UKRCB membership

Hi all,

Apologies if this appears twice eventually, but my original seems to have got lost somewhere?

Has anyone applied yet to the UKRCB, and if so have they been given dates for interviews?

I am thinking of applying after the New Year once my hospital visits have ceased (re: Finger) as last time I applied their dates coincided with various hospital appointments. So I am not risking ringing Robert Alleyne to chase up his reply to an email I sent him - just in case! Although I know these things take ages to arrange from their side though.

If anyone has applied, did you just have to send one copy of your own CV? Last time they sent me a pro-forma CV which was pages long and I had to send 7 copies, luckily then I had access to the Company photocopier. I hope only 1 copy is required now, otherwise its a lot of paper needed!

All the best

Carole

I've not applied, will be doing so next year. Speak to Al, he's on the board of people who go through the applications and will be able to give you some hints.

I think it's still pages long and in triplicate or it was last year when I asked Al about it. You have to ask Robert Allyne for the application form.

I have emailed in the past but didn't get a response. I rang Robert a few weeks ago and spent a while on the phone with him. He said to get in touch once I had started the course and he would let me have an application, haven't done so yet, will do it in the New Year.

Thanks Chris,

Yes ringing is the best and most direct course I reckon when we are all in a position to do so.

Regards & Happy New year

Carole

Just catching up with this, have you managed to get sorted?

I haven't no - just too much to sort here. My hubby and I have separated at 20 something years and although its the best thing, certainly for me, there is a lot of sorting out to do. With Becca's problems at Uni as well, there isn't much time left for me at the moment. But Becca has made her choices now and received one unconditional offer and other things are slowly starting to fall into place, so you never know, in the next week or so I might just be able to pick a book up again!

I emailed Robert a couple of weeks back and he emailed me the form, yes it is quite long and you need your CV. They still need 7 copies of it but he said I could email it back, so I assume they them do the copying.

Lisa

Thanks Lisa, I must get my act together!

Admin wrote:I haven't no - just too much to sort here. My hubby and I have separated at 20 something years and although its the best thing, certainly for me, there is a lot of sorting out to do. With Becca's problems at Uni as well, there isn't much time left for me at the moment. But Becca has made her choices now and received one unconditional offer and other things are slowly starting to fall into place, so you never know, in the next week or so I might just be able to pick a book up again!

Sorry to hear you're having problems, hope everything is sorted and settled soon.

Thanks Olwen

well it never rains but it pours - literally! Got home from the cinema on Sunday with the kids and my sister to a flooded bathroom and water pouring through the ceiling to the dining room!

Studying put off for another day - perhaps tomorrow?

Oh my gosh, not a good time at all for you Chris. Sorry life has taken a bit of a sidetrack in more ways than one.

I have not got round to ringing Robert yet, busy with medical appts and other stuff. The good thing is that although you still need 7 copies, if the original can be emailed, as you say Lisa they can do the copying. I am away next week so must get moving re: UKRCB on my return.

I have to see a lady with an aggressive Collie tomorrow, not sure if bit too involved for me at this stage of 'Behaviour' work, but I have had some really good pointers from Sylvie (APDT forum) and via her, Barry Eaton...so it may in fact be a good case to get some experience with prior to applying for the UKRCB(even if ultimately it gets handed to an APBC Behaviourist or similar).


Regards

Carole

Hi Carole, how did you get on with the Collie? I haven't been on for ages and am just catching up! Don't put yourself down. I was dealing with a dog but the vet wanted to refer to an APBC behaviourist so the people had to go along with it - it was covered by insurance as well. They were very supportive of me though and not happy that they had to do this. They were not impressed at all with the APBC person. They sat in an office, the Behaviourist never touched the dog. She made them feel very small. Sent them a report telling them to do everything I had said but I was horrified with the fact that she told them to keep the dog at home whilst they were looking after their young 3+5 yr old grandchildren and deal with it.

The dog was aggressive and had bitten the man twice quite badly. They had booked the dog into my kennels whilst they were looking after the children for a few days as they didn't want any incidents and were getting a lot of grief from the parents. Knowing the woman and how fussy she is and not good at dealing with situations I said the best thing would be for the dog to be away from the home while the children were there. Then, we could deal with the aggression problem while the couple could concentrate on it 100% and not be on edge! Unfortunately, the dog bit again and ended up being put down.

So, in my opinion, some of these APBC people are not all that brilliant!

Hi Chris,

Thanks for asking re: Collie.

I visted the owner & her daughter (daughter is the 'target' mainly), plus the grandmother and the dog boarder (as they both share day boarding the dog the 4 days per week the owner is at work). On each occassion I visited while all involved were there, or when the dog was actually being boarded with the gran or dog boarder. So, it was good to see the dog in all the relevent environments and how each person may be either backing up any good training/behaviour work or negating it!!

It is a difficult one, the dog has bitten 4 times over the past couple of years, he can create puncture wounds. I have told the owner the prognosis is guarded in as much as (I believe and from what I was told);

They got the BC from a working farm while on holiday, as it seems, an impulse buy.
The puppy was 6 weeks old when they bought it.
The daughter has been a mix of over-indulgent and rough play with the dog from a puppy, and still speaks to him as if he was a puppy and tries to hug him, although he is now a mature/maturing 2&half year old young man! She is in her 20s.
The owner lets the dog sleep on her bed (ok in my opinion IF no behaviour problems with the dog/the dog gets off - just impractical really) and this dog guards the owner/bed from the daughter.
The dog has a VERY high prey/object fixation, even on bones laying on the grass in the dog boarder's garden and he has a very low threshold when anyone physically tries to interrupt this fixation. Though he can be very responsive to clear verbal commands.

If you ever met the dog, he displays very submissive body language, is very submissive to other dogs. The dog boarder took him out with my dog one day when she was 'dog walking' my dog, and both got on fine.

Lots of management needs introducing, environmental changes, elevating daughter to No2 then equal to 'mum' for the dog, practical training exercises etc.

She is doing the best she can in her circumstances and it is handy that I only live a few minutes from all parties. I gave her a 'Report' and Training/Behaviour suggestions. But she knows that I will not carry on further involvement until she has seen her vet to check for any problems with the dog's eyes (it seem mainly when he is approached from the right hand side of his head, it triggers a bite) and hips (had bilateral hip surgery about 14 months ago and he 'grumbles' when lifted into the car, or is slower getting up & down after long walks).

She knows what options she has about who she may choose to continue with (and I am happy for her to choose an APBC, but I would like to 'sit' in being as I have already had dealings, so confidentiality would not be a problem. The owner is happy whith this).

So, after ending up earning about £2 an hour on reflection (!) I am awaiting feedback after her visit to the vet. I get the impression that she is not bothered by the fact that I do not have the BSc required by the APBC people, but prefers to continue with some-one she knows, to save potentially confusing the situation and dog. She is aware that these incidents may always be possible (a First generation working farm BC, probably no bite inhibition learnt from its dam, siblings etc) but she wants to do her best for the dog.


Thank you about "not putting yourself down" - but when the local APBC/BSc Behaviourists write in the local paper and on their websites things like:

1)You need a Degree to carry out Dog Training.
2)You shouldn't agree for anyone who isn't a member of the APBC treat your dog ("as this is like letting a veterinary nurse operate on your dog").
3)You can only have a Clinical Behaviourist deal with Behaviour problems and will only be referred to a 'Clinical Behaviourist' by your vet.

Well, it does make you think how 'non-degree' and no doubt good/talented Trainers & Behaviourists can ever get cases to gain the experinece nowadays!?

Sorry to rant on, but I think that you are right potentially about how some 'highly qualified' professionals deal with the clients. One of my previous clients chose not to go back to the 'APBC' lady as "She didn't have a good rapport" and they did not like the way they were 'told' what to do. My dog boarder friend told me that one of her vets was not impressed with the APBC Behaviourist the head Vet had agreed to refer cases to, but she (the vet) had to because of the APBC connection.


We shall see.



Regards

Carole

Hi Olwen,

Well my application has gone off now, not knowing how much longer I would have to wait for a reply from him.

Should he want me to email my application as well, I shall do so as & when he contacts me. I used to know Pat White but haven't met any other UKRCB members. I imagined a 'Board' of members all sitting behind a big table carrying out the Interview!! How wrong I was then?!

Regards

Carole

According to Robert the interview isn't as scary as people seem to think. The only submission member I know is Al, he doens't do the interviews but does read through the application and is one of the people who gives the yes or no for interview.

is 3 weeks a miracle?

I spoke to Robert at the APBC conference and was expecting to hear from him at some point in the future but got an email today with the application stuff!

Going to sit down with a stiff drink to recover

Carole, when did you ask about APDT membership. I can probably jolly it along a little. Stella in the office did have a week off so it may have got lost in her admin but she is usually very good at responding.

Chris

Sorry, I have only just read your reply about the collie Carole! I just haven't had time to do any dog homework and am really missing it. The Highway Code and DSA driving manual are nothing in comparison! I take the first part of my test on 21st April - Theory and Hazzard Perception so that will be most of the reading work out of the way I hope so I can then concentrate on the practical side and get back to the dogs!

Has the collie been checked by the vet yet? If he is struggling with people approaching from one side is this the same side he had surgery? Is it actually people coming from the side or is it actually from behind? Usually coming in from the side shouldn't be too much of a problem I would have thought as even if he has restricted vision he would turn his head and see the person. Approaching from behind might be more worrying for him because of the op, is he stiff, could he still be in pain from that?

The UKRCB does sound a long drawn out thing, but when people are doing things on a voluntary basis the more important parts of life - ie paid work - sometimes takes over.

Chris

Hi Chris,

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate at the moment, I don't envy you with the Driving course, like many I passed under the old scheme. I don't think that I would pass if I had to do this theory etc first! Good luck for the 21st and let us know how it goes.

Thanks very much re: APDT student membership. Stella emailed me on 1st March saying that she was passing the request on to Val. I appreciate it is not long and am not panicking really about the APDT scheme, being as it is a new thing.

Re: the Collie.
Owner says the vet check gave the dog the 'all clear' for sight and joints (I still have my doubts on that score though from discussions with the owner). Plus the vet wasn't concerned that the dog had bitten family members (and causing puncture wounds!).

The owner emailed me the other day stating they are doing well and basically saying that if they want any further help they will let me know.

However, the dog boarder(a friend of mine)told me that the BC is doing well re: dog>human contact, but is still guarding his space from other dogs in the back of her jeep when taking him out on the walks, plus he is beginning to 'barge and bully' some of the other dogs that come out on walks. I shall be going out on a walk with her and the dog next week,out of curiosity,to see for myself. I have sent the owner a feedback form for her to return.

The owner did not want to use a clicker for any of the appropriate tasks left with her. Ideally though she also needs to de-sensitise the dog to traffic and around horses.

Maybe I left them with too much info and it seemed a bit daunting. But my main concern is the biting, especially as the 82 year old mum looks after the dog a couple of days per week. I shall see what the feedback form comes back with.

Re: people vounteering their time, yes I agree. It is just that I would appreciate at least an acknowledgement from Robert that my application has been received and an idea what happens next, rather than nothing. After all, he may not have received it for some reason. I shall ring him next week.

Re:APBC-
This is for anyone's info if they have been declined by the APBC for student membership in the past,because they do not have a BSc. You still need a BSc to become a provisional or full APBC member though, if looking to join them but;

I checked with the APBC and they now accept the A.Dip CBM being eligible for student membership. However, they feel the A.Dip CBM is HND level and not Foundation degree (I interpreted it as being so from the Compass website and years ago David Montgomery told me that it was equiv to an FD degree). I am awaiting a reply from Compass to clarify what level the A.Dip CBM has been assessed/accredited at now.



Regards


Carole

Hi Carole, Val has had a lot on lately, but if you don't hear anything by the end of the month let me know and I'll ask.

You're right of course, it doesn't take much effort to send an acknowledgement does it. This man does seem to be reluctant to respond by email. I didn't get any joy from him until I actually rang and spoke to him, then he was very nice and very informative. I haven't done anything about UKRCB yet, too many other things going on. Once I am a fully fledged driving instructor I will be back on the dogs hopefully!

Vets are so annoying aren't they sometimes? I almost lost my weimy early this year. She has been going down hill for the last couple of years, has lots of problems as some of you will know. My vet said her collar was causing her coughing - even though she is never on the lead and the collar is very loose? I questioned her thyroxine dosage in view of her age and the length of time she has been on the medication (she is 13 and been on 0.8mg for the last 10 years). Couldn't put weight on her, she was constantly scavenging and had gut and bowel problems. Emailed Jean Dodds and she agree with me but the vet had never heard of Jean Dodds and was adamant there was nothing wrong. My old vet returned to the practice, unfortunately to do just horses, but I saw her one day and asked if she would look at Peggy. She agreed although the practice didn't like it! Coughing is a leaking valve, nothing to do with her collar, so she is now on medication which is making her much better. Reduced soloxine to 0.5mg. I now have a born again puppy racing around the fields with my welshie like a lunatic! If I had not asked for this second opinion I think I would have lost her a couple of months ago.

Sorry, rant over!

Hope the collie people sort things out, I guess different people have different priorities and as long as the dog isn't biting people they are prepared to put up with the dog-dog aggression, or perhaps just can't be bothered to deal with it?

Chris

Hi Chris,

Great to read about Peggy's outcome, that must be SO gratifying and a big relief for you.

Not many conventional vets I think have heard of Jean Dodds, shame really as I reckon they could expand their knowledge so much more re: thyroid issues. How many people would think to get a second opinion, even if there were other suitable vets to refer to or many owners knowing they can!

Good luck with the driving instructor career.

Regards


Carole

I had an email from Robert today asking if I can make 5th May, for the 'informal' Board interview, in Windsor.

Just need to get my application off to him via email rather than the hard copy I sent and try to get a couple of more recent references (difficult as moved to a different part of the country from where I obtained the previous ones from, but doing a bit of ringing round to see if my new dog contacts/recent customers will help!).

Is anyone else who has applied been provided with a date yet?


It's nice that things are moving on.


Carole

congratulations Carole, let us know how it goes I haven't applied yet, I want to finish a couple more modules first.

I was told by Pauline Appleby that the ADipCBM is ok for student membership so long as you plan to top it up to a full degree. It is level 5 so is the same as foundation.

Thanks Olwen,

I guess that I had better spend the next couple of weeks going over the A.Dip CBM modules - to refresh my memory in case of questions! Well, that's another reason to push the Animal Care College 'Aggression' course on to the back burner.

It was Graham Thompson at the APBC who emailed me and stated that the A.Dip CBM was not equiv to the Foundation Degree, but I think he was getting confused himself as he also replied that my highest qualifiction was an HNC! That is what prompted me to email David at Compass, to get it straight from the horses mouth as it were.

I shall let you know how the day goes, once I have got home and had a G&T no doubt!

Regards

Carole

No, Graham is confused. Not hard for him really He knows that I am doing ADip and suggested applying for student membership.