COAPE International Partner.
DipCABT (COAPE) OCN, CertCAB, CABTi Practitioner, C.A.B. ICAN, C.C.A.B.
Karin has been working in the field of animal behaviour therapy since 1997 after studying in the UK, where she completed her Diploma in Animal Behaviour with what was then COAPE UK. She is a member of both the CABTi and ICAN and is a Certified Animal Behaviourist (C.A.B.), a partner in COAPE International and a published author.
After more than 25 years of consulting with dog and cat owners, Karin now focuses mainly on managing COAPE International, presenting parts of the COAPE Diplomas and MHERA™ Practitioners course, as well as lecturing extensively at conferences on animal emotionality both locally and internationally. She developed the industry changing MHERA™ method which is used to monitor and improve emotional and behavioural wellbeing in animals. MHERA™ can be applied on mammals and birds, in a variety of different environments, from captive wildlife facilities to the domestic pet setting. Her book “Mood Matters: MHERA: An innovative assessment approach to animal emotionality in the treatment of behaviour problems” was published in 2023 by DogWise in the U.S.A. Karin is the Behaviour Consultant to numerous pet companies such as Eukanuba and Ascendis Animal Health and is a regular contributor to several local and international magazines, as well as appearing on television and radio regarding animal behaviour matters.
She heads the Enrichment Partnership Program between COAPE International and several captive wildlife facilities, where she spends her time to develop bespoke enrichment programs to promote the behavioural and emotional health of the animals, as well as implementing consent-based training to facilitate stress-free husbandry and medical procedures in captive wildlife. The captive animal project provides the unique opportunity to apply COAPE’s MHERA™ and ESTA™ techniques to a huge variety of animal species, with great success to date. She is also part of the South African Government’s task team whose focus is on creating awareness surrounding the safe ownership of pitbulls and education in animal behaviour.
When she has time to spare, she consults on particularly challenging cases and works as an Expert Witness in legal cases involving Animal Behaviour.
COAPE International Partner.
Dip Credit Management – Advanced, Cert Bookkeeping, DipCABT (COAPE) OCN, CABTi Practitioner, ABC Practitioner member, CertCAB, Guild Certified TTouch Practitioner
Wendy has been involved in the training and showing of dogs for over 20 years and started studying animal behaviour in 2006. Wendy now holds the OCN UK accredited Diploma through the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology COAPE, as well as a Certificate in Companion Animal Behaviour. She is a Guild Certified TTouch Practitioner, a qualified canine obedience and clicker training instructor as well as being a Practitioner member of both the CAPBT and ABC SA.
Wendy joined ThinkingPets in 2007, and together with Karin and Peter went on to found COAPE SA in 2010, which obtained the international licence to run the COAPE courses worldwide in 2019.
Wendy left Johannesburg and a managerial position in the Corporate World in 2011 to concentrate all her energies on COAPE International, and also relocated to the Western Cape, where she headed up the Cape Diploma lecturing team for 5 years. She has presented an Animal Behaviour course in Namibia and has run numerous short workshops in the Cape. Wendy has appeared as an expert witness in a number of court cases relating to Animal Behaviour. She regularly writes for various magazines among them Animal Talk and Dog Directory and consults when time permits.
Wendy is responsible for all the marketing, course enrolments and financial aspects as well as the day to day running of COAPE International.
DHc BSc (Hons)
Peter began his professional career as a Research Biologist for the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare in the UK, working in academic and practical animal welfare around the world for several years before returning to the UK to work in companion animal behaviour therapy practice. He established the first companion animal behaviour referral clinic at a UK Veterinary School at Langford, Bristol in 1990 and has been in practice for the referral of behaviour problems in pets for over thirty years.
Peter served as a Clinical Professor at the Dept of Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Japan from 2008-11 and, after 5 years as a Visiting Scholar at the Dept of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University, USA, was appointed Adjunct Professor in 2009 and now teaches there annually. He is the author/co-author of various scientific publications, several films and 16 books, including ‘EMRA Intelligence’ written in 2016.
He was a founding partner of the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology in the UK in 1993, now a leading international online education provider of companion animal behaviour and therapy courses. COAPE pioneered the development of the EMRA™ and ESTA™ approaches to pet behaviour problem assessment and therapy, which are also applied through COAPE International to a major zoo animal enrichment project at Johannesburg zoo in South Africa
Peter Neville co-authored ‘Breed-dependent differences in the onset of fear-related avoidance behavior in puppies’ in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior 10 (2015) 286-294. A later onset of fear-related avoidance behaviour was observed in CKC Spaniels compared with GSD and Yorkshire Terrier puppies: emotional and behavioural development varies among dog breeds.
Peter now lives in Finland, and consults with COAPE International as well as working frequently as an ethologist guide throughout southern and east Africa for Rae Safaris.
BADA(Hons)(WITS), DipCABT (COAPE) OCN, CABTi Practitioner
Leigh’s studies and career path started in the field of human behaviour, working primarily with youth at risk. Her love of four legged creatures led her to change direction towards all things related to animal behaviour, and she completed her Diploma in Animal Behaviour through COAPE International.
Leigh is a qualified Practitioner member of CAPBT. She has a special interest in natural medicine for animals and grows and sources many unusual medicinal plants.
As the Marking Manager, she forms part of the COAPE management Team. When not lecturing and tutoring the COAPE Diploma, Leigh spends most of her time involved in shelter work and working with clients.
Her dedication to shelter work is reflected in several programmes and systems she has set up, and she is committed to changing the traditional model for animal shelters and improving basic conditions for all animals, as well as assisting families who choose to adopt a rescue.
DipCABT (COAPE) OCN, CABTi Practitioner Member
Tarryn has a deep passion for animal welfare and love for rural Africa. While living in Mozambique for 4 years she volunteered at the local animal shelter (MAPS) and worked with many abused and neglected animals that seemed to be unadoptable. Wanting to know more about the behaviour of the animals in her care she qualified as a ThinkingPets Puppy School Instructor in 2010 and completed her COAPE Diploma in Animal Behaviour in 2013.
While living in Malawi, Tarryn ran the Blantyre SPCA where she used her knowledge to implement an enrichment and “train-to-adopt” program where the dogs were properly socialized and given basic training to make them more adoptable.
Tarryn was also the country manager for Mission Rabies.
In 2017 Tarryn and her family, consisting of 1 husband, 2 children, 2 Mozambican dogs, a Mozambican cat and a Malawian dog, moved back to Cape Town, South Africa.
Tarryn joined COAPE International in April 2018 and is responsible for the company’s Social Media as well as being involved in various administrative aspects of the company.
DipCABT (COAPE) OCN
Bev has always loved animals since a very young age; dogs, cats, rats, a stray tortoise and a rescued Cape White-Eye were an important part of her life. She became interested in dog training after completing a clicker training class with two of her own dogs and realised that there was an easy and kind way to train any animal – using a clicker and positive reinforcement!
After a ten-year career in banking and fifteen years as an administrator and fundraiser for a school, Bev attended TTouch training and was approached to study as a puppy trainer. Since qualifying as a ThinkingPets Puppy instructor in 2008, Bev has loved running her dog training school, sharing her knowledge of positive reinforcement training with many new owners.
In 2018 Bev furthered her studies with the COAPE Diploma and qualified as an Animal Behaviourist through COAPE International.
Bev now consults and runs a busy training school and in her spare time she fosters dogs and ensures that they are socialised and well-adjusted to fit into their new person’s life and home.
Bev joined COAPE International as the Admin Manager in May 2019.
DipVetNurs, DipCABT(OCN).
Carla had a great passion for all animals since youth so after school she decided to study veterinary nursing at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. For the past 13 years she has been the senior veterinary sister at the Small Animal Medicine department and subsequently moved to the Outpatients/ Emergency ward where she is involved in student training, assisting with procedures, emergencies and ensuring the daily smooth running of the clinic.
Carla always had a special interest in animal behaviour and completed a Technikon certificate in basic animal behaviour in 2002. In 2004 she completed her Advanced Animal Behaviour course. She also completed workshops on clicker training and puppy classes. Carla holds the OCN UK accredited Diploma through the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology. Carla consults after hours and assists the Veterinary behaviourists at Onderstepoort with behavioural research.
Educating owners about their pet’s behavioural needs is a huge passion for her and she is continuously looking for opportunities to improve her knowledge through attending CPD veterinary congresses and courses.
Carla heads up the marking department for all the Beginner and Intermediate courses and is the Student Liaison for all these courses, handling student queries as well as marking and moderating these assignments.
BA(Physics), MSc (Physics), DipCABT C.C.A.B.
Before discovering the world of animal behaviour, Nancy’s studies began in the field of physics with an undergrad degree from the University of Oxford, graduating in 2014. After several internships ranging from medical imaging to solar cells, she settled in South Africa for her Master’s in laser physics, and she’s now several years into a PhD in quantum physics at Stellenbosch University. In addition to research, Nancy is involved in tutoring, lecturing, and public outreach, doing her best to convince people that physics is way more fun than they think.
Nancy’s education in animal behaviour began with a trial by fire when she adopted Roxy the shelter dog, who kindly provided an opportunity for Nancy to experience most unwanted dog behaviours first-hand. Nancy decided it was time to formalise her dog related education and completed the C01 DogWise course. Not willing to stop there, she promptly enrolled and then successfully completed her COAPE Diploma in Animal Behaviour, and is now a COAPE Certified Animal Behaviourist. In 2020, she joined the COAPE Team as a Tutor and Researcher, working closely with Karin and writing several essential components of the Diploma.
Nancy’s passions lie in rehabilitation of fearful and aggressive animals, and helping owners and shelters understand the animal behind the behaviour. Nancy also has a keen interest in the science of behaviour and how a better understanding of what’s going on in the brain can contribute to applied behaviour modification.
Nancy lectures and tutors the COAPE Diploma.
LLB, MPhil(FRM), DipCABT, CABTi Practitioner.
Lizelle joined ThinkingPets in 2011 and obtained her puppy class instructor qualification in January 2012. She opened her school – Polka Dog School – in 2012 and has been going strong ever since. Lizelle completed the COAPE ThinkBehaviour course in 2012 and thereafter enrolled for the COAPE Diploma in 2014. She graduated in 2017 and has been an active behaviour practitioner ever since.
Lizelle is a qualified Attorney: in 2013 she graduated from the University of Pretoria with an LLB and was admitted as an Attorney in the High Court of Pretoria in 2015. She then went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Fraud Risk Management at the University of Pretoria in 2018.
Lizelle is COAPE’s Legal Advisor.
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Janine is an experienced administrator with a strong background in customer service and excellence. She is mom to 3 young children and 2 beautiful, bouncy rescue dogs.
Janine has always had a deep love for animals, having grown up with an assortment of dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish and a potbellied pig.
Janine is part of the admin department, and works with the Social Media and General Admin Teams.
Jenize is an experienced Product and Academic Advisor with an extensive background in team management and administration in the Education Industry. She is also a qualified English teacher, specializing in Business English as well as a Curriculum Developer and Enrolment and Assessment Advisor. Jenize holds both a TESOL and IELTS Teacher Training Certificate.
She has always been an avid animal lover and is guardian to five gorgeous rescue dogs and two full spirited horses.
Jenize has volunteered at numerous local welfare organizations, assisting with the fostering, rehoming and rehabilitation of neglected and abused animals.
Jenize joins the COAPE team in the Course Enquiries and Marketing Dept.
Christina MilneDipCABT (COAPE)
Christina has many years of customer service experience and has been doing dog training for 6 years. She has 3 four-legged best friends who inspired her to venture into the world of dog training and behaviour. Christina has a passion for the psychology behind animal behaviour, which drives her to constantly learn about new and exciting techniques and research available in this rapidly evolving field.
Christina is a long-time COAPE student, having completed the C01 DogWise course in 2018, the Diploma in Animal Behaviour in 2022 and finally the C04 ThinkNutrition course in 2023. She is the COAPE Diploma student liaison who handles all things student related, with excellent customer support and service as her main focus.
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