Arf and science: School offers bachelor’s degree in dog handling

IN DEMAND State University of New York in Cobleskill is launching a program on “canine training and management”
amid a surge in demand for specially trained dogs to detect security threats and assist peoplewith reduced mobility. —AFP

COBLESKILL, NEW YORK—Luna the springer spaniel is learning to sniff out a troublesome golf course fungus in return for a tennis ball while helping her handler fetch a new breed of bachelor’s degree.

The four-year program in “canine training and management” officially launches this fall at State University of New York in Cobleskill amid a surge in demand for specially trained dogs to detect security threats and assist veterans in the wake of 9/11.

While several institutions hand out training certificates and at least one small private college, Bergin University of Canine Studies in Penngrove, California, awards a bachelor’s in dog handling, the program at Cobleskill is more ambitious in its scope.

“I do believe this is the first of its kind of this caliber of degree” at a major university, said Nick Hof, chair of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

Demand up after 9/11

Professor Stephen Mackenzie, who has trained military and police dogs for 40 years and authored professional manuals on the subject, said he developed Cobleskill’s Bachelor of Technology degree partly in response to a heightened demand for dogs capable of sniffing out explosives in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

“The security and working dog industry really expanded” following the attacks, Mackenzie said.

Law enforcement agencies also need dogs that can ferret out drugs or to assist in search and rescue. And they need skilled people to raise and train those dogs and the handlers they’ll work with.

The need for service dogs trained to assist those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or reduced mobility has also expanded as veterans started returning from multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There’s also a growing demand for dogs trained to assist people with autism, seizure disorders, diabetes, impaired vision or hearing and a range of other conditions, according to Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of programs that train and place service dogs.

Basic manners

Pet owners are also seeking trainers to teach Bailey basic manners, to stop Lucky from lunging on the leash and to generally ensure successful adoptions for shelter dogs.

Hof, who does in-home dog training in Cincinnati, Ohio, said demand increases every year for professionals who charge up to $150 an hour to cultivate companionable canines.

While training is an important part of the degree, Mackenzie said students could also take many science courses to learn about dog health, nutrition and genetics at the century-old agricultural college sprawled across 3.5 square kilometers in central New York.

The program also requires a 600-hour internship at a dog-related business, such as Guiding Eyes for the Blind, the American Kennel Club Headquarters or Search Dog Foundation.

“There are many people who don’t have college degrees and are very successful in the dog industry,” Mackenzie said. “But if you want a balance of science mixed with hands-on experience, and if you’re going to go to college anyway, this is a really good option if you want to work with dogs.” —AP