This is the second of two electives in the "Welfare Focus" option for the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program (or learners pursuing "Advanced" or "Masters" certification).

Please visit our “Certification” information pages to learn more about the Shelter Care Specialist Certification program.

Enrollment in the program is by application. Enrollment in this course is limited to students who have satisfactorily completed the two required courses, "Modern Sheltering Foundations" and "Animal Care Foundations."

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Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program

Behavior, Training, and Enrichment

Build practical, humane approaches that help shelter animals cope, learn, and move toward appropriate outcomes.

COURSE CATALOG COACH-GUIDED WELFARE-FOCUS ELECTIVE

Fall 2026

October 5–November 16

Future Session

Spring 2027

Typical Availability

Offered every other term

What to expect What you'll learn Sample schedule Live learning & completion

Welcome

What to expect

Behavior, Training, and Enrichment is a Welfare-Focus elective in the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program. The course helps shelter professionals build practical, humane systems that support behavior, training, enrichment, and appropriate decision-making throughout an animal’s shelter stay.

You’ll explore how housing, handling, enrichment, training, observation, behavior support, documentation, and pathway planning work together to support animals while keeping realistic shelter operations and team capacity in mind.

COURSE LENGTH

6 weeks

FORMAT

Online, coach-guided elective

PREREQUISITES

MSF + ACF completed

Your weekly rhythm

1

Learn

Work through the week’s focused module and supporting resources.

2

Apply

Complete practical assignments and connect concepts to shelter work.

3

Check in

Use course progress and assignment status to see what still needs attention.

Enrollment requirements

BTE is available to learners accepted into the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program who have satisfactorily completed both prerequisite courses: Modern Sheltering Foundations (MSF) and Animal Care Foundations (ACF).

Practical capability

What this course helps you build

See more clearly

Recognize what animals communicate and how housing, predictability, choice, handling, environment, and daily routines affect behavior and well-being.

Act humanely

Use humane handling, learning principles, enrichment, training, and behavior-support strategies to reduce fear, anxiety, and stress.

Improve the system

Assess and document behavior, coordinate realistic plans, support appropriate outcomes, evaluate results, and use what you learn to improve future pathways.

View full learning topics

• Capacity for Care and the Four Rights: Explore how these core sheltering concepts relate to behavior, training, and enrichment.
• Fear Free® concepts: Use observation and Fear Free® principles to better interpret behavior and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress.
• Systems that support BTE: Consider how shelter practices, staffing, priorities, and team commitment influence successful behavior, training, and enrichment programs.
• Humane handling: Apply humane handling principles and consider how teams can build and maintain these skills.
• Housing and environment: Examine how physical and emotional environments can support behavior and welfare.
• Enrichment and training: Build practical approaches for purposeful enrichment and humane training in shelters.
• Behavior modification: Understand the role of behavior modification and appropriate intervention in the shelter setting.
• Assessment and documentation: Observe, assess, and document behavior and behavioral health using relevant context.
• Pathway planning and decision-making: Use behavioral information to support appropriate plans and outcomes.
• Learning from outcomes: Gather information after animals leave the shelter and use it to improve future programming and pathways.
• Shelter software: Use shelter software effectively and efficiently to support BTE programs, documentation, and outcomes.

Your path through BTE

Sample course schedule

BTE is organized into six weekly modules. The schedule below shows the typical progression of course topics; exact calendar dates depend on the session in which you enroll.

WEEKS 1–3

Week 1 · Foundations

Welfare, behavior, and the shelter environment

Week 2 · Reading behavior

Observation, body language, and context

Week 3 · Learning

How animals learn and how we teach

WEEKS 4–6

Week 4 · Enrichment

Purposeful plans for daily care

Week 5 · Behavior support

Assessment, planning, and humane intervention

Week 6 · Sustainable practice

Documentation, teamwork, and evaluation

Live learning

Two live sessions during each course

Connect course concepts to practice

Live sessions provide opportunities to explore behavior, training, enrichment, shelter systems, and real-world challenges with instructors and guest speakers.

Dates vary by session

Exact live-meeting dates, times, topics, and speakers are provided to learners for the session in which they enroll.

Completion policy

One final course deadline

• The final course-completion deadline is generally one calendar month after the course ends.
• There is one final completion deadline and no extensions.
• Because BTE is an elective, you may continue to other SCS courses if BTE is unfinished.
• To earn certification credit, an unfinished BTE course must be retaken in a future session. A maximum of three total attempts is available per course.

Designed for working shelter professionals

Course features

Flexible online learning
Access on-demand course content using your preferred device.

Hands-on application
Practice behavior, training, enrichment, assessment, and planning concepts that connect directly to shelter work.

Scenario-based learning
Explore realistic challenges, discuss options, and learn alongside other shelter professionals.

Coaching and feedback
Receive support from the course coaching team as you apply concepts and build confidence.

Why this course matters

Support better daily experiences and outcomes

Frontline shelter staff play an essential role in animals’ daily experiences, behavioral health, and opportunities for successful outcomes. BTE provides practical tools for improving housing, handling, enrichment, training, assessment, documentation, and decision-making while helping shelters develop behavior-support systems that are humane, realistic, and sustainable.

Program, enrollment, or technical questions

Learning Coordinator

Contact the Learning Coordinator at help@shelterlearniverse.com for questions about the program, enrollment, course access, navigation, or technical support.

Course coaching

Behavior, Training, and Enrichment

Cindi Delany, DVM, KPA-CTP, FFCP
Course Coach