ACM40322
Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training
ACM40322
Make Animal Care your Career
QUICK COURSE DETAILS
DELIVERY:
Online with printed learner’s guides
Placement with trainer
Intensive Workshops
DURATION:
24 months
Extensions available.
START DATE:
New students start on the first Monday of every month.
Monthly intakes for 2025 are now CLOSED.
Enrol before January 15th 2026 to start studying in Feb 2026.
Unlock your potential and step into the world of professional animal training and behaviour with the ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training.
Whether you dream of running your own dog training business, guiding owners through behaviour challenges, working in welfare or rescue, supporting assistance animal programs, or expanding into zoo, wildlife, or media animal roles, this course gives you the confidence, capability, and credibility to get there.
This qualification focuses on real-world behaviour and training practices. You’ll develop your ability to understand and interpret behaviour, design and implement conditioning programs, conduct behavioural assessments, deliver individual training plans, and run group training sessions for animal owners or carers. Along the way, you’ll explore enrichment, behavioural husbandry, animal welfare, and wellbeing to ensure you’re working to the highest ethical and professional standards.
To support your learning, you will complete structured practical activities and workplace experience in approved environments. This hands-on component ensures you graduate with the confidence, capability, and industry-ready skills needed for contemporary behaviour and training roles.
Study on your terms with our flexible distance education format.
Our distance education format allows you to learn at your own pace, supported by printed learner guides and access to experienced Animal Behaviour Educators. You’ll work through your learner’s guides and their associated online engaging digital content, applied case studies, and practical tasks that reinforce your understanding of modern, science-based training methods.
Students enrolled in the ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training receive high-quality training, assessment, and support from ACAC’s experienced team, through a collaborative partnership with Halo Nation Training Pty Ltd (RTO 32485).
Nationally Recognised Training
The ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training is a nationally recognised qualification delivered by ACAC on behalf of Halo Nation Training Pty Ltd (RTO 32485), the Principal RTO. This course is offered under a formal third-party agreement between ACAC and HaloNT. For more information refer to the FAQ.
What Will I Study in the
ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training
Please note: You can get credit for some subjects if you’ve already completed a related qualification in animal care. Talk to us for more information, as this will vary from student to student.
Complete the following core subjects:
Handle Animals Safely
This subject builds your foundation for working confidently and safely with animals across a range of environments. You’ll learn how to recognise key behavioural cues, understand why animals behave the way they do, and interact with them in ways that reduce stress and support positive experiences. The subject covers safe approaches, appropriate use of handling equipment, and species-specific considerations, preparing you to work calmly, ethically, and effectively with animals in professional settings.
WHS Management
This subject develops your ability to implement and maintain safe work practices in behaviour, training, and animal care environments. You’ll learn how to identify hazards, manage risks, complete reporting requirements, and contribute to continuous safety improvements. The subject ensures you can create and support safe environments for animals, clients, and colleagues.
Enrichment Strategies
This subject explores how to improve animal wellbeing through thoughtfully designed enrichment and behavioural husbandry practices. You’ll learn how to assess behavioural needs, plan and deliver targeted enrichment programs, and evaluate their effectiveness over time. With a focus on science-based methods and practical implementation, you’ll develop strategies that support natural behaviours, reduce stress, and enhance welfare across a range of species and care environments.
Animal Welfare
In this subject, you will develop the skills to assess animal welfare using structured, evidence-informed approaches. You’ll explore the Five Domains Model, identify signs of compromised welfare, and learn how environment, behaviour, nutrition, and health interact to shape an animal’s overall wellbeing. The subject prepares you to make informed decisions, advocate for good welfare, and implement improvements in a variety of animal care and training settings.
Condition Animals
This subject focuses on the principles and practical application of conditioning in behaviour change. You’ll learn how to evaluate training methodologies, design effective conditioning programs, and apply learning theory to real-world behaviour challenges. Through case examples and practical tasks, you’ll develop the skills to implement safe, ethical, and goal-focused behaviour modification across a range of species.
Self Care & Wellbeing
This subject supports your ability to maintain personal wellbeing and contribute positively to workplace culture. You’ll explore strategies for managing stress, fostering resilience, and supporting colleagues in emotionally demanding environments. The subject also examines the unique pressures of behaviour and training work, helping you build healthy habits and promote psychological safety within teams.
Animal Husbandry
This subject offers an in-depth exploration of practical animal husbandry, essential for anyone working in animal care. Gain insights into the daily operations within animal care facilities, focusing on health care, hygiene practices for housing, and individual animal cleanliness. You’ll learn about regular husbandry routines that ensure the wellbeing of animals under care. The course also covers critical skills such as making observations, administering treatments, keeping accurate records, conducting physical examinations, and administering medications. Furthermore, you will study the importance of maintaining security and managing stock within a care facility. This comprehensive overview equips you with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality care and maintain the health and safety of animals.
First Aid for Animals
This subject equips you with the essential skills needed to respond to common first aid situations involving animals. You’ll learn how to recognise emergencies, provide immediate supportive care, and take appropriate action until veterinary assistance is available. Practical tasks and scenario-based learning ensure you can act calmly, confidently, and safely when animals require urgent help.
Behavioural Assessments
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This subject teaches you how to conduct structured behavioural assessments and translate your findings into practical, personalised advice for animal owners or carers. You’ll learn how to collect reliable information, interpret behavioural indicators, identify underlying causes, and recommend appropriate management or training strategies. This prepares you for professional behaviour consultations and case-based work.
Group Training
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his subject prepares you to run safe, engaging and effective group training classes. You’ll learn how to structure sessions, manage group dynamics, support varying skill levels, and create positive learning experiences for both animals and their owners. The subject includes planning, communication, safety, problem-solving, and hands-on training techniques used in modern companion animal classes.
Animal Care Advice Provision
This subject equips you to offer informed, practical advice to clients and community members about choosing and caring for companion animals. You’ll learn how to match animals to suitable homes, explain basic care requirements, and communicate essential welfare considerations. This knowledge is invaluable for trainers, behaviour professionals, and anyone supporting owners in making responsible decisions.
Work Placement
To ensure you really understand what you are learning, and master the necessary practical skills, you will undertake 10 to 20 days (8 hrs each) of work placement in an approved workplace. Required days will vary depending on the units you select.
We are very flexible – you can change the structure of the placement to suit you and the workplace, whether you do a day a week, or blocks of weeks.
Prior to starting your placement, you must successfully complete both the WHS and Handling Animals subjects, and the placement arrangement forms.
Customer Service Standards
This subject develops the customer service and communication skills essential for behaviour and training professionals. You’ll explore how to manage client expectations, deliver consistent service, respond to issues, and build strong client relationships. These skills support effective consultations, repeat business, and professional reputation.
HLTAID011 Provide First Aid
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This external unit provides nationally recognised first aid training. You’ll learn how to respond confidently to human first aid situations, an important skill when working with clients during training, classes, and consultations. This unit must be completed with an approved provider if you do not already hold a current certificate.
- Delivered through our intuitive online ‘Learning Centre’ along with printed learner’s guides, this course is designed to seamlessly integrate into your life and work schedule.
- The flexibility of this course allows you to study wherever you are.
- The practical component can be completed along side a trainer near you, ensuring that you gain hands-on experience in a real-world setting that’s conveniently accessible.
Start Your Career!
Start your studies at our next intake with a first instalment of $496
Then simply pay
15 x $415.60/month or
30 x $207.80/fortnight
That’s an affordable $104/week.
Total:
$6730
APPLY NOW
Important notes:
- Prices current from 1st July 2025.
- All prices include resource fees, tuition, and administration fees.
- Additional fees may apply if you do not pass a subject, you need to re-enrol in a subject for any reason, or you extend your enrolment period. Please refer to the student handbook for details on other fees that may be applicable.
- Additional fees may apply to international students for bank transfer fees and international postage.
- For EU and UK residents only: Prices displayed on this page do NOT include VAT. VAT will be calculated based on your country of residence at enrolment time.
Notes on Payment Plans:
- Even if you have completed your studies, you’ll not receive your certificate until you’ve paid for your course in full.
- You are also responsible for paying the entire course cost, even if you decide to not complete the full course.
- When you choose to enrol with an interest free payment plan, your studies will start at the next available intake.
- Instalments will start from the month your course commences. Payments are by direct debit or credit card only.
- If you fall behind in your instalments by more than 14 days without arranging an alternative payment, you may be withdrawn from the course. So it’s important to contact us if you are struggling.
Overseas Students Welcome!
Don’t live in Australia? That’s no barrier to studying with us. We’re more than happy to have you as a student, and we don’t charge huge international student fees either. Before enrolling with us, we’d like you to be fully informed. Please read the Overseas Student Information by clicking the button below.
LEARN MORE
Additional Information on the
ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training
Entry Requirements
Direct entry available!
To be eligible to enrol in this course, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Have successfully completed Year 10, or equivalent (such as a Certificate II level qualification).
- Be able and willing to undertake the work placements along side an approved trainer near you, including shadowing them for series of classes. You don’t need this organised before enrolling, but you must be able to commit to undertaking the placements.
The Enrolment Process
Enrolling could not be easier!
- Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below.
- Enter in all your details and press submit.
- Wait for our Educators to review your application – takes about a business day – then check your email for your acceptance email. (You might need to check your spam folder too). It will include an enrolment link.
- Fill in the online enrolment form and select your payment method. Instalment plans are available.
Once we have confirmed your payment and enrolment (within a few days), you will receive an email containing your online access details. You can get started straight away! Your printed learner’s guides will be couriered out after you complete your student induction.
APPLY NOW
Course Price
Spread out the cost on an Interest-Free Payment Plan.
You can pay for your course through a payment plan. Please note, however, that we can’t graduate you until you’ve paid for your course in full, and even if you decide to not continue the course, you must still pay as per the payment plan.
Secure your place with the first instalment of $496. Then pay just $415.60 /month for 15 months, starting 30 days later for a total of $6730.
Important notes on Payment Plans:
- If you fly through the course and finish early, you must pay for your course in full before a certificate is issued.
- If you decide the course is not for you and want to withdraw, you must still pay for the course cost in full. If you have issues with the course, we urge you to talk to us before withdrawing – we have many solutions!
- Your instalment payments will start after your enrolment is activated and then will be every month/fortnight until paid in full. Payments are by direct debit from a credit card or Australian bank account only.
- It’s important to contact us if you are struggling with your payments – if you fall behind by 14 days or more without making alternative arrangements, you may be withdrawn from the course.
PLEASE NOTE:
Prices current from 1st July 2025. All prices include resource fees, tuition costs, and administration fees. Additional fees may apply if you do not pass an assignment after two attempts, you need to re-enrol in a subject for any reason, or you need longer than 18 months to complete the course.
Government Funding
What government funding is available?
Unfortunately at this time there is no government funding available for this course. We do encourage you to contact your local job seeker service or apprenticeship centre for further suggestions. School based students may have access to funding and should discuss this with their school.
You can, however, enrol with one of our instalment plans and spread the cost out.
Units of Competency
ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training
To achieve the ACM40322 Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour & Training, you will complete a blend of core and elective units carefully selected to build strong, industry-ready skills. This combination gives you deep, science-based behaviour and training skills, alongside practical capabilities in welfare, WHS, first aid and customer service. Our program is designed to balance essential behaviour and training knowledge, regardless of species.
The core units you will cover within your subjects are:
- ACMBEH301 Identify behaviours and interact safely with animals
- ACMGEN303 Assess the welfare status of an animal
- ACMGEN304 Promote positive wellbeing in self and others in animal care workplaces
- ACMBEH402 Develop, implement and monitor enrichment strategies for animals
- ACMBEH403 Evaluate animal conditioning methodology and program design
- ACMBEH404 Condition animal behaviour
- ACMWHS401 Maintain workplace health and safety processes
- ACMGEN402 Advise on animal industry compliance and practices
Your set electives are:
-
HLTAID011 Provide First Aid (completed external to the course)
- ACMBEH401 Develop, monitor and review behavioural husbandry strategies
- BSBOPS404 Implement customer service strategies
- ACMGEN305 Provide advice on companion animal selection and general care
- ACMBEH406 Conduct group training classes for animal owners or carers
- ACMBEH407 Conduct animal behavioural assessments
- ACMBEH405 Provide individual advice on animal behaviour management and training
- ACMGEN309 Provide basic animal first aid
You may also have credits from previous study that we can apply which can change what units and subjects you will need to complete to graduate. This can make your qualification shorter and cheaper. Our team will advise you.
Work Experience
Completing your vocational placement is an essential part of this course, giving you the practical experience needed to work confidently in behaviour and training roles. You’ll arrange your own placement with support from us, and we’ll help you with tools such as writing cover letters and resumes.
For this qualification, plan to complete your placement with an approved local trainer, working alongside them over several weeks. This includes shadowing and assisting with a full series of group training classes, as well as observing and supporting individual behaviour or training sessions.
Most students complete 10 to 20 days of placement, although some may require additional time to develop all practical skills. If you need extra days, we can help organise them at no additional cost. Total days required will depend on your elective choices. During your placement, you’re fully covered by the RTO’s insurance.
Course Start Dates
Start anytime it suits you!
We start off new students on the first Monday of every month except December. Enrolments close on the 15th of the month prior. Want to skip the line? Simply pay your tuition in full and start the next business day.
Course Delivery Method
This distance education course is delivered through our Online Learning Centre, supported by printed learner’s guides sent to you at no extra cost. The online format gives you the flexibility to study around your lifestyle.
When you begin, you’ll receive printed learner’s guides that provide a clear, step-by-step structure for working through each subject. The Online Learning Centre includes additional study resources and is where you’ll upload your assessment tasks.
Assessment in this course includes a mix of written assignments, case studies, projects, and practical tasks. Practical skills are primarily demonstrated during your vocational placement, although some assessments can also be completed at home with your own or a friend’s suitable animal. Other practical components may be submitted via video or completed live through Zoom, depending on the task requirements.
Course Duration and Study Requirments
You have up to 18 months to complete the course. We recommend dedicating at least 10 hours per week to your studies, which should provide ample time for required readings and assessments. If you are able to progress more quickly, you may finish the course in less time.
Please note that additional fees will be incurred if you need to extend your study period beyond 18 months.
Pathways to Further Study
Ready to learn more? After you’ve completed this course you can move on to:
- ACM40222 Certificate IV in Animal Facility Management
About Halo Nation Training Pty Ltd RTO ID: 32485
Veterinary Nurse Solutions, trading as the Australian College of Animal Care (‘ACAC’), has a third party arrangement with Halo Nation Training Pty Ltd (‘HaloNT’) which is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). In this arrangement, HaloNT is the ‘Principal RTO’, and ACAC are offering the qualification on their behalf.
At all times, the Principal RTO is responsible for the quality of the training and assessment you will receive in compliance with Standards for RTOs, and for the issuance of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) certification documentation. These Standards set out the requirements that an organisation must meet in order to be an RTO and ensure the integrity and quality of nationally recognised training provided by registered training organisations.
What does this mean for students?
Who are students enrolled with?
Students are enrolled with HaloNT as the principal RTO.
Who do students do training and assessment with?
All training is conducted by ACAC on behalf of HaloNT, the principal RTO. All learning and assessment materials are developed by ACAC and approved by HaloNT.
Who do the trainers and assessors work for?
All trainers and assessors are employed by ACAC, but are approved by HaloNT.
What if a student needs to make a complaint?
In the first instance you can provide feedback and make a complaint directly to us, ACAC at [email protected]. You are also able to make a complaint or provide feedback directly to the Principal RTO, HaloNT directly at https://www.halont.edu.au/.
Who issues qualifications and statements of attainment?
On successful completion of all course requirements students are provided with the appropriate qualifications and statements of attainment issued by the Principal RTO, Halo Nation Training Pty Ltd, RTO ID: 32485.
What if a student needs to have a qualifications or statement of attainment reissued?
Students can contact either ACAC and we can assist you to organise this. You are also able to directly contact HaloNT to obtain a new copy of a certificate.
