LECANTO, Fla. – March 9, 2021 – The Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) has completed translation of its study guides and instructions into French in a move that will make a force-free credential immediately accessible to French speaking canine training and behavior consultants worldwide.Two Québec, Canada-based canine training and behavior consultants, Lucie Malouin and Raphaël Pépin, are behind the drive to translate the program, having undertaken and acquired their PCBC-A credential and recognized the need to help other French speaking people undertake the same process. Malouin, of Complètement Canin, and Pépin, of Canilogique, were aware of many good trainers throughout Canada who were prevented from undertaking certification through PPAB because English was not their first language. At the same time, they were eager for there to be a greater number of well-credentialed dog trainers in Canada.
Force-Free Credential
PPAB is currently the only organization to provide accreditation for professionals who believe there is no place for electric shock, choke, prong, pain, fear, coercion or intimidation in dog training and behavior modification. The board also offers the only psychometrically developed, independently assessed examination for training and behavior consultants who support and practice humane and scientific methods only, as set out in its Guiding Principles. At present, PPAB operates three levels of credentials – the Level 1 Canine Training Technician (CTT-A), the Level 2 Professional Canine Trainer – Accredited (PCT-A), and the Level 3 Professional Canine Behavior Consultant – Accredited (PCBC-A).
Malouin and Pépin elected to approach PPAB and set up a meeting with Debra Millikan, project lead and board member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), which oversees PPAB. The trio discussed the depth and scope of the task and work started immediately. Malouin and Pépin were committed to getting the job done quickly and efficiently, and their efforts have now resulted in the launch of a dedicated section of the PPAB website, Candidats Francophones, in international French, that details each level of the credentials for French speaking training and behavior professionals the world over. A French language study guide is also available for each credential.
“We at PPAB were very pleased that Lucie and Raphaël felt comfortable to ask us about this possibility, in that they each felt that PPAB is very approachable,”
Credentialing Process
All PPAB programs have a rigorous path to completion whereby applicants are required to show in-depth knowledge and competent mechanical skills, supported by people coaching skills. Credentials from other certifying bodies may also be transferred to PPAB at any level, provided applicants can demonstrate that they have the correlating ethics in place, the required competency and knowledge, and the practical ability to carry out their craft. Millikan and Malouin discuss the process of becoming accredited through PPAB in more detail in this BARKS Podcast.
PPAB is currently operating a fee waiver that offers significant discounts to member applicants, available till July 31, 2021. In addition, PPG has waived its membership fees during COVID, thereby easing the path for members to cement their ethical stance by working through a PPAB credential or transferring an existing credential.
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About the Pet Professional Accreditation Board
The Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) operates as a Doing Business As (DBA) of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG). It operates a meticulous testing program for force-free animal training and behavior professionals that is independent of any industry school, trade school, college or credentialing body. Applicants are tested in the fields of learning theory; biology and anatomy; ethology, body language and observational skills; canine health, development and life stages; business and consulting skills and best practices and, finally, scientific and practical method. Those who pass the examination and meet the practical requirements earn specific titles which may be used after their names and must earn continuing education units to maintain these titles. Accredited PPAB professionals understand force-free to mean: no shock, no pain, no choke, no fear, no physical force, and that no compulsion-based methods are employed to train or care for a pet.