Animals on Course

What Animals on Course does

Animals on Course is a privately held Australian Registered Training Organisation (RTO #40688) founded in 2012 by Laura Brady and Debra Millikan, delivering nationally recognised vocational qualifications in animal care, welfare, behaviour, and force-free training. The company operates from a single headquarters address in One Tree Hill, South Australia, and serves individual students across all Australian states and territories.

The product portfolio comprises four certification tiers — Certificate I in Animal Care Industry Pathways ($1,900), Certificate II in Animal Care ($2,950), Certificate III in Animal Care Services ($3,995), and Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour and Training ($4,995) — plus a specialised Dog Trainer Program aligned to the Certificate IV pathway. Courses are delivered through a Moodle-based online learning platform (online.animalsoncourse.com.au), with practical assessments conducted by a network of local State/Territory representatives, removing the need for students to travel to Adelaide. Curriculum content has been iteratively aligned to successive national training packages (ACM10110 through ACM40322).

The business model is direct-to-consumer vocational education, with revenue generated entirely through course tuition fees collected in instalments aligned to study duration (6 to 20+ months). Marketing is limited to the company website and a Facebook presence. Certificate III and IV enrolments are currently suspended, leaving only the lower-priced Certificate I and II courses actively enrolling. There is no disclosed headcount, no external funding, and no enterprise or B2B distribution.

Name

Animals on Course

Legal name

Animals on Course

Website

https://animalsoncourse.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Animals on Course is a privately held Australian Registered Training Organisation (RTO #40688) delivering nationally recognised vocational courses in animal care, welfare, behaviour, and force-free training to individual students nationwide via a Moodle online learning platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

One Tree Hill

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition Fees: Primary revenue stream from tuition fees for vocational education courses in animal care. Students pay course fees in instalments over the study period, providing recurring revenue recognition aligned with course delivery timelines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Animals on Course is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO No. 40688) that delivers nationally recognised vocational education qualifications in animal care, animal behaviour, and force-free dog training. Course delivery is conducted online through a Moodle-based learning management system, with practical skills assessed through State/Territory representatives and workplace placements. Course offerings span four certification levels (Certificate I through Certificate IV) plus a specialised dog trainer program.

Product overview

Animals on Course (AoC) is a registered training organisation (RTO No. 40688) offering a suite of nationally recognized vocational education qualifications in animal care and management under the Australian Qualifications Framework. The portfolio comprises four certification levels—Certificate I through Certificate IV—covering animal care industry pathways, animal care skills, animal care services, and animal behaviour and training. AoC also offers a specialized dog trainer program. All courses are delivered through a Moodle-based online learning platform and require practical work placements. The course offerings have evolved through multiple national training package iterations (ACM10110/ACM10121, ACM20110/ACM20121, ACM30110/ACM30117/ACM30122, ACM40310/ACM40322).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACM10121 - Certificate I in Animal Care Industry Pathways
• ACM20121 - Certificate II in Animal Care
• ACM30122 - Certificate III in Animal Care Services
• ACM40322 - Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour and Training
• Dog Trainer Program (ACM40322 pathway)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Karen Pryor Academy: Online and in-person dog training professional certification programs grounded in force-free, positive reinforcement methodology. Directly comparable to AoC's Cert IV in Animal Behaviour and Training and Dog Trainer Program, serving the same aspiring professional dog trainer segment.
• Victoria Stilwell Academy: Provides accredited dog training and behaviour practitioner certifications using positive reinforcement methods. Comparable to AoC as a specialist vocational provider for aspiring force-free trainers.
• Delta Institute (Australia): Australian specialist training provider in companion animal services and dog training, offering nationally recognised vocational qualifications. Closest Australian-based direct peer to AoC's RTO offerings.
• Australian College of Animal Care: Australian RTO offering animal care, vet nursing, and animal behaviour vocational qualifications. Directly comparable to AoC as a private Australian RTO competing in the same certification tiers and end-market of animal care students.

Broad incumbents

• Open Colleges: Large Australian online VET provider offering animal care and related vocational courses at scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same RTO-regulated distance-learning market, though not specialist to animal care behaviour/training.
• TAFE SA: South Australian public vocational education institution offering animal care certificates. Overlaps with AoC in the same state and qualification framework but operates as a large public-sector incumbent rather than a specialist private RTO.

Regional players

• National Dog Trainers Federation (NDTF): Australian industry body offering dog trainer accreditation and education pathways. Comparable as a regional player operating in the same Australian dog trainer certification space, though structured as a membership/accreditation body rather than a fee-for-service RTO.

Emerging players

• Animal Behavior Institute: US-based online provider of animal behaviour and training certifications. Comparable as an emerging online specialist in companion animal behaviour education, with overlapping curriculum focus on force-free methodologies.

Others

• APDT Australia (Association of Pet Dog Trainers): Australian industry association for force-free dog training professionals. Adjacent to AoC as an ecosystem participant that sets standards and accredits trainers in the same positive-reinforcement segment AoC teaches.
• Pet Professional Guild (PPG): International membership organisation promoting force-free pet training. Adjacent to AoC as an industry/community body whose advocacy and certification efforts overlap with AoC's curriculum philosophy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/animalsoncourse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Animals on Course