In 1997, the late Prof Johannes Odendaal, who was then attached to the Faculty of Veterinary studies at Onderstepoort, was approached by a number of people with an active interest in animal behaviour to develop a course for persons who are not in the position to enrol for full time studies at a tertiary institution to assist them in gaining more knowledge of dog and cat behaviour.

Prof Odendaal, driven by the belief that knowledge has the power to change people’s minds and attitudes, responded by compiling a correspondence course in dog and cat behaviour - the aim being to assist people of all walks of life to fulfil their dreams of having a better understanding of companion animals and thus improving the relationship between owner and animal. This course Basic Animal Behaviour Course: Dogs and Cats was first presented in 1998 as a ‘Short course’ under the auspices of the University of Pretoria. In January 2000 Prof Odendaal left Onderstepoort to accept a position as Research Professor at the then Pretoria Technikon. He, with his wife, Hanna, as Course Manager and co-presenter, established Ethology Consultancy CC (now Ethology Academy) and for the next two years Basic Animal Behaviour Course: Dogs and Cats was presented under the auspices of this institution.

With Ethology Academy well established and

  the Dog and Cat course gaining in popularity, the demand from animal lovers for yet more knowledge resulted in the original course being split into two separate courses, Basic Animal Behaviour Course: Dogs and Basic Animal Behaviour Course: Cats. With the help of experts in the field the Basic Animal Behaviour Course: Birds, the Basic Animal Behaviour Course: Horses, the Advanced Dog and Cat Courses, the Animal Assisted Course and the Grooming Business Course were developed. The content of the courses was submitted by the Technikon to the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) for approval and accreditation.Due to policy changes and the amalgamation of the different Technikons in the Pretoria area, the decision was taken in 2003 to fully privatise the presentation of the courses.

On 3 December 2007, Prof Johannes passed away very unexpectedly. With all the course material already updated for the new academic year and a number of very well trained experts already part of Ethology Academy as co-presenters and agents, Hanna was capable of taking over the reins of Ethology Academy and the courses could continue without any interruptions or a lowering of the academic standard.

In 2013 Hanna sold the  Ethology Academy to Dr Frederique Hurly (Veterinary Behaviourist) and Dr Hannes Slabbert (Veterinary Ethologist).
Together Frederique and Hannes updated the all the course contents adding the latest developments in Animal behaviour. They are the tutors for all the courses and present the seminars and webinars. Ethology Academy also makes use of experts in various fields on an ad hoc basis to assist with the presentation of some of the seminars.
Realising that there is still so much knowledge out there that could be shared with students, the Practitioners course was added as a third year course for dogs and presented for the first time in 2016. In 2017 the Saddle Fit Short Course was added, which is presented by Dee Archibald.