Dogs
Understanding Your Dog: A Comprehensive Behaviour Assessment and Support Packages
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1. Vet referral: get your dog checked by your vet and arrange a vet referral if you haven't already done this. Pain and illness affect our dogs' emotional lives, understanding your pet's health helps me understand them better. In some cases very stressed and anxious dogs benefit from medication only your vet can prescribe. Your vet will need to refer you and your dog to me and forward their medical history via the vet referral form. In may cases the vets I work with regularly will have already done this by the time we first speak. Once I have your vet referral form I will call you for a 15 minute discovery call to learn how I can help you and your dog including what package of consultation and follow up is likely to be best for your situation: book here.
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2. Prepare for the consultation: if you decide to go ahead with a behavioural consultation, I will ask for some more details about your dog. You will be asked to complete a behaviour questionnaire and supply any video of your dog's behaviour, from their life in general as well as the problem behaviours, provided it is safe and appropriate to do so. You will also be asked for payment for your initial consultation package.
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3. The behaviour consultation: now we meet! This will either be in person at your home or virtually in an online meeting. This first session will take up to 2 hours so that I can assess your dog and help set out the first steps in your behaviour plan.
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4. After the initial consultation: you then receive your behaviour report and action plan, any additional informational material, and any follow-up sessions booked as part of your package before we move on to regular communication on our agreed behaviour support plan and keep you moving forward.
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I help dog owners with a wide variety of behaviour issues in their pets through careful assessment of each problem and application of humane, evidence-based behaviour modification protocols.
I emphasise comfortable, positive interaction with your dog by enhancing our understanding of their communication gestures, motivation and lived experience, removing and reducing sources of stress wherever possible. I also advocate progressive, reward-based training in helping your pet gain confidence in performing the behaviour we want.
Problems frequently seen include:
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Aggressive behaviour towards the family, strangers, and/or other dogs
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Separation related behaviour such as destructiveness, vocalising or depression
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​Noise fears and phobias, and other anxieties
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Reactivity on the lead, livestock worrying, recall problems, problems with house training, unwanted attention seeking behaviour, raiding the bins… this is not an exhaustive list!
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Some behavioural issues are complex, requiring detailed behavioural investigation and follow-up support. Others need the same level of exploration, but the outcome may be a simpler behaviour plan which is easier to execute. Some cases of unwanted behaviour are more easily assessed and corrected though careful re-education of the dog over a series of training sessions.
Speaking with me first will help us work out what is best for you.
