American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB)

What American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) does

The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) is the AVMA-recognized certifying board for veterinarians who specialize in animal behavior. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, ACVB administers the board certification process, including oversight of 12 approved institutional residency programs at major universities, a two-day certifying examination, peer-reviewed research and case report requirements, and maintenance of certification (MOC) for Diplomates certified since 2016. The organization operates with 8 employees and is led by Executive Director Betsy Grenier. ACVB produces a small but expanding set of recurring revenue streams: annual Diplomate and resident membership dues, certification and examination fees, recorded webinar and proceedings sales ($15-$500 per product), tiered sponsorships and exhibitor fees for the annual Veterinary Behavior Symposium (Platinum $7,500 down to Flyer Only $500), donations to research funds, and paid career center listings for non-members ($125 for 60-day posting). The organization supports its credentialed community of 100+ Diplomates worldwide with continuing education (RACE-approved), a public Diplomate Directory, free pet owner handouts, and a Psychology Today blog presence that drives top-of-funnel awareness among pet owners seeking specialist care.

Name

American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB)

Legal name

American College of Veterinary Behaviorists

Website

https://dacvb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACVB is the AVMA-recognized certifying board for veterinary behavior specialists, credentialing veterinarians to diagnose and treat animal behavioral conditions. Founded in 1993, it serves Diplomates, residents, and pet owners through certification, continuing education, and a specialist directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Specialty Certification

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Regulatory Authorities (Licensing, Compliance & Enforcement) (HLAMAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Welfare Auditing, Compliance & Certification Services (Non-testing Lab) (AFAEALAN), Animal Welfare Certification Services (AFALAMAE)

Keywords

• Veterinary behavior certification
• Board certified specialists
• Animal behavior medicine
• Veterinary continuing education
• Veterinary specialty training

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ACVB generates revenue through annual membership dues from Diplomates, residents, and candidates. The organization requires maintenance of certification (MOC) for Diplomates certified since 2016.
2. Webinar and Educational Content Sales: The organization sells recorded webinars for $40 for non-members and diplomates, $15 for residents and candidates, and free for students. VBS Proceedings are sold at varying prices ($187.80-$500 depending on package).
3. Certification and Examination Fees: Revenue from residency registration ($300), program applications ($106), and examination fees. Non-members pay $125 for 60-day career center listings.
4. Donations: The organization accepts donations to the Pet Memorial Fund and General Donation Fund to support behavioral research and science-based education.
5. Event Sponsorships: The annual Veterinary Behavior Symposium generates revenue through tiered sponsorships (Platinum $7,500, Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,000, Flyer Only $500) and exhibitor booth fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACVB is the AVMA-recognized certifying board for veterinarians specializing in animal behavior. It grants Diplomate status to veterinarians who complete a 3+ year supervised residency, publish original research, and pass a comprehensive two-day board examination. Supporting the certification are educational offerings including the annual Veterinary Behavior Symposium, ACVB Webinar Series, and recorded webinars, plus a searchable Diplomate Directory connecting pet owners with board-certified specialists.

Product overview

The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) operates as a professional certification organization rather than a software product company. Its primary offering is the Board Certification program for veterinarians in the specialty of Veterinary Behavior, which includes a rigorous examination, residency training requirements, and maintenance of certification. Supporting this core certification are educational products and services including the annual Veterinary Behavior Symposium, ACVB Webinar Series, and Recorded Webinars providing continuing education content. Additional offerings include the Diplomate Directory for locating board-certified specialists, ACVB Approved Handouts for pet owners, a Career Center for job postings, an Awards Program recognizing outstanding research, and published books on pet behavior. The organization serves veterinarians seeking specialization, pet owners seeking specialist care, and animal professionals seeking continuing education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Certification in Veterinary Behavior Rigorous certification program recognizing veterinarians who complete supervised residency training, publish peer-reviewed research, submit formal case reports, and pass a comprehensive two-day board examination in veterinary behavior.
• Diplomate Directory Searchable online directory of 100+ board-certified veterinary behaviorists located worldwide, allowing pet owners and veterinarians to locate specialists by name, city, state, or radius search, with filters for media and expert witness inquiries.
• Veterinary Behavior Symposium Annual two-day professional symposium featuring Scientific Paper Sessions for original research and a Practical Behavior Forum for real-world case management, providing continuing education credits for veterinarians and technicians.
• ACVB Webinar Series Live continuing education webinars covering animal behavior topics, available for purchase or free for students, with CE credits accepted via RACE.
• Recorded Webinars and VBS Proceedings On-demand video recordings of past webinars and conference sessions available for purchase, covering topics such as feline behavior, canine behavior, equine behavior, and clinical psychopharmacology.
• Career Center Job board allowing ACVB members to post and search employment opportunities in the veterinary behavior field; members post for free, non-members pay $125 for a 60-day listing.
• Decoding Your Dog and Decoding Your Cat Books Books authored by ACVB Diplomates explaining common dog and cat behaviors and providing guidance on preventing or changing unwanted behaviors, sold via retail channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorists available worldwide to serve pet owners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Approved Veterinary Schools and UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACVB partners with 12 approved institutional residency programs at universities including Cornell, UC Davis, NC State, Ohio State, Penn, Tufts, Purdue, Tennessee, Prince Edward Island, Montreal, and others. These programs provide the supervised training required for board certification.
• American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVSAB was founded in 1976 as the American Society for Veterinary Ethology and is the professional organization for veterinarians interested in animal behavior. ACVB works collaboratively with AVSAB on issues of mutual concern including humane training methods and professional standards.
• Fear Free PetsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFear Free provides educational resources and certification for veterinary and pet professionals on reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in pets. ACVB provides content and expertise for Fear Free programs.
• Low Stress HandlingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganization promoting low-stress handling techniques for veterinary professionals. Listed as a useful external resource by ACVB.
• Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganization providing certification for professional dog trainers. Listed as a useful external resource by ACVB.
• Karen Pryor AcademyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional training academy for animal trainers using force-free methods. Listed as a useful external resource by ACVB.
• Pet Professional Guild (PPG)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganization promoting force-free animal training. Listed as a useful external resource by ACVB.
• Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional organization for veterinary technicians specializing in behavior. Listed as a useful external resource by ACVB.
• Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRACE approves continuing education for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. ACVB's continuing education is universally accepted through RACE because ACVB is an AVMA-recognized specialty college.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Fear Free Pets: Fear Free provides certification and continuing education on reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in pets, including a jointly sponsored Fear Free Research Award with ACVB. It operates in the same behavioral-medicine niche but at the broader general-practice level rather than board-certified specialty.
• Karen Pryor Academy: Karen Pryor Academy trains and certifies force-free animal trainers and is listed by ACVB as a useful external resource. It competes for the same pet-owner and pet-professional audience, but from a training rather than clinical-medicine angle.
• Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT): CCPDT certifies professional dog trainers, competing for mindshare in the pet-behavior services market. It sits downstream of ACVB's specialty credential and is referenced on ACVB's website, making it a relevant adjacent peer.

Direct peers

• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM): Like ACVB, ACVIM is an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty college that certifies Diplomates through a residency-plus-examination pathway, runs an annual symposium, and provides RACE-approved CE. It is the closest organizational analog, just for internal medicine rather than behavior.
• American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD): ACVD is another small AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty college with a similar Diplomate base size, residency program network, and annual meeting format. Its scale, governance, and revenue mix closely track ACVB's.
• American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS): ACVS is another AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty certifying body with a comparable structure: residency-based Diplomate certification, Maintenance of Certification, annual scientific symposium, and Diplomate directory. It mirrors ACVB's operating model in a different clinical specialty.
• Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT): SVBT is the parallel professional organization for credentialed veterinary technicians specializing in behavior, linked to ACVB through the broader veterinary behavior ecosystem. Its focus on technicians mirrors ACVB's focus on veterinarians in the same clinical domain.
• American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC): ACVECC is another AVMA-recognized specialty college with a comparable Diplomate certification model, residency network, annual scientific meeting, and Diplomate directory — another direct structural peer to ACVB in a different clinical domain.
• American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB): AVSAB is the closest peer professional society to ACVB in animal behavior, founded in 1976 (the lineage out of which ACVB emerged). It serves the broader veterinary community interested in behavior rather than certifying Diplomates, making it an adjacent but directly comparable organization.

Broad incumbents

• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): AVMA is the umbrella professional association that, through the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS), grants ACVB its specialty recognition and evaluates it every three years. It is the regulatory parent of the specialty-college model ACVB operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ACVB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dacvb

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB)