Do you offer scholarships?

Yes, we do. Pet professionals, activists, rescuers and shelter workers. These people impact several dogs, on a daily basis and this knowledge can immensely impact several dogs. This is exciting and in order to enable this, BHA offers scholarships to people who work with dogs regularly. You are eligible for a scholarship, if you are:

1. Pet professional
2. Independent rescuer
3. Animal activist
4. Animal welfare worker

Do I get a certificate?

BHARCS offers only one professional certification course. The rest of the workshops are not professional certification courses. Though BHARCS will give a fun certificate of participation, it is not a professional certificate and cannot be used as such.

Upon successful completion of the Canine Behaviour Diploma Education you will receive a professional certificate from BHARCS and you're application to Pet Dog Trainers of Europe will be facilitated.

How can I apply for the professional course?

If you are new to BHARCS, you can only apply for Canine Essential 101. Fill out the online application form. If dates are not already announced, you will get a few date options to pick from. Once the dates are finalised you will be informed, with payment details. Make the payment and email us payment details at contact@bangalorehundeskole.com. You are then enrolled for class.

If you have already completed CE 101, then visit the BHARCS Alumni section and request access. Once you receive access, you will be able to apply for any of the advanced courses.

How can I apply for Myotherapy, Nosework, Health & Nutrtion and A2Z of Canine Care?

All courses require that you first complete Canine Essential 101. Once you complete that course you will be given access to apply for any of the advanced courses, including the professional course. So, start at Canine Essential 101. Apply for it and complete the course. You can then move on to the rest.

How are classes conducted?

Classes happen mostly on the BHARCS premises. Sometimes we head out to a different location. You will be informed of the location. Classes typically span a weekend and go on from 10 AM to 6 PM, with an hour long lunch break. Dogs are allowed in class, however it will involve planning as we do not mix dogs from different households in the 101 class and the dogs are only allowed to stay for half a day at a time. Stay and lunch is not included in the fees. Students need to take care of these themselves. Some light snacks, coffee, tea and drinking water are provided on facility. Most students order lunch on Swiggy during the classes. Some bring lunch. We have a fridge and microwave. If you have special dietary needs, you will need to bring your own snacks as well. If you need help with accommodation, we could connect you with the dog lovers community of Bangalore to help find a place to stay or help find rooms at discounted rates in local business hotels.

How do I pay?

Once you've applied you will receive an email with the fees and bank details. You can deposit ta check into any local bank branch or make an online transfer.

You will have to pay the full amount of a course upfront, to secure a spot in the course. If you are doing multiple courses, you could pay for the courses as you go along.

Can I bring my dog to class?

Limited number of dogs will be permitted in each class. The dogs are permitted only for half a day at a time, to keep stress on them minimal. So if you want to bring your dog, you will have to find someone to take your dog back at lunch or bring the dog during lunch. We do not mix dogs of different households in Canine Essential 101 class.

Can my dog's problems be solved by attending these courses?

Perhaps. The aim of these courses is to provide you with the tools you need to address issues with dogs in general. However, some of the topics may only be covered in courses you are not signed up for. In such cases you are free to come back for one on one consultations to fix your dog's issues. But your dog's specific issues might not get address in class, since it's a group class and we will need to stick to the course material, which we are going to have plenty of.

Applications Procedure

* Forms duly filled and sent in before cut off dates are the only ones that will be considered for admission. Cut off dates will be published on the Academy website. Admission forms are available on the Academy website. * If a student would like to apply for scholarship it needs to be done at the time of the application. All supporting documents need to be emailed to the office at the time of submitting the application and the list of emailed documents should be mentioned in the application. * A student whose application is accepted will be informed of the same via an acceptance communication. This acceptance communication will also include payment details and an extension of scholarship, if applicable. * Upon receiving the acceptance communication, due fees needs to be paid and student enrollment form needs to be signed and sent in. It’s ONLY after receipt of both of the above is a seat considered confirmed.

Admissions Policy

The final decision of admission or refusal of admission rests with the Director of the Academy. The Director reserves the right to terminate enrollment in the Academy

Fees, Cancellation & Refund Policy and Process

Policy When possible, the Academy will give out scholarships to people in the industry as well as to rescuers and shelter works as a way to encourage the use of education in helping people who work with animals. But scholarship will be at the discretion of the Director. A student’s enrollment is confirmed Place in class confirmed only after fees received in full. If not paid, the student’s enrollment is not confirmed and can be given out on first come first serve basis, unless discussed with the Director. It shall be our policy to keep fees as flexible as possible to make it affordable for students and remain conscious of the cost to our students. We will constantly try to work with different pricing options like modular pricing, when possible - student loans etc. Students will immediately be notified. We pledge to remain price conscious, on behalf of our learners. Students will be permitted to discontinue after the very first module and get a refund after withholding a certain processing fee. This is done so that students who realize this learning style is not for them have the option not to continue. However, after the first submission, there will be no more refunds. For webinars and in-person sessions, if the student is not present, the session is considered forfeit and there will be no refunds. For self learning modules, if module is not completed in the stipulated time, the student is considered a dropout and there will be no refunds there either. 101 will not be refunded. If the Academy cancels an in-person module or webinar, we will reschedule it. A student is free to sign up for the very next class, or do one at a later point of time. A refund will be an option only of if the rescueduling was reasons other thannatural calamities or unavoidable reasons like a bundh. In the interest of keeping fees as low as possible, the fees will not not cover any food, beverages, stationary or stay. The Academy will *try* to provide some basic snacks, drinking water in a dispenser, coffee, tea, pen, paper, some dog bowls and beds etc when possible. But students expected to carry any specific requirements, food for humans and dogs, and anything else required. Procedure In cases where a refund is applicable, student may request that by filling out the following form: Refund request form. The Academy may take upto a month to process the request. If the request is denied, the student will be informed of it.

Graduation & Alumni Policy

The Academy is committed to helping every student achieve their learning objectives. However, in certain situations we recognize that the students might be unable to meet our assessment criteria, despite best effort from the Tutor and student. If this happens during the very first task in the first module, the director will offer the student an option for a refund. If this happens later in the first module, while there will be no refunds, the Director may recommend to the student not to sign up for additional modules. In case of practicals, the student will be given 3 attempts to meet the criteria. Each additional attempt will be at additional fees. The graduation is based on a credit system. Students get certain credits per module. Once a student completes all mandatory modules and has received sufficient credit and all the fees are paid in full, the student is considered to have graduated. Mandatory modules will include the practical sessions, case studies and project submissions. The certificate issued at this point will be an accredited certificate. The accreditation itself attracts an extra fees that is stipulated by the accrediting body. After enrollment, a student is given 5 years to complete all necessary work to graduate. If not done within this time, the student is considered to not have enough continuity in the learning process and will have to re-enroll as a fresh student and work through all the modules again. After graduation, a student is considered part of the alumni and will be extended support in aspirations of further education, professional development or research. The Academy believes in going beyond just teaching and remaining engaged with the alumni in the interest of shaping the industry. However alumni members are expected to uphold Academy principles and still live by all applicable policies, in particular Treatment of dogs policy, protect our IP protection.

Module continuity & extensions policy and process

Policy The course is broken up into individual modules, in order to give students a lot of flexibility. So most of our deadlines and timelines are defined for within a module. Graduation itself is based on a on credit system. If all mandatory modules and credits are earned in a 5 year window, the student is considered a graduate and will be eligible to receive the accredited certificate. Within a module, students are allowed a maximum of 4 weeks gap between submissions. After which, the student will be notified and if no response is received fromt the student within a day, we consider the student has dropped out of the module. After this point, the student will have to start learning again to maintain continuity of learning. The student needs to finish each module in as many weeks as there are tasks in the module, multiplied by 2 (Ex: If a module has 10 tasks, students can take a maximum of 20 weeks to complete the module). If a student takes longer, unless he/she has applied for and been granted an extension, is considered a dropout and will have to redo the module to maintain continuity of learning. EAch student will only be given 1 extension. There needs to be reasonable explanation as to why the student needs to be given one. The principal needs to grant extensions. Extensions are only at the module level and the graduation program itself does not have an extension policy. Process

• All extension applications must be filled BEFORE the deadline expires
• Use following form to apply for extension: Extension application form
• For extensions after deadlines, use appeals process to appeal directly to the Principal

Submissions Policy, Guidelines and Process

Policy Self learning is a disciplined exercise that requires 100% honesty between the tutor and student, so that the tutor can ensure the student has all the help to learn the concepts. The submissions have to be as transparent as possible to expose student’s learning shortcomings so that we can ensure adequate teaching. When using exact quotes from research sources, exact should not be more than 25% of the entire response. Rest has to be in the student’s own words. The idea is that if the student were quizzed she/she would know all the ideas to give a proper answer by themselves without needing reference. The student needs to have UNDERSTOOD the concept. The point of the submission is not to cover the topic as extensively as possible, but to show how much is it that the student has completely understood. If the student has not, then we need to find a way to teach it to the him/her. So the student cannot submit copy-paste from somewhere else. This will be considered plagiarism and will not pass our automated checks. But, more importantly, it will not help us identify what the student has not learnt and to help them learn it. BHA will encourage as many peer learning opportunities as possible, based on what is feasible to students. This may include forums for study groups, forums with seniors and industry experts, webinars with subject matter experts, skype calls with tutors etc… Submissions have to be in order, unless specified otherwise and can only be done after mandatory modules have completed (where applicable). Student Guideline

• Each module will have a list of tasks. Work on a task at a time
• Follow the recommended order, because tasks build on each other. Work on the second task only after submitting the first one.
• If you don’t understand, use the online forums provided to ask study group and seniors first. If you don’t receive help, then ask tutors.
• Some modules can benefit from webinars with experts and students are requested to try and time their module completion in sync with these webinars. This coordination will not be done by the Academy and students are expected to plan smartly on their own.

Evaluations Policy & Process

Policy Mandatory prerequisites will be mentioned for some tasks. No submissions will be accepted for evaluation if prerequisites are not met. In order to pass, a submission must meet following criteria:

1. More than 75% in students own words to demonstrate they have understood the topic (original)
2. Amply demonstrates understands learning objectives for each task by meeting assessment criteria
3. The student has understood all feedback given

Evaluations disagreements & complaints policy & process

Policy The Academy puts a lot of effort into ensuring evaluations are fair, objective and useful. However, if tutor is not following these standards, then students are encouraged to sort it out with the tutor first. Everyone is required to maintain professional behaviour through the process. If there are any non evaluation related complains, the same process is to be followed. Disagreements and their resolutions will be considered in tutor appraisals.
Process

• The student is required to fill out the following form - Complaints Form
• The tutor needs to talk to student and both parties must sign a declaration committing to the changes mutually agreed with for the next evaluation if it’s related to evaluations. For all other complaints, changes must be executed in the next 40 days.
• After next evaluation or after 40 days (whatever is applicable), if student feels problems persist or earlier resolution was not acceptable, then he/she can escalate to Principal via this form: Complaint principal escallation form
• Principal may conduct face to face or remote interviews with both parties, try to arbitrate and try to come up with a mutually agreeable solution
• If the problem has not been addressed in the agreed upon timeframe or the solution arbitered by the Principal was not acceptable or no solution was arrived at, then the student can use the Appeals process.

Feedback policy & process

Policy We want feedback! Feedback can be anonymous, simply to make it a little easier to leave feedback. The feedback can be given to a specific member of the certified staff, Principal or Director. Whether the recipient acts on a certain feedback or not is at the discretion of the recipient of the feedback. Process The following form needs to be filled out - Feedback From. Feedback can be anonymous. However, if the person mention their name, he/she might be contacted for further clarification.

Appeals policy & process

Policy Students are requested to resolve resolve issues through complaints and feedbacks process. Appeals is a long process and expensive and should only be used if it cannot be resolved any other way. The academy will NOT investigate if proper channels have not been followed. Appeals attract a fee that needs to be paid before appeals are accepted. Fees could be refunded if the appeal is found to be justified. The decision to review and investigate will be done at the discretion of the Director We might investigate Unfair treatment of student Not marking on time Not marked to learning outcomes Assessment / teaching disagreements We might not investigate if student wants to break contract. Process This will happen in 3 stages. Stage 1 is a formal request to the principal to investigate the issue formally. The second is to escalate the issue to the IQA and finally the third is to escalate to the awarding body. At each stage, the reports get sent all the way to the Awarding body and so there will be accountability at each stage. To start the process, fill out the following form: Appeals form. Email the supporting documents and evidence to the Principal. Pay the necessary fees to start the first of the the 3 stages:

1. Stage 1: The Principal launches the investigation and provides a report (with or without a resolution). If appeal applicant unhappy with resolution, report or timelines for resolution, he/she can escalate to IQA, via this form: Appeals IQA escalation form.
2. Stage 2: Upon escalation, documents and files from Stage 1 will be passed on to IQA. No additional fees required. The IQA will launch review Principal’s work, independently investigate if necessary and then issue his/her own report/resolution.
3. Stage 3: The the applicant is still unhappy, he/she can escalate to the awarding body by using the following form: Appeals final escalation form

Malpractice Policy & Process

Policy Malpractice is defined as a irregular conduct by learner or staff which gives advantage to one learner or group of learners. Malpractice could be identified and reported by tutor, IQA, fellow student or Principal. Examples of tutor malpractise might include:

• Improper assistance to learners
• Tampering with marks
• Not keeping course work secure
• Inappropriate
• Doing work for students
• False witness as student having learnt
• Allowing plagiarism
• Allowing impersonation
• Misusing special learner requirements (scribes)
• Falsifying records

Equal opportunity policy & process

Policy BHA believes in equal opportunity to it’s employees and students. All aspects of employment and education including evaluations, decisions to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on ethics towards animals, merit, competence, performance and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical​​​ condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or ​expression, veteran status, or any other such status. BHA is committed to providing a work and / or learning environment that is professional, free of discrimination or harassment of any kind. It is recognised that many individuals may be unwilling to make a complaint regarding equal opportunities, for a variety of reasons, including, fear that others will consider that behaviour trivial, fear of retaliation and/or public humiliation or fear that the complaint will not be taken seriously. Such concerns may make an individual choose to leave the organisation, or change their job. BHA regards this as unacceptable. It is important that employees and learners should feel able to raise concerns without fear and in the knowledge that their complaint will be taken seriously. All complaints will receive prompt attention and will be properly investigated. We will seek to resolve them as quickly as possible. Process Sometimes it may be possible for an employee/learner affected by the behaviour of another simply to ask the harasser to stop, or make it clear that the behaviour is unwelcome. If this is appropriate, then the employee/learner should do this. However, such an approach may not be appropriate and employees/learners should feel able to raise matters at any time with their manager/tutor or with the principal or the IQA.

IP Protection policy & process

Policy The Academy is an educational institution that places very high value on ideas and knowledge and so is very particular about giving intellectual property due respect All the academy content is protected IP and cannot be reproduced in any form without explicit consent by the Director All students and staff are encourage students to be very particular about identify sources and giving due credit whenever applicable (not just to the academy but wherever applicable) Process If anyone anyone is found to be violating IP of the academy or other people in the industry, you are encouraged to report it here via this form: IP violation report Disciplinary action can be taken in proportion to the severity of the violation and can even result in termination of education or employment or public withdrawal of certificate.

Ethical treatment of animals policy

Policy

• No dog can be brought on premises without the necessary dog-planning based on the event or occasion.

Behaviour for learning policy and guidelines

Policy It’s our policy to actively foster an environment of critical thinking, self learning and research. All students and tutors are expected to have a collaborative approach, not just towards the education, but also in career and educational efforts after graduation. All individuals are expected to maintain a professional environment, free of harassment of individuals or use of power against individuals. This is not conducive to learning and will not be tolerated. Guidelines for tutors:

• Questions should be met with kindness and an open mind

Evolving curriculum policy

• Our courses are based on science and research which change rapidly. So we consider lack of rigidity in curriculum course critical.

Policy non-compliance

If any student / support staff / certified staff is found violating the ethos set up by the policies of BHA please report it here: Policy non compliance complaint form