📣 Introducing KPA’s Behavior Consulting Program

Introducing KPA's Behavior Consulting Program

We're thrilled to announce the Karen Pryor Academy Behavior Consulting Program (BCP)—designed for trainers who want to work with or are already working with complex behavior cases. The BCP develops thoughtful case analysis, ethical decision-making, and effective interventions when cases involve high stakes and complex variables.

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What You'll Learn

The Behavior Consulting Program teaches the KPA approach to solving complex canine behavior cases by integrating advanced principles of behavior science with relevant operant and classical conditioning strategies, strong observation skills, client consulting skills, ethical decision-making, and positive-reinforcement training. The BCP focuses specifically on complex behavior consulting—assessment, case analysis, and intervention design for advanced behavior challenges.

The BCP's philosophy, practices, and interventions are grounded in applied behavioral science and effective positive reinforcement practices. Because this program builds on positive reinforcement as its foundation, BCP students should already be fluent in and experienced with the language, terminology, and practices of positive reinforcement training.

The BCP is a natural education extension of many dog trainer education programs, especially the KPA Dog Trainer Professional program, often referred to as the gold standard for education and skill-based certification for professional trainers.

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Who You'll Learn From

The Behavior Consulting Program brings together leading voices across the field into a single, coherent approach delivered through 10 courses:

Problem Solving – Ken Ramirez
How Behavior Works – Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D.
Client Consulting Skills – Ellen Yoakum
Canine and Feline Body Language – Mara Velez and the SPA Team
Functional Assessment – Kiki Yablon
Classical Conditioning, Part 1 – Allie Bender
Classical Conditioning, Part 2 – Emily Strong
Protocol Integration, Part 1 – Ken Ramirez
Protocol Integration, Part 2 – Ken Ramirez
Case Study Workshop – Ken Ramirez

The Certification Assessment, which is optional, allows students to earn the KPA certification as a Specialist, Canine Behavior (KPA SCB), and it can be taken after passing these 10 BCP courses.

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How You'll Learn

The BCP is rigorous yet streamlined and structured to reflect real professional lives.

Enroll in just the courses that most interest you, or take the full program of ten courses.
Take multiple courses simultaneously, or take a break and pause (paws!) between courses.
If you're eager, you can complete the BCP courses and take the Certification Assessment in under 12 months. Or if you want to take your time, you can take courses over a period of up to five years, depending on the enrollment path you've selected.
Once you complete the 10 core curriculum courses, you have two years to enroll in the Certification Assessment.
It's online education delivery at its best with engaging content, interactive Zoom sessions, and a ton of instructor feedback and support, all on a brand new platform. No travel, no hassle.

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Get Ready for the Next Step

We anticipate enrollment will open in April 2026. You can sign up below to be notified when enrollment opens; we will offer three options:

All-Access Enrollment (best value for all 10 courses)
Module Enrollment (2-3 courses at a time)
À La Carte Enrollment (individual courses)

Tuition credits are available for certain professional-level courses you may have already completed, and special pricing is available to members of a number of professional organizations, as well as for those holding certain credentials. Explore our tuition calculator to find your price.

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