Before Animal Behavior College

Steve Appelbaum is a U.S. military veteran who, long before founding Animal Behavior College, was already building a career around his love of animals. He owned and built Animal Behavior and Training Associates, Inc. (ABTA), which grew into one of the largest independent dog training companies in the United States at the time, a business he ran for over 10 years.

Under his leadership, ABTA secured an exclusive nationwide arrangement with Petco Animal Supplies, providing professional dog training services in more than 500 Petco stores across the country, a scale few independent trainers of that era ever achieved.

Founding Animal Behavior College

Through his years running ABTA, Steve saw a gap that no one else was addressing: aspiring pet care professionals had only two real options: expensive, campus-based programs, or online courses with no hands-on component. Neither served students well.

In 1998, he founded Animal Behavior College to build a third path: flexible online learning paired with real-world externship training, delivered in students' own communities. It was an unproven model at the time, but it worked, and it became the foundation every ABC program has been built on since.

That founding vision grew into ABC's mission, one the college still holds today:

“Can helping animals have better lives make the world a better place? At Animal Behavior College, we believe the answer is a resounding yes. We are dedicated to helping animal lovers pursue a wide range of professional animal-related fields. ABC is committed to guiding animal lovers toward rewarding careers as dog and cat trainers, veterinary assistants, pet groomers, aquatics maintenance specialists, zookeeper assistants, and service dog trainers. We pursue excellence using science-based programs to help students achieve competence, professionalism, and career transformation. Our goal is to improve the lives of animals through the success and passion of our graduates.”