Online professional continuing education
Canine Operating System: Applied Observation, Assessment and Case Analysis
Learn to organize the whole case before deciding what the dog needs next.
Professional behavior work requires more than recognizing a visible problem. It requires accurate observation, responsible questioning, careful organization of evidence, and the judgment to know what can—and cannot—be concluded from the information available.
Online • Self-paced • Instructor-reviewed work
IAABC status: This online course is pending approval for 8.0 hours of IAABC Continuing Education Units.
6 hours - Recorded Instruction
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4 Assignments - Instructor Reviewed
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5 Checks + Final Verified Learning
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$247 Course Tuition
6 hours - Recorded Instruction ✳︎ 4 Assignments - Instructor Reviewed ✳︎ 5 Checks + Final Verified Learning ✳︎ $247 Course Tuition
Seeing the behavior is only the beginning.
A dog stops at a doorway. Barks when a visitor stands. Moves away when approached. Recovers quickly in one setting and struggles in another. Those observations matter—but they are not yet a diagnosis, a motive, or a complete explanation.
COS gives professionals a repeatable framework for separating what is known from what is reported, assumed, missing, or still being tested. The result is a clearer case record, better questions, safer priorities, and next steps that can be defended and reassessed.
The right fit
This course is for
Practicing professional dog trainers
Behavior consultants
Shelter and rescue behavior staff
Advanced professional dog-training students
Dog-care professionals building stronger case-analysis skills
Important boundary
This course is not
An introductory class for the general pet-owning public
A replacement for veterinary diagnosis or treatment
A stand-alone professional certification
A collection of quick fixes or one-size-fits-all recipes
Recommended prerequisite: Working knowledge of basic operant and classical conditioning and professional experience or study involving dogs.
What participants will learn
Build a professional assessment process, not a faster assumption.
Observe objectively
Record visible canine behavior with precise, measurable, context-specific language.
Ask better questions
Create neutral, chronological questions that target decision-relevant gaps.
Separate information
Distinguish observations, reports, records, working hypotheses, and unknowns.
Prioritize responsibly
Recognize safety concerns, scope limits, and circumstances requiring referral.
Organize influences
Evaluate possible influences without treating any one influence as a proven cause.
Reassess the case
Define measurable review criteria and revise working hypotheses when evidence changes.
Course curriculum
Five lessons. One disciplined path from observation to responsible action.
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Begin with the four-part opening framework. Learn why COS delays strategy selection until the available information, missing information, welfare needs, and safety concerns have been organized.
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Replace labels and inferred motives with observable, measurable descriptions. Record context, sequence, intensity, duration, frequency, latency, and recovery in language another professional can understand.
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Organize possible influences surrounding behavior, gather history without leading the client, identify important unknowns, and distinguish an influence from a confirmed cause.
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Apply the six-stage COS framework to professional cases. Sort evidence, audit working hypotheses, recognize safety and referral needs, and communicate uncertainty responsibly.
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Separate immediate management, further assessment, referral, and behavior-support priorities. Build humane, measurable next steps and complete a Preliminary Canine Behavior Profile.
How the course works
Completion requires professional application—not simply watching videos.
1
Learn
Complete the five lessons in sequence using the accompanying learning guides.
2
Check understanding
Pass each five-question scenario-based knowledge check with at least 80%.
3
Apply the framework
Complete four professional assignments reviewed and marked Pass or Revise.
4
Demonstrate completion
Submit the final profile and reflection, then pass the 20-question final exam.
Work participants complete
Practice the reasoning, not a memorized recipe.
Six hours of online instruction
Five scenario-based knowledge checks
Objective Observation Log
Influence and Missing-Information Map
Case Evidence Sort and Hypothesis Audit
Preliminary Canine Behavior Profile
Twenty-question final examination
Final professional reflective essay
Students receive a Certificate of Completion only after every required component has been successfully completed and verified.
Verified completion
Professional continuing education with substantive participation
The course includes six hours of instruction and four hours of graded, instructor-reviewed homework. Online participation is verified through five substantive, multi-item knowledge checks. Completion information is released only after every requirement has been verified.
This online course is pending approval for 8.0 hours of IAABC Continuing Education Units.
Your instructor
Learn from Joe Dickinson
Joe Dickinson is the founder and lead instructor of Western States K-9 College, author of Training Through the Eyes of Your Dog, and creator of the Canine Operating System.
Joe brings more than 25 years of professional dog-training and behavior-modification experience and has worked with more than 10,000 dogs. Instruction focuses on applied professional assessment, case organization, trainer decision-making, humane behavior support, and clear client education.
Joe teaches professionals to observe carefully, identify what is missing, make a responsible next decision, and change that decision when the evidence requires it.
Enrollment
Ready to build a more defensible assessment process?
Enroll in COS Applied Assessment and learn a structured way to move from what you see to what you can responsibly do next.
Online and self-paced
Six hours of instruction
Four hours of applied homework
Instructor-reviewed assignments
Knowledge checks, final exam, and reflection
Certificate of Completion after successful completion
Course Tuition
$247
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Know what to expect before enrolling.
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The course is currently pending approval for 8.0 hours of IAABC Continuing Education Units. The final approved CEU amount, if granted, will be stated here after written approval is received
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Practicing dog trainers, behavior consultants, shelter and rescue behavior staff, advanced professional dog-training students, and dog-care professionals developing stronger observation and case-analysis skills.
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The coursework is delivered online and may be completed at your own pace during the course-access period. Applied assignments are submitted for instructor review.
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Participants complete five substantive, scenario-based knowledge checks with a required score of at least 80%. Purchasing or opening the course alone does not qualify as verified completion.
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The four applied assignments are reviewed and marked Pass, Revise, or Not Submitted. Any assignment marked Revise must be updated before completion.
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No. Successful completion documents continuing education in applied observation, assessment, and case analysis. It does not independently certify a participant as a dog trainer, behavior consultant, veterinary professional, or IAABC credential holder.
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You will need an existing dog video or a safe observation opportunity for one assignment. The course does not require provoking unsafe behavior or handling a dog you believe is unsafe.
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Because this is a digital course with access to educational materials and instructor-reviewed work, tuition is non-refundable after course access has been issued. Contact Western States K-9 College before enrolling if you are unsure whether the course is appropriate for you.
See the whole case. Make the next decision responsibly.
Strengthen the observation, organization, questioning, and reassessment skills behind professional canine behavior work.