About me

Roberto Barata

Hello, my name is Roberto Barata. I have worked professionally with dogs and other species since 2003, and it is still an integral part of my life. All my educational foundations are in animal behavior and modification. I have always conjugated theory and practice to understand better the real challenges and the continuous improvement needed, allowing me to create system models for my work, which I have the privilege to share with all interested.

I’m a proud alien living in Denmark and working in synergy with etologi.dk. I provide animal behavior modification consultation services, field research, on-campus/online courses, and technical manuals for owners, animal behavior technicians, students, veterinarians, pet sitters, animal shelter volunteers, and other professionals in the animal field worldwide. I also make time for pro bono projects and research/guidance at several institutions.

I’m the institutor of the Human-Animal Science Project. It is the culmination of all of my experience and knowledge gained over the past 20+ years. I implemented an applied anthrozoological model in animal training in 2008 by creating adapted theoretical and practical scientific and empirical models, thus providing efficient critical thinking tools and promoting different perspectives on how we approach animal behavior modification and adjacent subjects. The project has a promising and needed out-of-the-box model for studies, courses, mentoring, and other worldwide educational projects among all the interested individuals or entities.

My Story

In 2003, I started training dogs with prior knowledge limited to some books, dog walking, and observing dog interaction in adoption kennels.

I am a person who respects silence and individual personal space, and that’s always been the way I tried to communicate with other species. When we look at animals in nature, we notice that they use sounds only when necessary and prioritize body language, using their environment for clear communication and adapting everything to the individual’s progress and the present moment.

In 2005, I joined the Portuguese Air Force in the Air Police Specialty as a K9 trainer. It was the most fruitful period of my professional and personal life. Professional because the military spirit elucidated specific topics about the reality of human society to us, and personal because I was going through a major life change at the time. In 2008, I became interested in and began studying Human-Animal Studies (HAS).

I have consistently continued to study and value myself professionally in parallel with military training teachings and later in other places where I worked. I believe that only with practice can we change theory, but it is not always possible in some work environments. All our stories and past should inspire us. It was great learning that allowed me to speak from experience about controversial techniques and tools.

After several disappointments and frustrations and a clear picture of the dangerous world of animal training, I risked everything I had left in my personal and professional life for the last chance to do what I had always wanted to do. This change allowed me to value those who believed and bet on me, invest in what mattered in this life, and put aside everything unnecessary.

I summarized my life into two suitcases and traveled to Denmark to deepen my knowledge and simultaneously have the freedom to follow my principles and intuition. There will never be enough words of thanks to describe what I feel for the confidence, understanding, and professionalism of Tilde Detz Jensen from etologi.dk.

The best decisions are not always the easiest, but we must trust our intuition. It is our essence speaking.

My Work & Philosophy

My work philosophy consists of natural communication, interspecific understanding, and respect for each species’ nature. Critical thinking and questioning are my tools for professional and personal improvement without harmful or coercive techniques, reflecting my ethical and technical limits.

I keep my work up to date through scientific study and research, as well as on-the-job experience and research. However, I’m not a fanatic believer in all the “science.” I reject the use of extremist and ideological trends and labels. I won’t jeopardize my mission and professional integrity by supporting the misrepresentation and manipulation of science and the scientific method in favor of the current politically correct approaches, our beliefs (bias), social, economic, and political agendas, studies funded by companies, or “cancel culture.” I don’t accept that science should be limited to titles, brands, trends, egos, or public or social appearances.

I’ve followed a pragmatic path of learning. I had my human mentors, and now I have nonhuman teachers. I’ve chosen to pursue an independent academic and research career, both formal and non-formal (adult education), allowing me to have different perspectives and not limiting my critical thinking, search for knowledge, and credibility only to specific elites or corporatism. I’m not worried or searching for titles, diplomas, or recognitions. I’m searching for knowledge and critical thinking and sharing it with everyone interested. It is my mission. The current education system should be resilient, proactive, and an example of promoting knowledge and assessing individual progress without bureaucratic accreditation procedures that create barriers.

The following is my mission in life as I enjoy my passage on this planet:

“Respect for silence and individuals; freedom in critical thinking and opinion, questioning everything; simplicity and precision in our actions; and not wasting our valuable time and energy on frivolous things.” “Nosce te Ipsum” means “Know Thyself.”

Current Functions

Animal behavior modification instructor & advisor.
Animal technician and scientific advisor on welfare, instruction, ethogram creator, behavior analysis & modification, environment adaptation, adverse phenotypic, and 3R’s implementation in the laboratory/clinic environment (US & Europe).
Independent writer, researcher, and academic advisor in anthrozoology and animal behavior & modification.
Voluntary mentor at Animal Behaviour Collective.

Education & Certifications

MSc in Animal Studies & Research; BSc in Ethology- BIU.
Expert Diploma in Human-Animal Studies (Anthrozoology)- BIU.
Certificate in Applied Psychology- OC.
Diploma in Social and Affective Neuroscience- UII.
Laboratory Animal Science (FELASA A-D)- RTS.
Diploma in Advanced Applied Ethology (dogs, cats, horses,) Applied Pet Ethology (cats and horses), Applied Canine Ethology, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and Ethics After Darwin Certificate- EIC.
Professional Dog Trainer & Professional Instructor of Instructors Diploma (Teaching and Research)- ANACP.
Diploma in Advanced Canine Nutrition, Pet Nutrition, Raw Food, Canine Homeopathy, Essential oils, and Herbalism- DNM-U.
Comprehensive Canine Behaviour & Aggression Therapy Certificate-highest honors, and Certified Pet Dog Trainer/Behaviour Therapist with IPDTA Certification.
Animal Assisted Therapy/Activities Certificate- HC.
Philosophy and the Sciences Course- UE.
Military Dog Trainer Diploma.
Academy of Dog Training & Behaviour Approved Instructor.
Auxiliary Veterinary Technician Diploma.
Portuguese Instruction Skills License- CAP/CCP F584684.
Several short courses within the subjects above.

Career Awards

Three Honour Commendations from the Air Force Base Commander (2010/2011/2012) while in the K9 team.
CCS/IPDTA Behaviour Therapy Excellence 2020.
CCS/IPDTA Dog Training Excellence 2020.
CCS/IPDTA Education Award 2020.
CCS/IPDTA Humane Dog Training Award 2020.

Publications & Research

Barata, R. (2023). Pet Abuse. In: Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. (In edition)
Barata, R. (2023). Stimulus Habituation. In: Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. (In edition)
Barata, R. (2020). Positive Reinforcement. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_761-3
(2020) Research and Advising for the Portuguese Animal Provider. Study and Research for the Portuguese Animal Provider Marisa Quaresma dos Reis about urban carriage horses. The provider presented it during an institutional talk about Horse Welfare. https://provedoriadosanimais.lisboa.pt/fileadmin/provedoria/documentos/recomendacoes/2021/ recomendacao_4_2021.pdf
2020 Scientific Consulting to Kruuse on E-collar (Elizabethan collar), dogs and cats vision, stress, and veterinarian environment. https://kruuse.com/Files/Files/Pdf/INT/BUSTER%20Snug%20Collars_leaflet.pdf
(2017-2020) Research and Advising for the Portuguese Animal Political Party (PAN). My extensive research resulted in direct advising for several implementations on animal sheltering, laws revision (dangerous breeds), and welfare issues. One of the accepted ones is a proposal of a universal and connected European registration to fight dog traffic, as you can read (in Portuguese) by the words of the new president of the party. https:// jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/noticias/o-mundo-obscuro-do-trafico-de-animais-694680
ORCID.

Professional Experience

Since 2003, I have worked and co-worked in several areas, including schools and companies in the animal field: operational, military, sports, competition, social, educational, breed clubs, pet sitting, dog walking, shelters, hotels, and animal centers.
Former Portuguese Studies Program Director, Scientific Researcher, and Tutor at the Ethology Institute (2015-2022). I worked for seven years with Dr. Roger Abrantes, one of Konrad Lorenz’s last students, which gave me a clear view of the essence of ethology and its foundations, processes, and approaches.
Author, Co-Author, and contributor in developing technical manuals, translations, articles, and research, among other work in the dog training and scientific community.
Former licenses of Professional Instructor of Instructors, Certified Juez CCE, Professional Dog Trainer, Behaviourist, and Dog Training Certification in Defense and Surveillance Operations, by ANACP.
Former Canine Good Citizen, Puppy, Urban, Community Canine, Trick Dog Evaluator- license 92303, AKC Temperament Test Approved Evaluator- license 107545, AKC Fit Evaluator, by American Kennel Club (AKC) with official authorization from AKC to use the CGC program outside the US. I’ve implemented the program in Portugal and Denmark.
Former member of institutions such as Animals & Society, APDT, PDTE, and PPG. I’ve decided to keep myself independent of any institution/association/membership.
Other Certifications: Certified education in Critical Thinking; Leadership, Life Coaching (ACELC, PCELC Accreditation) and Mentoring; Behavior Management and Psychology; Psychosociology at work and interpersonal skills management; Social psychopedagogy; CBT; NLP (ABNLP); Lean Expert; Project and Quality Management; ISO 9001:2015 System audit.