Dog Behaviour Support

I can provide support for a wide range of behaviour problems. Get in touch to discuss your challenges and I’ll let you know whether I can help. If necessary, I can refer you on to another colleague to best meet your needs.

Dogs have individual personalities and backgrounds, and problem behaviours can be involve many factors, requiring time and commitment to manage. While I cannot guarantee specific results, my treatment programmes are designed to achieve significant and lasting change. My aim is to help you understand the underlying motivations for your dog's behaviour and support you with appropriate foundations, good management and a good plan, for a happier life together.

Behaviour change is affected by many variables, sometimes there are factors we can’t influence. Changing an established behaviour takes time and commitment. I will provide you with my professional advice and support, but the success of the programme is dependent on you and your family following my recommendations and, to some extent, for how long the behaviour problem has been going on.

A package of support from me does not imply or guarantee a specific outcome during that time period. In most cases, you should expect to see improvement in weeks to months. I will include my prognosis in my treatment plan.

Please keep in mind that I will always ask you to monitor your implementation of our plan. Sometimes changes or additions are required to support good progress. Following the plan is likely to require patience and commitment from everyone in the family.

Where a behaviour is well-established, aspects of the problem may persist, but treatment can manage and reduce the unwanted behaviour, and help your dog to feel more relaxed day-to-day. In some cases I may discuss aspects of your dog’s behaviour or the potential benefits of behaviour medication with your veterinary surgeon. Specific diets, and supplements should only be advised by your vet.

In rare cases, it may be that improvement is unlikely given the circumstances, and alternatives such as rehoming, may need to be considered.

My priority throughout is to help you build on good physical and mental health for your dog. (This is why your vet is an essential partner in the process from the beginning.) We will focus on safety first, help your dog to feel more relaxed and happy, and work on setting them up for success, so they’re able to make good progress. Then we’ll introduce any relevant behaviour training when they’re ready. These could include building on new skills, and focusing on promoting behaviours you do want to see. This approach creates a sense of wellbeing that supports long lasting behaviour change.

Multi-animal households with interrelated behaviour or training concerns count as one case (where their behavioural interactions with each other are the issue). Fees may vary depending on how many animals are at home. Multi-animal households with non-interrelated concerns need to be treated as separate cases, with individual plans, and package fees will be charged per animal.

Many pet insurance companies will reimburse the fees for behaviour support depending on your cover. Please check your policy and contact your insurance company to advise them that your vet has referred you to a behaviourist registered with a professional body and they will let you know what is covered and their process.

All practitioners carrying out behaviour support work solely on veterinary referral. You will need to arrange a vet referral prior to your initial consultation with me so that I can review these notes this prior to our meeting.

Behaviour and health are linked and a significant proportion of behaviour cases involve medical issues and or pain. This is why it is essential to ensure that your dog has a full health check by a Veterinary Surgeon to rule out any underlying health conditions. Any change in your dog’s normal behaviour needs to be discussed with your vet, even if it doesn't seem directly relevant to the problem behaviour. Both current medical conditions, as well as those in the past may be influencing your dog’s behaviour.

Your initial consultation will be up to 2 hours long. We talk about the challenges you’re facing, and discuss your dog’s background, how the behaviour has developed, and you and your animal’s day to day. Understanding all aspects of your dog’s behaviour in detail is important for creating a tailored plan.

I'll email you a full treatment plan tailored to meet yours and your dog's specific needs. This could involve a combination of safety and management aspects, and extra ways to create outlets  for behaviours your dog wants to do (because they are a dog), as well as any suggested lifestyle changes which could include aspects of your home environment, or changes to your routines and interactions. Depending on the problem, the plan may also include you and your dog learning new skills and behaviour training aimed at boosting good emotions. When it comes down to the specifics we’ll agree what makes sense for you, so all the bits of the plan are practical and actionable.

There are no right or wrong answers, we are going to be working on your dog’s behaviour together, as a team. You do not need to have all the answers or tell me about things in a specific way. I’m here to guide our conversation and find pieces of the puzzle.

Living with behaviour challenges can be tiring, frustrating and overwhelming. It’s okay to be upset. It’s normal to feel like one day you are coping, and the next day you’re not. Many people feel very emotional when talking about what they have been facing and how it’s impacting their family life, social life, and stress levels. Sometimes a consultation can even provide some sense of relief.

I will always have an open ear. I will always encourage you to talk honestly about what is happening and how it is affecting you. My aim is to understand the full picture so that we can come up with the best solutions.

We will go at your pace, and take tea breaks. It’s about supporting both you and your animal, working through the behaviour together.

Yes, your package includes 3 hours of support over a two-month period. Typically this entails 2 x in-person follow up sessions,  and extra support, by phone or email or online. I can help you track your progress, and we can adjust and build on your plan, You might have some extra questions as you go along, or you can just reach out and keep me in the loop about your good progress (you’ll make my day).

For further support, additional one-hour in-person consultations may be booked at a cost of £150, inclusive of a written summary emailed to you and your vet, with four weeks of client-led support. (Please note, follow-up consultations can only be booked by agreement, and following the purchase of a behaviour support package. Any follow up sessions must be booked within six months of the initial consultation, or further assessment will be required.)

My role is to help you understand your dog's behaviour and support you in finding practical, solutions that work for you, your family and lifestyle.

In most cases, there will be feasible solutions and tools for improving the situation, so that you and your dog can enjoy a happier life together. Rehoming is not something I would recommend as a starting point.

Occasionally, if we’ve explored everything, and your dog's quality of life or the wellbeing of the people or other animals in the family is seriously affected, we may discuss whether another environment could better meet everyone's needs. I will always aim to be objective in any recommendations, without judgment, and support you in your decision-making.