Behaviour Consultations
Behaviour Consultations
Training and
Puppy Classes
Dog-directed aggression or reactivity
This covers all types of problem behaviour that appears to be directed towards dogs, whether within your household or when out and about. Examples include lunging and barking at dogs on walks and anything from tension to fighting between dogs in the same household. Home visits can be undertaken throughout Northamptonshire, as well as around Banbury, Market Harborough and Milton Keynes.
Feeling embarrassed, guilty, annoyed or just overwhelmed? If so, I can help!
Are you struggling with your dog:
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Reacting (including barking, lunging and seeming out of control) on walks; or
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Uncertainty around meeting new dogs, including apparent fear or over-excitement;
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Growling at other animals in the house, including other dogs and cats;
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Growling at dogs approaching them, with or without food;
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Doing anything else related to aggressive or uncertain behaviours around other dogs?
It can be very hard to live with a reactive or fearful dog and both management and rehabilitation is usually needed – for both safety and to protect the welfare of your loved pet.
I can help you transform your dog’s behaviour to look more like this by giving you the tools to manage the bad times and re-train your dog to overcome their problems:
A behaviour consultation involves the following steps:
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Free initial telephone or Zoom call to discuss the help I can offer and to ensure you are happy with the process
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Completion of a detailed history form and veterinary referral - this ensures I have a full set of information and that any underlying medical problems are taken into consideration and is in-line with my professional membership bodies’ Codes of Conduct
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In-person or Zoom-based consultation, lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours – this allows me to fully assess each problem behaviour by clarifying details with you and takes into account the whole family’s experiences of the problem
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Immediate intervention plan, discussed and agreed with you during the consultation – this allows immediate improvements to be made while keeping everyone safe and preventing further development of the problem(s)
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Written report and additional resources, sent within a week of the consultation – details the assessment i.e. what is your dog feeling and why, and what is the immediate and longer term plan
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Liaison with your vet, including written report – this ensures communication with the pet’s primary professional caregiver and is in-line with my membership bodies’ Codes of Conduct
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Follow-up support for 8 weeks, including two 1-hour in-person sessions – this allows ongoing practical training support, as well as enabling me to tweak any bits of the plan that are not working for you or need further development (such as follow-on training exercises that can only be implemented once initial improvement has been seen).
Package options:
Standard package: Up to 2.5 hour consultation, with two in-person training support visits and 8 weeks of regular follow-up telephone or video calls and email support. £450
Premium package: Up to 2.5 hour consultation, with three in-person training support visits and 12 weeks of regular follow-up telephone or video calls and email support. £595
After working with me, you should feel more confident and enjoy your dog again. No more embarrassing moments in the park, with your dog lunging towards other dogs. No more fighting over dinnertime! And to top it all off, your dog will also be happier and secure in their world. You have the power to make this change! And all this can be done using scientific, proven and kind methods. My promise to you includes never using or recommending prong collars, e-collars or corrections of any kind.
“Vicky has helped us so much with our dogs, also working with our home environment. And finally we understand what's been happening. Which we are now preparing for an operation getting our dog create trained for his recovery after operation. We have had support throughout and Vicky has been checking in with us to make sure we are going in the right direction. A very lovely lady and helping us understand, we have a happier home now with both dogs. Thank you Vicky x”. Natasha, Northampton
What should I do next?
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Book your appointment here
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Obtain a veterinary referral
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Prepare the intake questionnaire
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After the consultation you will receive the Behaviour Modification Plan in report form, with additional supporting materials
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Receive ongoing support to continue to progress and restore harmony!
FAQs
How quickly can you solve the problem? Many dog behaviour issues require careful re-training over time. Sometimes you will see an improvement straight away, just by learning about the whys and hows, but usually it takes a few weeks to months to see a full resolution. There is often some level of ongoing management needed, especially where human safety is an issue. Can you guarantee to solve all my dog’s problems? Unfortunately, there are no guarantees as every situation and every dog is different. The Behaviour Modification Plan will take a significant amount of effort on your part but I will never ask you to do anything you cannot do, whether due to practical reasons or something else, e.g. lack of time. Having worked with many dogs over the years, with all sorts of issues, I can promise you I am in a great position to help you! What’s the difference between a dog trainer and a ‘behaviourist’? Basically, a dog trainer trains dogs to perform certain tasks, such as ‘sit’, ‘retrieve’ or more complicated behaviours, such as how to run an agility course. A behaviourist will take a full history of your dog to work out what is causing a behaviour problem and work with you to understand your dog’s behaviour and modify it as necessary. However, there is a lot of overlap in the real work and it is worth bearing in mind that anyone can call themselves a dog trainer or behaviourist, since these are not protected terms in the UK. My dog has multiple issues or doesn’t quite fit the profile described above That’s no problem! I will take account of everything that concerns you in the behaviour consultation, based on your priorities, as well as safety and welfare. My packages are largely the same in layout, apart from separation-related problems, which tend to require a different approach. You can either book a standard consultation or chat to me first here if you would like some reassurance. Why is a veterinary referral needed? Medical issues, including pain, can affect up to 70% of dog behaviour cases. It is also part of my professional Code of Conduct. It is therefore essential for me to work with the knowledge and support of your vet. Most vets do not charge for this and I can even arrange it for you. Can I claim on my insurance? Sometimes, yes, but it will depend on your policy. Please check your policy wording carefully and check with your insurer directly if it is not obvious what and who they cover. Unfortunately I am unable to offer direct claims at the moment but I am happy to work with your insurer to get your claim paid back to you.
Case Study
Andy and Alan contacted me about their dog, Will, who was struggling with his behaviour to other dogs and when walking on the lead. Will was described as ‘loving, likes a lot of attention, fun, caring and a joy to be with’ but on the flip side, he had started to growl and lunge at a dog he had previously enjoyed playing with and had attacked a dog he did not know.
Safety measures were put in place to ensure no incidents could occur while the problem was being resolved, including advice on how to effectively use a long line so that Will did not lose out on fun and exercise when he was out and about. We also worked on his ‘listening skills’ with Andy, so that Will was able to seek information from him and trust him to help when Will did not know how to behave.
After groundwork was in place, Will was able to meet his previous dog friend again at a short distance and stay calm. With my advice, Andy continued to work on this to enable Will to socialise with known dogs and not feel afraid or frustrated around dogs he did not know.
Andy said “Victoria went through all the problems we were having very thoroughly and then decided on a plan of action. We met up and Victoria helped with the issues. I would recommend Victoria to anyone having problems with their dogs, she is very professional very understanding and very good!!”