Animal therapist to animal behaviourist
An animal therapist already meets 69% of what the animal behaviourist role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.1/ 100
1 How much of what an animal behaviourist is expected to do is already part of an animal therapist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the animal behaviourist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animal behaviourist role treats 25 of its required skills as things an animal therapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on animal welfare
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply animal hygiene practices
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 38 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animal behaviourist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an animal therapist background worth leading with.
- already held select animals for training handling and moving
- already held design plans to address undesirable behaviour in animals management skills
- already held assistive instruments health and welfare
- already held interact safely with animals handling and moving
- already held provide mentorship communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide animal training handling and moving
All 38 carried skills, including the 25 the animal behaviourist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn design training programmes for animals required
- still to learn implement exercise activities for animals required
- still to learn provide an enriching environment for animals required
- still to learn train animals and individuals to work together required
- still to learn assess the compatibility of individuals and animals to work together required
- still to learn design training programmes for individuals and animals required
- optional, not held exercise patience optional
- optional, not held provide improvement strategies optional
- still to learn neurophysiology of animals required
- still to learn animal training required
- still to learn promote animal welfare required
- optional, not held practise veterinary professional codes of conduct optional
- still to learn animal evolution required
- still to learn neuroanatomy of animals required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animal behaviourist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 neuroanatomy of animals study this
- 02 neurophysiology of animals study this
- 03 animal evolution study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 38 skills that carry over
- already held advise on animal welfare skill
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting skill
- already held assess animal behaviour skill
- already held assistive instruments knowledge
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held deal with challenging people skill
- already held design plans to address undesirable behaviour in animals skill
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held interact safely with animals skill
- already held manage animal biosecurity skill
- already held manage animal welfare skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held provide animal training skill
- already held safe work practices in a veterinary setting knowledge
- already held select animals for training skill
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held animal production science knowledge
- already held assess animal's condition skill
- already held collaborate with animal related professionals skill
- already held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector skill
- already held interview animal owners on animals' conditions skill
- already held maintain animal accommodation hygienic skill
- already held maintain veterinary clinical records skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held provide mentorship skill
- already held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science skill
- already held treat animals ethically skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held veterinary terminology knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held maintain relationships with animal welfare establishments optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
- optional, not held inspect data optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with animal welfare establishments optional
- optional, not held practise veterinary professional codes of conduct optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held exercise patience optional
- optional, not held inspect data optional
- optional, not held provide improvement strategies optional
18 held skills the animal behaviourist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role administer hydrotherapy skill
- not needed by the target role advise on long-term care for animals skill
- not needed by the target role apply numeracy skills skill
- not needed by the target role assess animal nutrition skill
- not needed by the target role assess the animal’s rehabilitation requirements skill
- not needed by the target role calculate rates per hours skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role develop an animal handling strategy skill
- not needed by the target role perform massage techniques on animals skill
- not needed by the target role plan physical rehabilitation of animals skill
- not needed by the target role prepare animal therapy equipment skill
- not needed by the target role prescribe physical therapy to animals skill
- not needed by the target role protect health and safety when handling animals skill
- not needed by the target role provide osteopathic treatment to animals skill
- not needed by the target role provide support to veterinary clients skill
- not needed by the target role understand the animal's situation skill
- not needed by the target role use animal chiropractic techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use physiotherapy for treatment of animals skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn neuroanatomy of animals required
- still to learn neurophysiology of animals required
- still to learn animal evolution required
- still to learn animal training required
Common questions about this move
Can an animal therapist become an animal behaviourist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An animal therapist already covers 69% of what an animal behaviourist is expected to do: 38 skills carry over, 25 of which the animal behaviourist role treats as required.
What skills does an animal therapist need to become an animal behaviourist?
11 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is neuroanatomy of animals.
How hard is the move from animal therapist to animal behaviourist?
Its learning distance is 46.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.