BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIOUR CONSULTATION
I can help you and your collie with any behaviour problem they may have. It's important to get in touch about a border collie behaviour consultation as soon as your collie starts to exhibit any sort of behaviour that you find problematic - the longer they practise the behaviour, the harder it will be to resolve it. The following behaviour problems are common issues for border collies and their owners:
- Chasing, lunging or barking at cars, runners, cyclists, lawn mowers etc
- Fear of people, other dogs, noises, household objects etc
- Sound sensitivity
- Aggressive behaviour towards people or other dogs
- Play biting, chewing, jumping up and other unruly behaviours
- Repetitive behaviours eg. shadow chasing, spinning, licking
- Separation related behaviours
I'm kind and approachable, and I don't judge - you can talk to me in complete confidence. Most people blame themselves for their collie's behaviour, but this is very rarely the case. Most collie owners that come to see me have been trying their best to manage their dog's behaviour and research training techniques online, but it's a minefield out there, and you need an expert to build you a management and training plan for your collie and for you. I look at your dog's personality, the things they love, the things they hate and they're problem behaviour. And we go through your family situation, your dog training knowledge and ability, what you want to achieve, and how much time you can give to the training. Your dog's behaviour and training plan will be tailored to you and your dog, meaning that it has the best chance of succeeding.
Border Collie Behaviour Consultation Options
Option One - £490
(Covered by most insurers)
Full 2-3 hour behaviour consultation with one follow up session to make sure that you're on track with the training. This includes:
- Review of your dog's behaviour form, videos and medical history
- Initial 2-3 hour consultation(in-person or online depending on your location)
- Detailed behaviour & training plan, training guides and training videos
- One hour follow up session
- All liaison with your vet
- Support between the consultation and follow up via WhatsApp or Email
In the initial 2-3 hour consultation we'll go through exactly what has been happening, and I'll explain the emotions behind the behaviour and what is motivating your dog to perform the behaviour. Then we'll go through the management and training. Within one week, I'll send over your dog's behaviour report and detailed training plan with training guides and videos for you to work through.
After a few weeks, or whenever you feel you need it, we can have an hour's catch up to see how it's going and make any changes to the training plan as needed.
If you are within an hour of Spalding, both the consultation and follow up visit can be in person . If you are further away, the consultation will be online via video call (usually Zoom). If we decide that it is important that you have in-person training, you could travel to me, or we could meet halfway. Alternatively, I work with several border collie specialist trainers in various locations in the UK, so there are possibilities for working with someone local to you for in-person support. However, the behaviour package will not usually cover the cost of working with other trainers.
Working with me via video call works really well, but does depend on you being able to send over videos of you training your dog so that I can make sure that it's all going to plan. You will also be able to send over videos of the training and I will respond and let you know if it needs any tweaking, and you can message me with questions as often as you like.
Option Two - £690
(Covered by most insurers)
Exactly the same as Option One, but with three months of follow up sessions - as many video call follow up that you feel that you need within those three months, plus in-person visits if you are within an hour of Spalding. The consultation package includes:
- Review of your dog's behaviour form, videos and medical history
- Initial 2-3 hour consultation (in-person or online depending on your location)
- Detailed behaviour & training plan, training guides and training videos
- As many video call follow ups within 3 months after the consultation as needed
- In person follow ups if you are local to Spalding (within 1 hour's drive)
- All liaison with your vet
- Support between the consultation and follow up via WhatsApp or Email
- Option for follow on for another 3 months for £150
In person visits
If you live more than 40 minutes away, I will unfortunately need to charge (up to £70) to cover not only travel costs but also lost time while I am travelling. This will be communicated in full before booking. I frequently cover Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk. If you're not sure whether to proceed or not, please get in touch for a chat, and I'll be able to help with any queries.
Insurance
Because I am an ABTC-registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist and a full member of the APBC, behaviour consultations are usually covered by your insurance provider. Check your policy details.
I will ask for full payment before the consultation, and you will be able to claim this back from your insurance company if your dog is covered for help from a behaviourist.
1. The Consultation
Prior to the consultation, I'll ask you to fill in a behaviour questionnaire and ask your vet for a referral. When they send the referral, they will attach your dog's medical records. These details provide a comprehensive picture of your collie and their problem behaviour. Once I have this information, I'll be in touch to arrange the behaviour consultation which usually lasts 2-3 hours. We'll go through everything that has been happening in detail. Following this, I'll give you a summary of the emotions and motivations behing your collie's behaviour and the training needed to resolve or minimise it.
2. Behaviour Modification Plan
The plan includes the following sections:
- Why your dog is behaving the way that he is.
- How we will manage the behaviour to ensure that everyone stays safe.
- How we will contain the behaviour in the short term to prevent it from becoming worse.
- The training required to change the emotions behind the problem behaviour.
- Changing the emotions behind the problem behaviour is the best way to resolve it.
Your plan is unique to your dog and your situation .
3. Follow up
The behaviour modification plan will be quite straightforward with step by step instructions and videos for the training.
In the follow up calls, usually every 2-3 weeks, we will go through how things are going, how the training is progressing, discuss any videos you have sent over, and tweak things if needed.
My clients often describe these sessions as very valuable "therapy for dog owners"!
A lot of the training is in stages, so once you've mastered one stage, we can discuss how to go on to the next stage, and I can help with any issues that come up as the training progresses.
Behaviourists look at every aspect of the dog's behaviour and unique circumstances/history/health/living arrangements/routine etc. It's only by looking at all this information together that we can define the cause of the pet's behaviour and develop a behaviour management plan to help to change the behaviour to something more appropriate. We aim to establish the emotions and motivations behind the problem behaviour and by changing these, the problem behaviour usually resolves, or is much easier to resolve.
Trainers, by contrast, usually attempt to suppress the problem behavour without paying too much attention to what caused it. This may work in the short term, but because the emotions behind the behaviour are unresolved, the behaviour is likely to resurface at a later date.
Unfortunately the industry is not regulated and anyone can call themselves a dog trainer or behaviourist. Always look for qualifications! A good behaviourist should be a member of APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors) or the FABC (Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians) and will either be CCAB or CAB certified or will be working towards this. Ideally they should also have an MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour or equivalent - see this article.
Prior to the consultation I will have read through your dog's behaviour form and medical records, and watched any videos that you have sent over.
The consultation is divided into 2 sections:
Section one:
This part of the consultation involves me asking lots of questions in order to learn more about:
- Your dog's background
- Past experiences
- Daily routines
- Training already carried out
- Medical records
- As much detail about the problem behaviour as possible
- What happens immediately before the problem behaviour
- What happens immediately afterwards
- What you have already tried to fix the problem
- How you feel about it
The list goes on.... it's only by asking all of these questions that we can accurately diagnose the cause of the problem behaviour and create a behaviour plan that can resolve the problems you have been experiencing.
We'll then have a brief 15 minutes break.
Section 2
We'll go through why I think your dog is performing their problem behaviours.
Then we'll cover the management, training and behaviour modification that will make up the behaviour management plan.
Consultations are very easy going and relaxed - its not an issue if you have a coffee with you, or need to go and answer the door or let your dog out - and you'll be able to ask any questions that you have.
Yes, I am fully insured to work as a dog trainer and behaviourist.
Online video consultations can work really well, but only if you are able to send over lots of videos of your dog prior to the consultation, and also of the training you do with your dog as we progress through the training plan. Very occasionally people need in-person support for certain aspects of the behaviour management plan. In these cases I can consider visiting if you are near enough, or if you are close to any of the trainers I work with, we can arrange a visit from them to help. Alternatively, we could consider meeting halfway between my location and yours.
I'll send over the link to the video call - usually on Zoom - a few minutes before the session is about to start.
I prefer to use Zoom but may be able to use WhatsApp if needed.