Scope of Competence in Applied Animal Behavior

ABA & Dog Training
Written By Ran Courant-Morgan

By Stephanie Keesey-Phelan, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Ran and I are Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). This doesn’t always come up explicitly in the work we do one-on-one with our clients, but the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) lays the foundation for everything we do at The Dog Behavior Institute. There are a number of pathways to becoming a BCBA. Ran and I went to Simmons University (formerly Simmons College) and got Masters degrees in Behavior Analysis. During our time in that program, we accrued experience hours which were supervised by a BCBA, took and passed oral exams in front of a panel of behavior analysts, and finally we sat for the BCBA exam. 

We both came into the field of behavior analysis as dog trainers and we knew from the start that we wanted to work with people and dogs. When we began our coursework at Simmons we did just that, volunteering at the MSPCA in Boston, completing research projects, and teaching volunteers to train the shelter dogs. However, about halfway through our program, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB, just to keep up the fun with all the acronyms) changed their requirements and no longer allowed the accrual of experience hours that were focused on teaching people to work with animals. As a result, Ran and I both pivoted in our careers and began to work only on human behavior change. After doing that for about eight years, we both returned to the world of animal behavior through the creation of The Dog Behavior Institute. 

One question that comes up most often in our work is how others can do what we do and is typically asked by nerdy dog guardians and other folks who don’t have an academic background but want to work with dogs.  Because we get asked about becoming a dog trainer so frequently, we created a webinar called How We Got Here and How You Can Too. We run this webinar for free a few times each year and also have it available on demand for a small fee . 

Even more often, this question comes to us from people who are currently BCBAs who work with people and want to switch over to working with animals. It can be confusing to figure out how to make a switch in populations; this is especially true in terms of dog training because the field of dog training is unregulated. That is, there is no designated path, degree, or certification that is required to become a behavior analyst who works with dogs. And this is where we start to see problems crop up. 

You are not your dog’s behavior analyst; and other challenges related to scope of competence

The first problem we’ve encountered is the idea that as a Behavior Analyst, a person has both the knowledge and the skills to work with any behaving organism. Though the principles of behavior do apply to all behaving organisms, this does not mean that knowledge and application of the principles with one population is sufficient to ensure competence with all populations. When scope of competence is addressed, it is usually done so in the context of working with groups of people in either different settings, cultures,  or who have different diagnoses. In the same vein, it is critical to identify an animal, a being of an entirely different species, as a different population. And that means that if you are a Behavior Analyst who wants to start working with animals (for the purpose of this blog we’ll talk about dogs in particular), you do actually need to acquire competence both in your knowledge and your skills working with that species.

While training your own dog can be a good introduction to the field of dog behavior and training, it is not sufficient to serve as a qualification for you to start working professionally with dogs as a behavior analyst. Ran wrote previously about how you are not your dog’s behavior analyst; reading this would be a good starting place when considering transitioning to working with dogs as  BCBA. As Behavior Analysts, we know all of the dangerous and ethical implications of someone unqualified working with human clients. These same concerns absolutely come up with animal populations, who may be at risk of losing their lives, should improper care be provided. This comes up in clinical practice of course, but also in research. We have encountered a number of published studies that make us scratch our heads about methods, ethics, or both. These studies are often carried out by behavior analysts without any supervision or input by someone who is competent to work with that species.

Developing Competence

All this being said, Ran and I were heartened that at this year’s Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Annual Convention in Philadelphia, there were so many great talks and panels that addressed how BCBAs can begin to develop competence to work with animal populations. In particular, we wanted to share some reflections and resources for people who are interested in expanding their scope of practice:

First, consider what your responsibilities are starting with our existing ethics code! The BACB Ethics Code has a number of items to outline Behavior Analyst’s responsibilities when it comes to scope of competence including:

  • Core Principle #4: “Ensure Their Competence. Behavior analysts ensure their competence by…” There is a list of five items that follow which you can read here. 

  • Ethics Standard 1.05 “Practicing within Scope of Competence.” Describes what it means to practice within a scope and when a Behavior Analyst can practice within a new area

  • Ethics Standard 1.06 “Maintaining Competence.” This section describes how Behavior Analysts remain competent to work with a particular population over time. We know that like any science, we want to continually expand what we know and so continuing education is critical in maintaining competence. 

  • Ethics Standard 2.08 “Communicating About Services.” This section describes that Behavior Analysts should be able to “provide an accurate and current set of their credentials and a description of their area of competence upon request.” 

  • Ethics Standard 3.03 “Accepting Clients” describes that Behavior Analysts should only work with clients who fall within their identified scope of competence. 

  • Ethics Standard 6.06 “Competence in Conducting Research.” Not all Behavior Analysts who want to work with animals are going to conduct applied animal research but some will! This ethics standard describes the extent to which Behavior Analysts need to receive appropriate training to perform research activities. This not only involves training in conducting research, but certainly applies to having competence with the population being studied. An awareness of best practices for that population is critical. We would encourage Behavior Analysts who want to do research with animals, but for whom animal behavior does not fall within their scope of competence, to find researchers competent with their species of interest! And to collaborate with practitioners and clinicians who will have familiarity with current best practices in animal training and behavior for that species.

All this is to say, Behavior Analysts who work with a population outside of their scope are committing an ethics violation. One great written resource that was shared at ABAI this year that can help you determine if and how you can expand your scope include: 

Brodhead, M. T., Quigley, S. P., & Wilczynski, S. M. (2018). A call for discussion about scope of competence in behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 11, 424-435. 

  • This paper has a “Competence and Confidence Checklist” to help Behavior Analysts identify areas in which they need to pursue additional supervision or professional development

You can also check out the resources we’ve compiled below for help in growing your competence with animal behavior.


One last thing to note: the world of Applied Animal Behavior Analysis is a relatively small one! Much of the information you’ll need in order to work with a different species is going to come from other fields including: veterinary medicine, ethology, biology, and animal science just to name a few. In delving into these fields, you may have to do some translating in terms of how we would describe and understand phenomena behaviorally, but these other fields are critical to include as you are growing your competence.

Next Steps

Ready to begin expanding your scope? Here are a few parting recommendations:

  1. Remember that having a dog and even training that dog does not make dog behavior analysis within your scope of practice

  2. Complete a self assessment like the one described by Brodhead et al (2018) to determine where you need supervision or professional development

  3. Do some googling and asking around to find professionals and researchers who may be able to help you access the supervision and professional development you need 

  4. Make a plan

  5. Implement your plan and expand your competence, ultimately helping to improve the world of Applied Animal Behavior! 

Ran Courant-Morgan
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