Animal Behaviour
| Course Code | BAG203 |
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| Fee Code | S3 |
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| Duration (approx) | 100 hours |
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| Qualification | Statement of Attainment |
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Study from home
Learn what makes pets act the way they do?
Understanding pet behaviour makes life much easier, not only for the pet themselves but also pet owners and anyone who works or deals with pets; from breeders and pet shop staff, through to animal welfare officers, zoo workers and carers.
This course can provide a very sound foundation for understanding animals and what causes them to act the way they do. With this understanding you have a very sound foundation for dealing with animals in any situation.
Why Choose this Course? -What makes us different?
1. It is Substantial -Our courses are 100 hours; many other colleges may have sheaper courses, but they are usually much shorter.
2. Students have Strong Support -We employ top teachers, and have spent 33 years building resources to support them. Our tutors are accessible, with academics on duty in both Australia and the UK daily.
3. Courses are revised and updated in response to feedback from every student who graduates. Few schools apply resources like this to improving their courses.
True learning is a process guided by expert teachers. Our teaching staff are a team of experts, spread across the world. all university trained and with real world experience.
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
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Introduction: Influences and motivation.
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Ethology
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What is behaviour
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Purpose of Animal behaviour
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What motivates behaviours
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Behaviour types (Reactive, Active, Cognitive)
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Learned Behaviours (Classic conditioning, Reinforcement, Extinction, Operant Conditioning, Skinners experiments
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Other influences (external stimuli, Internal stimuli, Physiological responses, Psychological responses)
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Terminology
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Observing animals
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Genetics and Behaviour.
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Understanding basics of genetics
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Terminology (eg. alleles, allelomorphs, genes,phenotype, mitosis, homozygous, genotype, etc)
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Environmental affect
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Heritability
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Epigenisis
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Innate behaviour
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Interaction between different species
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Survival
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Case study : Inherited traits in horse behaviour
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Animal Perception and Behaviour.
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Animal communication and perception
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How animals perceive things
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Imprinting
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Types of stimuli; Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Chemical
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Monocular and binocular vision
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Terminology
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Neural control
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Behaviour and the Environment.
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Orthokinesis
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Klinokinesis
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Navigation
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Homeostasis
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Thermoregulation
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Motivation
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Biological Clocks
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Biological clocks
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Sun Compass
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Migration
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Tolerance
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Acclimatisation
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Hibernation
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Sexual and Reproductive behaviours
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Social Behaviour.
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Animal Societies
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Aggression
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Fight or flight response
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Social constraints
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Sexual behaviour
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Social order
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Bonding
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Courtship
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Territorial behaviour
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Feeding
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Vocalisations
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Case Studies; birds, dogs
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Terminology
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Instinct and Learning.
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Shaping
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Extinction and Habituation
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Instrumental Learning
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Thorndykes Law of Effect
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Operant and Respondant behaviour
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Biological aspects of learning
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Cognition
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Associative Learning
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Case studies: Early learning in dogs, Early learning in cats
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Comparative Intelligence
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Handling Animals.
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Domestication of animals
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Problems Handling animals
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Psychological affects of different handling techniques
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Preventing problems with pets
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Training animals (Examples: birds, rabbits, horses, cattle etc).
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Terminology
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The student has a choice of which types of animals to focus on, though a variety will still be covered.
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Behavioural Problems.
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Abnormal behaviour (eg. Psychotic, neurotic);
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Domestication of animals
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Diagnosing behaviour
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Psychotic disorders
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Case Study; Behavioural Problems with cats; various types of aggression and other problems.
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Training cats
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Case Study; Aggression and other problems with dogs
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Training dogs
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Case Study; Behavioural problems with pigs
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Terminology
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Identify factors affecting animal behaviour.
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Describe the influence of genes on animal behaviour.
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Explain how animals perceive and how they respond to various stimuli.
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Explain the influence of environment factors, such as circadian rhythms, on biological clocks, reproductive cycles, orientation and other animal behaviours.
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Explain the social influences on animal aggression, play, sexual behaviour, communication and other behaviours.
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Describe different ways that animals learn (such as conditioning and habituation) and some effects of learning on behaviour.
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Discuss psychological implications of different handling techniques.
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Identify abnormal animal behaviour (eg. psychotic, neurotic behaviour) and ways to reduce dependence on humans.
What Dog Is Best For You?
Choosing a dog for yourself or your family is a big decision.
If you do not get a behavioural type to match your home situation, you are almost certain to be creating trouble for yourself, and your family.
Consider
- Energetic go breeds need to be walked daily or even more often. Are you committed to walking a dog regularly for 15 years?
- Are holes being dug in your garden a problem?
- Is a dog guarding your home in a more assertive way a problem?
- Is a dog who is super loyal and needs to be physically close to you a problem?
- Is a dog that nips at the heels of people a problem?
While many behavious can be affected by training; these and some other behavious are strongly affected by the genetics of a dog's breed. Choosing a breed based upon "cuteness" is not a good idea.
Studying Animal Behavious can help you get a better insight into how animals think and act.
Flexible Study
Choose how you study, where you study, what you study, how much you study, and when you study.
- Work fast or slow –you choose the intensity of study
- Start, pause or restart according to changing demands of work, family or lifestyle.
- Mix and match modules so you only study what you want or need to learn -We allow you to construct your own “tailor made” certificates or diplomas
- Options in assignments allow you to focus on things with greater interest to you.
- Study electronically (online or using a CD); or using printed notes.
- Use (or don’t use) supplementary services for extra learning want –unlimited access to tutors, an online student room, social media, bookstore, etc
- Orientation video and student Manual at the start of your course will provide a clear guide to how you can study and get all sorts of support no matter where you live.
How to do assignments?
Each lesson in the preceding list culminates in a set task (or tasks) and an assignment. The set tasks are designed to give the student the opportunity to research information beyond what is supplied in the course notes. In conjunction with the assignments they provide the student with the opportunity to extend their knowledge of the topic and apply what they learn to "real life" situations and scenarios. It is important that students actively engage in the learning process through the opportunities provided in the set tasks and assignments.
Students are required to submit assignments at the end of each lesson. These assignments are sent to the relevant tutor for comments and feedback. Students use this feedback to guide their knowledge and to assist them in completing the following lesson assignment. Assignments should be submitted in sequence with sufficient time between submissions to allow for tutor feedback.
