Canine Behaviour Therapy
It is now known that as many as 40% of dog owners experience difficulties with their dogs & increasing numbers are seeking help in the form of behaviour therapy. Canine behaviour therapy attempts to modify the dog’s behaviour using tried & tested psychological principles for the benefit of both the dog and the owner.
You may be asking yourself "Why do I need assistance from a professional?" It's true that there are many TV shows, books, websites & DVDs available to help you to deal with your dog's behaviour; but what they are unable help you to do is to accurately assess your individual dog's needs. In order to practise canine therapy effectively, a sound understanding of canine communication & underlying psychological theory is essential. This is why some TV shows will advise "Do not attempt these techniques without consulting a professional".
Stage One - First Stage Visit - Assessment.
I will visit you at your home for a 1-2 hour consultation to find out more about the problems you are encountering & to assess your dog's behaviour & the underlying causes.
Stage Two - Second Stage Visit/s - Action Programme.
Once I have assessed the issues from the points of view of both dog & owner; I will create a written Action Programme for you to keep. The Programme will be tailor-made for you to follow to help your dog - using a careful blend of psychology & natural canine communication with some additional basic dog-training as required.
During this second stage of the visits I will go through everything contained within the Programme for you in detail, explaining the theory behind the techniques & giving demonstrations where needed.
There are two choices so that you can decide how you would like this to be done. The Standard Option takes about 8 hours to teach (allowing me to go into full detail about the instructions you will need to follow); & there is also a Condensed Option which may be suitable for more knowledgeable owners or for those with a tighter budget. This condensed option takes about 4 hours to teach.
As you work with your Programme, you will be welcome to telephone or e-mail me with any further questions that may arise.
Stage 3 - 1:1 Additional Work By the Hour.
Many owners prefer a helping hand as they start working with their Programme & choose to book a few 1 or 2 hour sessions with me on a daily or weekly basis until they fully get the hang of working with their Programme alone. This can be particularly useful for owners who are working with aggressive dogs or other very challenging issues.
1:1 hourly work is also available to you at any time you feel you need further hands-on help after the commencement of your Programme.
Progress Assessment.
Canine communication & psychology is a very complex subject, & your Programme will be simplified to make it concise & easy to follow.
For this reason it is beneficial for me to carry out a short Progress Assessment a couple of months or so after our last session together. This will enable me to re-assess your dog's behaviour, to check on your progress with the Programme & to carry out any "fine-tuning" that may be required.
This will ensure that both you & your dog are comfortable with the way things are progressing & that you are getting the best possible result from working with me.
Doggy "Boot Camp"
If required, I can also provide 1:1 intensive work with your dog before you begin Stage Two, or if you find you are struggling with your Programme.
For this, the dog will stay with me in my home. This can assist in some difficult cases, by giving me the opportunity to study your dog's behaviour in more depth & (for early stage Boot Camp cases) to begin to get the dog used to the Programme that you will be working to.
My methods have been developed to allow the dog to learn self control & make the right choices when it comes to their behaviour. They are methods that anyone can learn, & there is no pain or suffering involved for the dog.
