While media and marketing certainly looks to convince us that dogs are consistently beneficial for humans, the data doesn’t necessarily bear that out and we know that, for many pet owners, it doesn’t always feel that way.

If you have a dog who shows behaviour/s of concern, you already understand the challenges involved in living with and loving them. Care-giver burden is associated with carers of human patients, of pets with chronic and serious disease and with owners of dogs demonstrating behaviours of concern.

Pet owners of dogs demonstrating behaviours of concern can be subject to real life and online blame and scrutiny; your life with your dog may not be living up to your expectations and may even be detrimental to your mental health. Blame is unhelpful, damaging and really misplaced.

We recognise your role in helping your dog, and just how much you love them and want to do your best for them. And even though it may all seem overwhelming and confusing at times, a well-designed behaviour program can most certainly help to get things on track.
For success, such programs take time and require commitment to lifestyle change on the part of the dog’s humans. Understandably, long duration and lifestyle change are associated with poor adherence in all sorts of settings, including in dog training.

Just like your dog’s behaviour, pet owner behaviour is information too. And these difficulties with adherence tell us that pet owners need more support, more guidance, more help to be able to consistently help their dogs.

We are coming back to life after a long lockdown pause with some available behaviour work sessions. Our new Behaviour Matters course is a dog behaviour well-being and pet owner support program for pet owner/dog teams experiencing behaviours of concern.

You will join up and have access to a course all about dog behaviour along with private remote and in-person sessions to help you and your dog, and guidance in successfully applying all that you are learning. 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.

Behaviour Matters teams also have ongoing remote support and we will use technology and messaging to our best advantage so you stay on the right path. (Don’t worry, there are no exams!)

We emphasise the central role of the pet owner, while still recognising our responsibility to the dog, for whom we strongly advocate. Working through serious behaviours of concern is truly a collaboration and we are in it together.

Lots of information here.

We will be able to get you started with your first remote session and possibly your first in-person session before the Christmas break, and then pick back up in the New Year to work through your program.

Private & Personalised. Professional & Compassionate.