ABTC National Register

ABTC · Animal Behaviour and Training Council

The nearest thing the UK has to a recognised benchmark for dog trainers and behaviourists, in a field with no licence to practise.

01 What It Is

The Animal Behaviour and Training Council is the UK body that sets standards for animal trainers, training instructors and behaviourists, and holds a national register of practitioners assessed against them. Dog training and behaviour work is not a licensed profession in the UK, so the ABTC register is the main independent marker that a practitioner has met a defined standard rather than simply set up in business.

02 What It Covers

The ABTC defines the knowledge and practical skills required for each role it registers, among them animal trainer, animal training instructor, animal behaviour technician and clinical animal behaviourist, with the higher behaviour roles working on veterinary referral. Its standards require science-led, non-punitive methods, and it has built them in line with the principles that underpin formal accreditation, though it is not itself a statutory regulator.

03 How It Is Checked

To join the register a practitioner must demonstrate both knowledge, through a recognised course or an assessment of prior learning, and practical skill through a separate assessment. The register is public, so an owner can check whether a trainer or behaviourist actually holds ABTC-registered status. Backing from major welfare charities gives the register its standing in the absence of any legal licensing.

04 Why It Matters

Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer or behaviourist in the UK, including those who use harsh or outdated methods. The ABTC register gives an owner a way to find someone assessed against a humane, defined standard, which matters most for the serious behaviour problems where the wrong approach can make a dog worse, not better.

Primary sources

Animal Behaviour and Training Councilabtc.org.uk
Types of practitionersabtc.org.uk