Specialist K9 Behaviourist

As a behaviourist we solve problem behaviours by identifying and fixing the root cause, only this method will truly change an unwanted behaviour permanently. Most Dog Trainers will suppress the actual behaviour itself rather than healing the root cause. A good analogy of this would be taking paracetamol for toothache (The Behaviour), yes for a while it goes away, but if that toothache is caused by an abscess (Root Cause) it will come back, and often with vengeance!

Because we focus on the root cause we delve into the psychology of the canine brain. Finding the real cause of the behavioural issue is an art form. We understand that almost all behaviour issues come from the disparity between the handler and the dog, this leaves your dog in a confused state and not sure how to act! We are skilled in teaching you how to rebalance your relationship.

Often your relationship with your dog will deteriorate through frustration, embarrassment and sometimes even anger. We can help you realign with your K9 friend, create a solid relationship based on trust, mutual respect and love. They need structure and leadership to be happy, it’s very likely that your dog is as unhappy as you right now! We help you find your hidden K9

We do all of our work in person, so we visit you and your dog at home (You really can’t address behavioural issues using only online methods!). We work out what is broken and develop a solid and realistic plan to modify these behaviours. Our behaviourists will show you significant improvement on the day of the session and we then provide you with support for as long as you need!

In 99% of our cases a single session is all you will need, therefore you incur no ongoing costs. Our method is successful because we focus on empowering and coaching you how to understand and prevent the behaviour happening. Simple changes in how you live with your dog can have a huge impact on your dogs behaviour, this is why we can switch off behaviours like reactivity in a single session. The long term change comes from your efforts which is why we call our sessions “Coaching” and not “Training”

A positive only approach is a great way to teach dogs new things, especially when there is no consequence to the behaviour, “Sit” for example. However when it comes to some behaviours like aggression, it may take months to modify this using a positive only protocol. We consider ourselves to operate in a balanced way, this means using all 4 quadrants of operant conditioning. Dog’s need to be taught what is acceptable as well as what’s not! to exist in harmony with our human world. I mean - soon as put a lead your dog you cease to be force free! We may “Correct” your dog in a fair manner, a correction though should not be seen as a punishment or negative, puppies are “corrected” by their mother from the 1st day they are born. It’s a natural thing to happen for them and is part of their day to day language!