Do you guarantee results?
No, this would be unethical.Animals are living creatures,no one can ever completely understand, predict, or control their behavior. Neither can human counselors guarantee that relationships can be saved or families can overcome their problems. However I work with you to the best of my ability to help you change your pet behavior. Because you work with your pet, results depend on you.
How long before I see improvement?
This varies a great deal. You may see behavioral changes in just a few days, or it may take several weeks. Some problems can be resolved quickly, others may require months. Improvement may be ongoing for months after our first consultation.
How much work will this require?
This depends on the problem. For example cat elimination problems don’t require consistent time training your cat, but will require you to take the time to make the environmental changes we suggest, and to alter your routine to better manage your cat’s environment. Dog aggression problems usually require you to set up practice essions, which we will describe to you 3-5 times a week.
How many appointments will I need?
Most cat and some dog appointments will not need an in-person follow up appointment. It works quite well to do a follow-up via telephone after the initial consultation. Telephone /email follow-ups are available to you for three months. For some cases I will check back with you in week one and week 3, but you are welcome to initiate follow-up anytime during the follow-up period. The first in person follow-up is used to assess and build on recommended training and behavior modification. This is also a good time to assess whether other forms of treatment might be needed.
Why is behavior consulting different from dog obedience training?
Teaching your dog to sit or stay does not resolve behavior problems such as anxiety, aggression, barking or house soiling. If your dog can follow these commands, this may be one useful part of a behavior modification plan, but not enough by itself to resolve the problem. If we think your dog can benefit from training we will refer you to a trainer we trust, or tell you what to look for in a good trainer.