So, what’s the difference between a behaviourist and a trainer…

Analysing, diagnosing and helping to change problem behaviours such as:

Teaching new/useful behaviours like sit, stay, recall, loose lead walking, scent work, agility etc
Socialising a new puppy
Group or individual classes for general obedience and manners
Finding fun and exciting ways to keep your dog mentally and physically stimulated

Veterinary Behaviour Consultation

This includes:

Travel time to your home
Full history and clinical examination
Discussion of the problem behaviour and its possible causes (pain, frustration, fear, attachment loss etc)
Videoing of problem behaviour if appropriate
Discussion of the impact of this behaviour on your pet’s wellbeing and of others (owners, family, friends, public, other animals etc) and how we can mitigate this
Establish a prioritised list of next steps such as short-term management (eg avoidance of triggers) or behaviour modification (e.g. changing an animal’s emotional state when confronted by triggers)
Discussion of the use of prescription medication if deemed necessary as well as the use of non-prescription treatments such as nutraceuticals, probiotics, pheromones etc
Provide you access to videos that demonstrate how certain training tasks should be performed (e.g. using a clicker or teaching your dog to settle in their bed when they hear the doorbell)
Full written report shared with you and your vet

This is not always required but can be helpful to monitor progress of the behaviour modification plan and to make changes if things aren’t progressing as we’d like.