Human service professionals are thoroughly trained to work with human clients. When choosing to integrate dogs into their practice, professionals also need equivalent training and information about their canine partners and experience working with dogs. The Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist (CAIS) certificate provides the knowledge and experience you need to ensure a dog’s welfare and well-being in professional settings.
Throughout the program, you will examine your own preferences and biases about dogs as the courses delve deeply into topics such as canine behavior, selection, training, and health and wellness. You will also have the opportunity to practice hands-on learning with canines and receive instructor feedback. At the end of the program, you will have a deeper understanding of the needs of your canine partners, you will have practiced training dogs for specific skills helpful in human-animal interactions, and you will have increased knowledge of the ethics and standards involved in working effectively and humanely with dogs in your practice.
An Emphasis on Ethics, Knowledge and Skill
The Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist certificate program provides comprehensive education, training, and practical experience with canines so you can ethically incorporate dogs into your professional treatment strategies. We emphasize three areas of competence in working with canines:
Ethics
Ethical practice of human-animal interactions requires careful consideration of all choices made regarding our canine partners. We focus on options and best practice related to canine welfare, including sourcing and selection, duration of work, training methods, retirement considerations, advocacy, and more.
Knowledge
This program emphasizes knowledge related to dogs, including the theoretical foundation of canine learning, meanings of canine behavior, understanding various training methods, training plan development, and canine health and wellness needs.
Skill
Delivering human-animal interactions in an ethical and sustainable way requires skill working with dogs. We focus on skills that include training plan implementation, ability to match training methods with dogs, demonstration of two of the four quadrants of training in practice, and accurate interpretation of dog behavior.
A Program for Working Professionals
Designed for human service professionals—educators, program directors, volunteer coordinators, and more — who are already integrating canines in their careers, the CAIS certificate provides the canine-specific education, knowledge and skill needed to conduct humane and ethical practice. The program also is beneficial for volunteers with experience in human-animal interactions. Although CAIS applies canine information to human-animal interactions, it does not include education on intervention planning, the history of the human-animal bond, or other administrative aspects of a well-rounded, human-animal intervention practice.
17
The certificate earns 17 continuing education units documented on a University of Denver transcript.
80
Since 2018, over 80 participants from 5 continents have completed this certificate.
20
Enrollment is capped at 20 students per cohort for a high quality learning environment.
Program Format
More than 20 canine and animal intervention professionals from throughout the U.S. contributed to the curriculum. This fully virtual, competency-based certificate includes two online courses and an online, two-day workshop. You will progress through the courses in sequence with a peer cohort—just 20 students. You may complete coursework at your pace within specified due dates. The fieldwork with canines component will require you to work with a dog, away from the computer. As you move through the program, your instructors will offer guidance, individualized weekly feedback, and participate in online discussion forums. To obtain this competency-based certificate, you must demonstrate the competencies needed to ensure a therapy dog’s welfare and well-being.
Workshop
The program begins with a two-day, virtual workshop. The focus is to begin or refine observation skills with canines and humans. Your preferences and biases (both positive and negative) about canines will be challenged and explored for their application to client/student work. This workshop provides supervised hands-on skill-building and immediate supportive and instructive feedback.
Online Courses
Two courses are delivered online through Canvas. Coursework is rigorous and includes video documentation of live work with dogs, community-based observations, interviews, readings, lectures, quizzes, and online discussions.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork includes observation, training, interviews, taking video of oneself working with dogs, and written documentation of work, which will provide you with practical and realistic experience with dogs of varying ages, types, and abilities.
Program Courses
IHAC 0118
Canines 1 Course
About this Course
The intent of the Canines 1 course is to expose participants to a foundation of knowledge and experience with canines. Such knowledge and experience is necessary to develop the competencies needed to adequately assure a therapy dog’s welfare and well-being. Course topics include ethics in canine interactions, canine behavior, observation skills, and canine communication.
IHAC 0128
Canines 2 Course
About this Course
The intent of the Canines 2 course is to build on the knowledge and experience gained in Canines 1, as well as relationship building skills in the handler-canine partnership. Course topics include canine assessment, canine health and well-being, canine stress and retirement, and integrating canines into practice.
Application Information
Cohorts are filled on a first come, first serve basis. Due to high interest, it is recommended to submit your application early.
"I have taken many, many post grad trainings and courses over the past several years. I was honestly blown away by the quality of instruction and the level & quality of the feedback from the professors. It really was so helpful in understanding when I was on the right track or if I needed to delve or explore more deeply. I LOVED the format and even while working full time and raising young children, the course could still be adapted to be completed in hours that worked best for my schedule. The Friday and Sunday deadlines kept me on track without being too rigid. This course was top-notch quality with material and instruction and you were held accountable for your learning. I feel like this certificate really is meaningful and hard work and learning went into achieving it. I hope this course becomes a standard certificate when national training standards come into play in the CAIS field. Worth the cost of the certificate. THANK YOU for your teaching and work !! Much gratitude."
"It feels like a true accomplishment, which I have NOT felt taking other professional development. I feel like I have learned so much, am going into the field so much more prepared, and have improved relationships with my work and home dogs immensely. I am very grateful to have come across your certificate!"
"I would recommend this course to any therapist who wishes to do work [incorporating animals]. The link between how animals and humans experience the world was a key part of my learning - the idea that connecting the animal and human experience can augment clients' progress in therapy and enhance our relationship with our dogs was a very important take-away."
"Loved the varied formats of teaching and learning, the deadlines kept me on track but still offered flexibility, and despite the higher end of hours of commitment each week, I was able to complete the work with full-time work and children. I also liked how optional assignments were posted, so I could go back to those on weeks I had additional time."
Certificate Faculty
CAIS Related Stories
From Learning to Include Animals to Specializing in Canine Interventions
Darlene Brace, Behavioral Health Director in an integrated medical and dental clinic, is a graduate of both the Animals and Human Health (AHH) and Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist (CAIS) certificates. In both of these programs, Brace learned valuable skills and knowledge that she has been able to take into her personal practice.
IHAC Instructor Elevates Therapeutic Practice with CAIS Certificate
Molly DePrekel graduated from IHAC’s Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist (CAIS) certificate program in 2022. She has been an IHAC adjunct faculty member since 2017 and has taught many courses within IHACPro’s Animals and Human Health certificate program.
CAIS Graduate Thrives at HAI Program in Brazil
Emi Parente graduated from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection’s Canine-Assisted Intervention Specialist (CAIS) certificate program in early 2024. Emi is the founder and current CEO of Programa Alice Terapia Assistida Educacional in Brazil, where she often utilizes her knowledge gained from CAIS. Her organization focuses on expanding education and the understanding of health and wellness as it relates to the human-animal bond.