Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with all Dog breeds?
Yes. I have experience working with many breed types, and with over 400 breeds out there I'm always happy to meet more! Part of my work involves taking the breed genetics into account as part of understanding your dogs behaviour.
Im a nervous dog owner can you help?
Poor dog behaviour can often be linked to how we feel as owners, I can offer ways to help rebuild your confidence as an owner improving your bond and overall enjoyment
How long does a typical consultation take?
Typically the process takes around 2hrs and includes a thorough chat about you, your dog and its back ground, the behaviour problem, diet and general lifestyle. I'll often then take your dog for a quick walk before we sit down and work out a plan which I can then help you apply. Thats a general plan which can be adjusted to suit each situation.
What is your training methodology?
Training and behaviour are very different, although they often overlap. Trainers typically add a new behaviour such as sit or stay and pair this to a command word and some form of reward. This is known as positive reward based training and has become the UK standard for good reason, it works! The idea generally speaking is to ignore bad behaviour and reward the good. I believe this is the recommended model now for bringing up children.
Often when behaviour problems occur its because the dog is gaining some form of reward from the behaviour itself, that can be obvious such as growling to stop you taking his toy off him, or a less obvious internal reward, such as chewing your new shoes (chewing feels good! And releases feelings of calmness in dogs).
For some dogs the reward can be huge, so big in fact that the owner will find it a struggle coming up with something better and therefore struggle to control the dogs behaviour. In those instances it really needs a good hard look at the dog to understand what makes something feel so rewarding. Once its understood what’s causing the dog to think the way it thinks, this could be environmental, genetic, medical, relationship with the owner etc., its easier to tackle the behaviour.
So its hard to pin my allegiance to any particular method, its whatever the dog in front of me needs. Every dog and owner is unique and I hold that in high regard resulting in a personal program and behavioural regime customised to your dog and its individual needs. Gaining my behaviour qualification meant studying modern methodology as well as the dogs themselves. So I’m very well versed in counter conditioning, desensitisation, extinction as viable training formats.
For more information please see my code of conduct page.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you still have any questions about my work.