What is a behaviour problem?

If you are reading this, then the chances are you own a dog, or two, or more; and have experienced the joys of sharing your life with another species that shows unconditional faithfulness, affection and attentiveness towards you at any time of the day or night. If you are lucky every dog you own will be like this and you will never need the services of a qualified and experienced behaviourist. However, in reality the perfect pet is a rarity, dogs by their very nature are different to us and have different priorities, what is normal and acceptable to them quite often isn’t to their human family and this can soon lead to problems, both for the owner and the dog. What actually constitutes a behaviour problem is also to some extent dependant on the owner, some people will put up with things that others would be horrified by, whilst others are keen to maintain as much harmony within the household as possible.

We can help you with problems such as:

Dog to Human Aggression
Dog to Dog Aggression
Separation Related Disorders
Attention Seeking
Food and object guarding
Over-excitability
Destructiveness
Inappropriate toileting
Inappropriate barking
Noise aversion
Traffic fear/ chasing

How do you help the situation?

There is a huge amount of information available about dogs, their behaviour and training whether on the internet, on TV or in numerous books and publications. Unfortunately a great deal of the information is based on folklore, unfounded beliefs and a view that any problems can be solved using a number of ‘generic’ quick fixes or cure-alls. In reality every dog is an individual, what may help one – even if the same breed or type – may be totally ineffective on another; this means that every dog has to be assessed individually before any behaviour modification can be put in place. Initially if you have any doubts at all you should contact your vet, as in some cases the behaviour problem can be explained by the onset of a medical condition, if you haven’t checked this and your dog is ill; then you will have very little chance of success when it comes to modifying his or her behaviour. If the vet gives an all clear then they should be able to recommend a qualified and insured behaviourist to you who will work in conjunction with the vet to ensure that every avenue possible is taken to help you and your dog.

How quickly will the problem be solved?

This is very difficult to predict, however, there is no magic pill that will solve issues overnight or over a few weeks; in reality some behaviours such as aggression can take months or even years to sort out completely. This may seem a long time when you can watch problems being solved on TV in the space of a couple of weeks but, if you wish to solve the problem properly and permanently, then a holistic approach is needed, there is no point in tackling problems head-on if the reasons for them are ignored – this will simply lead to the problem returning at a later date or the dog redirecting his or her energy towards an alternative (often worse) behaviour. Please be aware that changing a well established behaviour takes time and commitment from the owners; this may seem quite daunting initially, but with proper guidance and the patience and consistency to carry out the behaviour programme, both your dog’s behaviour and the relationship between you, will improve.