Explore the science of behaviour across species—with curiosity, compassion, and critical thinking.
Are you fascinated by the inner lives of animals? Do you want to understand why they behave the way they do—from instinctive survival strategies to complex social interactions? The Intermediate Animal Behaviour Diploma invites you into the captivating world of ethology, psychology, and zoology, offering a multi-species lens on behaviour that goes far beyond dog training.
🎓 Who This Course Is For
This diploma is ideal for:
Aspiring animal behaviourists, trainers, and carers
Students preparing for advanced study in behavioural science
Ethical professionals seeking a deeper understanding of species diversity
Curious minds who value both scientific rigour and emotional insight
No prior qualifications are required—just a willingness to observe, reflect, and learn.
This diploma doesn’t just teach facts—it cultivates perspective. You’ll learn to:
Recognise behaviour as an adaptive response to environment and experience
Appreciate the emotional lives and cognitive capacities of diverse species
Approach animal care and training with empathy, ethics, and evidence
Whether you’re deepening your professional toolkit or beginning a new journey, this course offers a foundation that’s both intellectually rich and emotionally grounded.
What You'll Learn:
2. Mental Processes
- Cognition and cognitive ability
- Hormones and their effects on behaviour
- Are animals intelligent? Defining intelligence and what it means
- Learning and the different ways that animals learn, though social learning, trial and error, and conditioning
- The differences between classical and operant conditioning
- The importance of play
- Imprinting and habituation
- The critical and sensitive periods for learning
- Learned helplessness and abnormal behaviour, stereotypical behaviour
- Animal emotions
3. Protection, Feeding and Mating
- Species that have multiple offspring, and those that have single offspring, and the different methods of care of the young.
- The difference between precocial and altricial young
- Defence against predators, and the different methods of defence
- Natural selection and artificial selection
- Mimicry, and the ways that species can mimic others
- Mating and the different methods of reproduction
- Courtship behaviour
- Food chains and webs
- Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores and the ways they are adapted to different diets
- Parasitism and symbiotic relationships between species
4. Societies and Groupings
- The advantages and disadvantages of living within a group
- Societies and structures, and the hierarchy in groups
- Different forms of reproductive strategies, such as monogamy and polygamy
- Hibernation and aestivation
- Prosocial behaviour
- Group dynamics
- The differences between the sexes – sexual dimorphism
- The evolution of animal societies
5. Environment, Domestication and Captivity
- What is an environment?
- Habitat selection, why do animals choose their particular environment?
- Territories, and the ways that animals defend them from others
- The history of domestication and selective breeding
- Conservation biology and the role of captivity and zoos
- Zoochotic behaviour in captivity
6. Tool Usage and Language
- Defining tool usage in animals
- Cultural transmission and the way that animals learn through watching others
- Examples of the ways that different species use tools to achieve goals
- Communication, and the different methods used by animals
- The advantages and disadvantages of different types of communication
- Language and the ways that bees communicate
Course Details:
Study Level 3
The study Level relates to the how demanding the course is. 1 is beginner and 5 is HND / Foundation Degree level.
6 Module Course - This course is delivered in 6 study modules which need to be passed to gain the qualification.
Your future starts here!
📚 Education in Animal Welfare, Training & Behaviour
✅ Enroll Anytime – No strict start dates
🌍 Study from Anywhere in South Africa
📖 Choose from 30+ Courses
📝 Open to Everyone – Except Advanced Diplomas
⏳ Flexible Learning – Each module takes up to 4 months, or finish faster
🚫 No Exams ✅ Interactive Learning Approach Each module includes: 🔹 Research-Based Questions – Strengthen understanding through exploration 🔹 One or Two Projects – Apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios 🔹 Revision Questions – Reinforce key concepts for mastery
💳 Affordable Payment Options
🏅 Internationally Accredited Learning Institution by ICOES
📜Locally Recognised by SABCAP
🔹 Also Recognised by IAABC, CBTS, NCFE, IACE, ISAP
