flexible online programs.

EquineJobTrack.ca is a free resource to help plan your next career move or find your next employee! 

Sign up at EquineGuelph.ca for Equine Guelph’s free monthly E-news and gain access to Exclusive member features.

University of Guelph Bachelor of One Health

With its roots in veterinary medicine and agriculture, the University of Guelph has long understood the close relationship between the health of plants, animals, people and the environment that supported them. Bachelor of One Health is the only degree of its kind in Canada. A Bachelor of One Health degree will empower you to use a multi-disciplinary approach to handle many of the most pressing human, animal, and ecosystem health issues of our time.  Read more... 

University of Saskatchewan: Animals in Society 

Sociological perspectives on the relationship between human and non-human animals and the multi-dimensional role of animals in contemporary society. 

Prerequisite(s): 12 credit units SOC courses Note: Students with credit SOC 298: Special Topics in Environmental Sociology Dimensions of Sustainable Development may not take this course for credit.  Read more...

Register NOW for the Animal Awareness for the Substance Use Workforce course.

Learn about the transformative power of therapy dogs, service animals, emotional support animals, and our companion animals in this one-of-a-kind, 5-hour, online course offered by the PAWSitive Connections Lab at the University of Saskatchewan. You will receive a digital badge from the University of Saskatchewan and continuing education credit is available from select organizations.

This course is ideal for substance use and mental health, social service, and allied professionals interested in enhancing their practice with animal aware approaches. It is also suitable for anyone interested in understanding their relationships with animals. The cost is $49 and subsidies are available. Click HERE to learn more and register. The course has been developed by a team of experts with academic and lived and living experience in the fields of mental health, substance use, and human-animal interaction. It is practical, interactive, and evidence-informed for real-world application. It can help you develop an action plan for your organization to become more animal aware.

Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:

  • Recognize the role of animals in recovery & the wellness journey,
  • Identify evidence for the human-animal bond,
  • Distinguish animal roles and interventions,
  • Identify therapeutic benefits and concerns,
  • Incorporate animals ethically and professionally,
  • Generate and share ideas for practice integration.

University of Victoria

Please click here for more information about animal Law and Animal Studies – Academic Programs & Resources

University of Windsor: Anthrozoology, The Study of Human-Animal Relationships

Are you interested in learning more about the significance of animals in our lives?  The University of Windsor is the only university in Canada offering programs in human-animal interactions!  If you’re interested in studying Anthrozoology, you can now get a certificate (8 courses) or a minor (6 courses) in addition to your major. Our goal in developing academic programming in this field is to encourage students to think critically about humans’ relationships with animals and to encourage and facilitate ongoing interactions, discussion, debate, and interest in this topic.  Read more... 

For information concerning current courses, please click here

Western University: Expanding the Undergraduate One Health Program

With a vision to expand the One Health Program, the Faculty of Science, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (One Health) brought their expertise together to develop and officially launch the undergraduate One Health Major in the fall of 2021.  Students will be required to complete the One Health Major in combination with another Major in an Honours Bachelor Degree (Double Major).

Yellowquill University College

Yellowquill University College is an educational institute of excellence, accredited by the National Indigenous Accreditation Board (NIAB) and the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC). 

Yellowquill University College has partnered with MSAR Service Dogs  to offer the following accredited programs.  

Level 1: Accredited Service Dog Handler Certificate Program

Level 2: Accredited Dog Trainer Certificate Program

Level 3: Accredited Service Dog Trainer Diploma Program

Level 4-1: Accredited Search and Rescue / Recovery Dog Trainer and Handler Diploma Program

Level 4-2: Accredited Working Dog Trainer and Handler Diploma Program

Level 4-3: Accredited Anti-Poaching Trainer and Handler Diploma Program

For more information or to apply, please click here