Pet Behaviour Well-Being & Pet Owner Support Program

Private & Personalised. Professional & Compassionate.

Loving and living with a dog that presents behaviour challenges takes a ton of effort, adaptation and time. Love, unfortunately, isn’t enough.

We recognise that you do love your dog and want to do your absolute best for them but may not know where to start or may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of conflicting information about canine behaviour out there. Everyone has an opinion online and in real life!

Behaviour Matters Course, our behaviour work program, is in the form of a blended-learning course that you will take along with your dog, participating remotely and in-person. You developing more knowledge and skill about canine behaviour and teaching dogs will empower you to work with your dog both with and beyond our guidance.

Behaviours of concern that this course may help, include:

biting, threat & warning behaviour, such as growling or snapping
aggressive responding
“reactive” behaviour such as puling, lunging, vocalising, usually while on lead, directed toward other dogs, people, traffic, for example
“over-arousal” related behaviour such as over-excitability, difficulty settling, hyper-vigilance
fearful behaviour
phobias and sensitivities, such as sound sensitivities to, for example, fireworks, storms & thunder
excessive behaviour such as barking, destructive behaviour
inappropriate chasing such as cars, livestock, cyclists and so on
separation related behaviour
suspected compulsive-type behaviours such as reflection/shadow chasing, tail chasing and spinning, excessive self-grooming, flank sucking
countersurfing
territoriality and resource related behaviour such as growling, snapping or biting when items are removed from the dog, or when the dog is approached on a bed or sofa
sensitivity and discomfort with handling, grooming, veterinary and husbandry procedures
toileting behaviour
dog-dog relations, dogs in the same home, relationships with other pets in the home

Our Approach

We take an evidence-based, needs-based approach to behaviour change. We apply sciences of behaviour change including, canine ethology & cognition, applied behaviour analysis and animal welfare, along with teaching, support and guidance therapies for humans.

Our approach incorporates the most up to date understanding of canine behaviour and learning, derived and extrapolated from valid science and evidence, and best practice.

Surprisingly, our approach doesn’t really emphasise “obedience” and it won’t feature in our programs. For more see, Not The Be All & End All and to understand how we work, see This Is How We Do It.

Our approach is relationship-centered and, rather than a dog-training-recipe, our interventions become a way of life, individualised for you and your dog; a life shared with your dog.

Your commitment

Meaningful behaviour change, for you and your dog, will require time and lifestyle changes. These requirements are associated with difficulty adhering to behaviour change programs over time.

Pet owner expectations are often misled by the popular presentation of dog training on TV and online, with trainers applying aversives and suppression causing inhibition of dog behaviour, making it look like there has been some miraculous and quick fix.

No quick fixes here! Think carefully before signing up – we are in this with you, for the long haul. Meaningful change while maintaining your dog’s behavioural wellness, takes time. You will look back in a year’s time and find it hard to believe how far you’ve both come but the road can be bumpy, and progress is non-linear. Our support is there with you every step of the way.

Behaviour Matters course includes:

blended learning – a mix of remote and in-person sessions
4-5 hours of one-to-one consultancy, guidance, feedback and counselling
24/7 access to the Behaviour Matters course website
individualised course e-manual covering the management and behaviour intervention program that we develop and build together, in collaboration, laid out step-by-step with video examples
ongoing & regular remote support & feedback via email, Whatsapp messenger (or social media messenger) – you are encouraged to check in and send video, progress reports and troubleshooting enquiries as often as you need to while we work through our program
an effective, evidence-based and humane program devised by the trainers of dog trainers, experts in their field, with your and your pet’s well-being at the heart of all we do

More information on our policies, particularly COVID19 procedures for in-person sessions, see here and more on this course, see here.

Pricing & Payment Planning:

Full Course Program: €450.00 (paid electronically and due before first session)

or

Payment plan:

payment 1 before remote session: €200
payment 2 before first in-person session: €150.00
payment 3 before second in-person session: €100.00

“Dog training” really is a misnomer. You, the human, are the central focus. That’s why we are concentrating on providing education and support for the human end of the leash and prioritising encouraging your empowerment through education. You will become an awesome teacher, supporting your dog in their learning and development.

It really is a team effort; true collaboration.

No judgement, just support and guidance. That’s how we teach both ends of the leash, through the ups and downs of behaviour change.