Anne Lill Kvam IDTE
Duration: Approximately 1.5 years
The Anne Lill Kvam IDTE is a comprehensive and rigorous program. The course spans a total of 25 days, divided into online theory modules and in-person practical sessions. Online classes are held for 1–2 days per month via live sessions. There are two practical sessions, each lasting five days, where the instructor will provide hands-on guidance in Taiwan. (Please note that the schedule is subject to minor adjustments based on the instructor’s assessment of the program’s progress.)
Comprehensive and All-Encompassing Curriculum
The curriculum covers a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from canine history and origins to body language, stress, emotions, and the nervous system. Students will explore sensory development across all life stages, environmental enrichment, and basic needs, as well as aggressive behavior, health and nutrition, and gait and physical observation. The course also includes learning principles, teaching techniques, and case studies. At its heart, the program is designed with a steadfast commitment to animal ethics.
Connecting Global Knowledge and Shared Experiences
Beyond the core curriculum, we provide continuous access to the latest global research and a wealth of resources for ongoing professional development. Our alumni come from diverse backgrounds and fields; whether during your studies or after graduation, you will benefit from a robust support network both locally and internationally. (Graduates are also eligible to apply for PDTE membership.)
About Anne Lill Kvam
Anne Lill’s passion for working with dogs began in 1986, when she trained dogs for search and rescue work. In 1996, while studying at Turid Rugaas’ Dog Trainer Education (Turid Rugaas IDTE), she became a full-time instructor. From 1997 to 2000, she worked in Angola, Africa, with the Norwegian People’s Aid, assisting in the clearance of anti-personnel landmines and serving as an instructor for mine-detection dogs and their handlers.
After returning to Norway, Anne Lill founded her own training school, Troll Hundeskole. She has since become a highly sought-after lecturer both in Norway and internationally, specializing in canine scent work and the education of dog trainers in Norway and other countries. Through her philosophy and personal experience with animals, Anne Lill awakens animals’ natural intelligence. By attuning to animals’ needs and caring for them accordingly, she offers an approach that encourages people to adopt a more animal-centered perspective. Her training methods focus on teaching gentle, patient, and skillful ways to allow dogs to express natural behaviors and develop appropriate habits.
Anne Lill has been a close friend of Turid Rugaas for many years. The program emphasizes discovering and respecting dogs’ innate abilities and individual personalities, while observing their emotional states and offering them choices in accordance with Turid’s philosophy. This approach creates conditions in which dogs are most likely to succeed and truly enjoy living alongside humans and ways to build strong cooperative relationships with dogs—supporting their emotional balance, health, and happiness.
Curriculum Design
Asia Group
- Total Duration: 25 days (15 days of online theory + 10 days of practical sessions).
- Location: All practical sessions are conducted in Taiwan.
- Class Size: Limited to a maximum of 12 students per intake to ensure an optimal student-teacher ratio and the highest quality of instruction.
| 2026 | Days | Date | Online/In-person |
| March | 2 | 7-8 | online |
| April | 1 | 11 | online |
| April | 2 | 29-30 | in-person |
| May | 3 | 1-3 | in-person |
| June | 0 | — | — |
| July | 2 | 11-12 | online |
| August | 2 | 15-16 | online |
| September | 2 | 12-13 | online |
| October | 1 | 10 | online |
| November | 5 | 18-22 | in-person |
| December | 2 | 5-6 | online |
| 2027 | — | (TBC after start) | — |
The theoretical classes will be held on one weekend each month. After completing a portion of the theoretical curriculum, a practical module consisting of five consecutive days of in-person training will be scheduled. This will then be followed by additional theoretical classes. Instructor Anne Lill will travel to Taiwan to teach the practical sessions in person. The location is currently planned to be in the Taipei area. Throughout the course, participants will be assigned reading tasks, practice exercises, online discussion meetings, and other forms of coursework. In the final module, participants will be required to complete a capstone research project and a final assessment.
※ The exact location of the practical sessions will be announced 1–2 months prior to each practical module.
※ Upon successful completion of the course and passing the required assessments, participants will be awarded a Certificate of Completion for the Anne Lill Kvam IDTE International Dog Trainer Education Program.
Topics Addressed
- History and origin of dogs, their inherited behaviour and instincts.
- Language and communication – Calming signals.
- Stress
- Practical handling and basic leash work.
- Emotions, the nervous system and the brain.
- Fear aggression stress.
- Learning theories.
- Reward systems, various training principles and related ethics.
- Behaviour chains, backward chaining (the premack principle ie).
- The senses, how they work, limitations, usage.
- Enriched environment
- Nosework – Search games, tracking, id-tracking, square search, scent discrimination, lost retrieve and maybe some other games.
- Puppies, adolescent. Adult dogs and old dogs.
- Breeds and types of dogs.
- Dogs with hancicaps and special needs.
- Obstacle courses.
- Barking.
- Movements.
- Health and nutrition related to behaviour.
- Instruction techiques.
- Obsesrvation techniques.
- Consultation techniqes.
- Case studies and problem solving.
Anne Lill Kvam
Instructor
Through her philosophy and personal experience with animals, she awakens animals’ natural intelligence and without punishment or aversive methods. Whether by sensing animals’ needs or by responding to and caring for those needs, she offers an approach that helps people adopt a more animal-centered perspective. Anne Lill’s training methods focus on teaching gentle, patient, and skillful ways to support dogs in expressing natural behaviors and developing appropriate habits.
PDTE
Pet Dog Trainers of Europe
The Pet Dog Trainers of Europe (PDTE) was founded by Norwegian dog expert Turid Rugaas, who has been at the forefront of canine communication for many years. The organisation now has members in several different countries, allowing expertise, experience and ideas to be shared on a global level.
Joeson
Lecture Assistant
Founder of PThinking, PDTE full member, a graduate of the Turid Rugaas IDTE Dog Trainer Education Program, and the organizer of the Taiwan Canine Forum. Since 2013, they have been promoting the philosophy of Norwegian senior trainer Turid Rugaas, which emphasizes natural, respectful living with dogs and training principles aligned with PDTE ethical guidelines.
Pre-reading Books
(required reading)
- Don’t Shoot the Dog! / by Karen Pryor
- On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals / by Turid Rugaas
- Barking: The Sound of a Language / by Turid Rugaas
- A Dog’s Fabulous Sense Of Smell / by Anne Lill Kvam
- The silent communication of dogs / by Rosie Lowry
- When Elephants Weep / by Jeffrey Masson
- Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers / by Robert M. Sapolsky
- Unleashing Your Dog / by Marc Bekoff & Jessica Pierce
- My Dog Pulls. What Do I Do? / by Turid Rugaas
- How to raise a puppy / by Stephanie Rousseau and Turid Rugaas
(optional reading)
- Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome / by James L. Wilson
- Culture Clash / by Jean Donaldson
- Dog Knows / by Sindhoor Pangal
- Dominance in Dogs: Fact or Fiction? / by Barry Eaton
- How to build a puppy / by Julia Robertson
- Speaking for Spot / by Dr. Nancy Kay
- The Canine Thyroid Epidemic / by Jean Dodds
- The Human Half of Dog Training: Collaborating with Clients to Get Results / by Risë VanFleet
- The Emotional Lives of Animals / by Marc Bekoff
- The Stress Factor in Dogs / by Kristina Spaulding
- What is a Dog? / by Raymond Coppinger
- Who’s a Good Dog: And howto be a better human / by Jessica Pierce (NEW!)
- Construct Canine Consent / by Erin Jones (NEW!)
IDTE Registration (2026–27 Cohort)
For registration, please contact Joeson at: joesonhsu@gmail.com
The Anne Lill Kvam IDTE 2026–27 cohort is tentatively scheduled to begin in late February 2026. Before completing the registration process, applicants are strongly encouraged to read all of the required titles listed above. It is also recommended that applicants attend lectures, courses, or other activities offered by at least one IDTE-certified trainer, and discuss any questions or thoughts about participating in the IDTE program with the trainer in advance.