About
About the course
The better we understand our pets, the better our relationships with them. By delving into the psychology behind their behavior, reactions and natural instincts you can ensure both your environment and your pet’s is harmonious and happy.
Learning what’s normal and what’s unusual or undesirable behavior can really help you get to grips with it. In this course, you’ll also discover how to treat habits and reactions that are not good for your pet or for you.
Once you understand what’s normal for an animal and why pets behave as they do, you’ll find it easier to find a solution. It is possible to resolve or vastly reduce the most disruptive behavior. Don’t waste another day with an unhappy pet situation – start this course today and get back to that warm, fuzzy, in-love-with-my-pet feeling.
Requirements
Holly and Hugo courses are designed for anyone with an interest in learning. No formal qualifications are required. Our courses are suitable if you want to learn new skills, start a new career, or if you’re already working in a particular industry and wish to upgrade your talents and enhance your resume.
Lessons
Module 1: Domestication - How Pets Came In From The Cold
- 1.1 Dog ancestry
- 1.2 When dogs came in from the cold
- 1.3 Dogs in agriculture
- 1.4 Into our homes; into our hearts
- 1.5 Breeding
- 1.6 Pet therapy
- 1.7 Anthropomorphism (transferring human emotions & motivations to pets)
- 1.8 Choosing your pet
Module 2: Normal Dog Behavior - When Your Pet Is Being True To His Nature
- 2.1 Socialization
- 2.2 How intelligent are dogs?
- 2.3 Juniors and Seniors - puppies and elderly dogs
- 2.4 Habits - licking, digging, jumping, chewing, and more
Module 3: If Dogs Could Talk
- 3.1 Body language
- 3.2 Stances
- 3.3 Body language reference table
- 3.4 Smells
- 3.5 Sniffing
- 3.6 Urine and feces
- 3.7 Translating vocal language
Module 4: Calm The Pack – Fear, Aggression And Anxiety
- 4.1 Understanding fear in dogs
- 4.2 Anxiety
- 4.3 Aggression
Module 5: How Well Do You Know Me? The Colorful World Of Dogs’ Antics Explained
- 5.1 Clever digging
- 5.2 Carrying big sticks
- 5.3 Tail tucking
- 5.4 Tail chasing
- 5.5 Circling
- 5.6 Belly up - rolling over
- 5.7 Muzzle grabbing
- 5.8 Gift giving
- 5.9 Responses to human gestures
Module 6: Lose Your Mind To Understand Your Dog’s
- 6.1 Psychology behind scent marking
- 6.2 Elimination
- 6.3 Issues at feeding time
Module 7: What Is Normal Behavior For A Cat?
- 7.1 Domestication of cats
- 7.2 Lessons from kitten hood
- 7.3 Sharing the love!
- 7.4 How cats become social animals
- 7.5 Feeding habits
- 7.6 Retention of independence and feral instincts
- 7.7 Ageing
- 7.8 Exercising claws
- 7.9 Lap trampling
- 7.10 Burying feces
Module 8: A Cat’s The Only Cat Who Knows Where It’s At
- 8.1 Kitties and litter trays
- 8.2 Some of the top reasons cats do not use a litter tray
- 8.3 Understanding cat body language
Module 9: When You’ve Had It With Your Cat – Psychiatric Challenges
- 9.1 Catnaps
- 9.2 Catnip
- 9.4 Greeting
- 9.3 Flehmening
- 9.5 Bringing gifts
- 9.6 Eating grass
- 9.7 Removing food from bowl
- 9.8 Mad dashing
- 9.9 Burying food
- 9.10 Do cats grieve?
Module 10: Cat On A Griddle
- 10.1 Fearful cats
- 10.2 Anxiety
- 10.3 Aggression
Module 11: Understanding Rabbits
- 11.1 Domestication of rabbits
- 11.2 The rabbit as prey
- 11.3 Rabbit body language
- 11.4 Rabbit vocals
- 11.5 The challenges of having a pet rabbit
Career
Who is this course for
- Anyone who is curious about animal behavior.
- Pet parents and professionals seeking creative solutions to behavioral issues.
- Anyone who lives with or works with animals and wants to find better ways to communicate with them.
- Animal lovers setting up or running their own business will impress would-be clients with this course as it shows they’re dedicated to animals and their welfare.
Certification
You will be required to complete each lesson in full, and answer exams at the end of each course module. If your pass rate exceeds 55% on each exam then you are eligible to access a certificate of achievement or other accreditation options to recognize your achievement.
Most of our courses will earn you credits through Continuing Education (CE) / Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CE/CPD points are accepted and recognized by professional member bodies and academic institutions across the US and internationally.
All courses are accredited by the International Council for Online Educational Standards (www.icoes.org). When successfully completing a course, students can choose to purchase an ICOES certificate that recognizes the achievement, from this third-party institution.
Creator
Dr Pippa Elliott, BVMS MRCVS
Expertise: Animal Health and Wellness, Veterinary
Dr Pippa Elliott, BVMS MRCVS, is a veterinarian with 27 years' experience in companion animal practice. As a child, Pippa was pony-mad and can't remember a time when she didn't want to be a vet. She started volunteering at her local clinic at the age of 14, and it was a dream come true when she was accepted for vet school. She graduated from the University of Glasgow, UK. Her knowledge and dedication has helped transform the lives of thousands of students and pets from around the world.
Animal Psychology
17732 Students. ICOES Accredited. CPD Certified.
17732 Students.
ICOES Accredited.
CPD Certified.

About
About the course
The better we understand our pets, the better our relationships with them. By delving into the psychology behind their behavior, reactions and natural instincts you can ensure both your environment and your pet’s is harmonious and happy.
Learning what’s normal and what’s unusual or undesirable behavior can really help you get to grips with it. In this course, you’ll also discover how to treat habits and reactions that are not good for your pet or for you.
Once you understand what’s normal for an animal and why pets behave as they do, you’ll find it easier to find a solution. It is possible to resolve or vastly reduce the most disruptive behavior. Don’t waste another day with an unhappy pet situation – start this course today and get back to that warm, fuzzy, in-love-with-my-pet feeling.
Requirements
Holly and Hugo courses are designed for anyone with an interest in learning. No formal qualifications are required. Our courses are suitable if you want to learn new skills, start a new career, or if you’re already working in a particular industry and wish to upgrade your talents and enhance your resume.
Lessons
Module 1: Domestication - How Pets Came In From The Cold
- 1.1 Dog ancestry
- 1.2 When dogs came in from the cold
- 1.3 Dogs in agriculture
- 1.4 Into our homes; into our hearts
- 1.5 Breeding
- 1.6 Pet therapy
- 1.7 Anthropomorphism (transferring human emotions & motivations to pets)
- 1.8 Choosing your pet
Module 2: Normal Dog Behavior - When Your Pet Is Being True To His Nature
- 2.1 Socialization
- 2.2 How intelligent are dogs?
- 2.3 Juniors and Seniors - puppies and elderly dogs
- 2.4 Habits - licking, digging, jumping, chewing, and more
Module 3: If Dogs Could Talk
- 3.1 Body language
- 3.2 Stances
- 3.3 Body language reference table
- 3.4 Smells
- 3.5 Sniffing
- 3.6 Urine and feces
- 3.7 Translating vocal language
Module 4: Calm The Pack – Fear, Aggression And Anxiety
- 4.1 Understanding fear in dogs
- 4.2 Anxiety
- 4.3 Aggression
Module 5: How Well Do You Know Me? The Colorful World Of Dogs’ Antics Explained
- 5.1 Clever digging
- 5.2 Carrying big sticks
- 5.3 Tail tucking
- 5.4 Tail chasing
- 5.5 Circling
- 5.6 Belly up - rolling over
- 5.7 Muzzle grabbing
- 5.8 Gift giving
- 5.9 Responses to human gestures
Module 6: Lose Your Mind To Understand Your Dog’s
- 6.1 Psychology behind scent marking
- 6.2 Elimination
- 6.3 Issues at feeding time
Module 7: What Is Normal Behavior For A Cat?
- 7.1 Domestication of cats
- 7.2 Lessons from kitten hood
- 7.3 Sharing the love!
- 7.4 How cats become social animals
- 7.5 Feeding habits
- 7.6 Retention of independence and feral instincts
- 7.7 Ageing
- 7.8 Exercising claws
- 7.9 Lap trampling
- 7.10 Burying feces
Module 8: A Cat’s The Only Cat Who Knows Where It’s At
- 8.1 Kitties and litter trays
- 8.2 Some of the top reasons cats do not use a litter tray
- 8.3 Understanding cat body language
Module 9: When You’ve Had It With Your Cat – Psychiatric Challenges
- 9.1 Catnaps
- 9.2 Catnip
- 9.4 Greeting
- 9.3 Flehmening
- 9.5 Bringing gifts
- 9.6 Eating grass
- 9.7 Removing food from bowl
- 9.8 Mad dashing
- 9.9 Burying food
- 9.10 Do cats grieve?
Module 10: Cat On A Griddle
- 10.1 Fearful cats
- 10.2 Anxiety
- 10.3 Aggression
Module 11: Understanding Rabbits
- 11.1 Domestication of rabbits
- 11.2 The rabbit as prey
- 11.3 Rabbit body language
- 11.4 Rabbit vocals
- 11.5 The challenges of having a pet rabbit
Career
Who is this course for
- Anyone who is curious about animal behavior.
- Pet parents and professionals seeking creative solutions to behavioral issues.
- Anyone who lives with or works with animals and wants to find better ways to communicate with them.
- Animal lovers setting up or running their own business will impress would-be clients with this course as it shows they’re dedicated to animals and their welfare.
Certification
You will be required to complete each lesson in full, and answer exams at the end of each course module. If your pass rate exceeds 55% on each exam then you are eligible to access a certificate of achievement or other accreditation options to recognize your achievement.
Most of our courses will earn you credits through Continuing Education (CE) / Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CE/CPD points are accepted and recognized by professional member bodies and academic institutions across the US and internationally.
All courses are accredited by the International Council for Online Educational Standards (www.icoes.org). When successfully completing a course, students can choose to purchase an ICOES certificate that recognizes the achievement, from this third-party institution.
Creator
Dr Pippa Elliott, BVMS MRCVS
Expertise: Animal Health and Wellness, Veterinary
Dr Pippa Elliott, BVMS MRCVS, is a veterinarian with 27 years' experience in companion animal practice. As a child, Pippa was pony-mad and can't remember a time when she didn't want to be a vet. She started volunteering at her local clinic at the age of 14, and it was a dream come true when she was accepted for vet school. She graduated from the University of Glasgow, UK. Her knowledge and dedication has helped transform the lives of thousands of students and pets from around the world.