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 - £250
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 - £490
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.
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.
Each dog, each family, and each situation is different. As behaviour consultants, we will ask for all the details that we need to know in order to fully understand you and your dog's unique circumstances. The information that can be critical to each case includes:
- 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.
Asking someone for help online when they don't know everything about your unique situation is like asking a jury to convict a suspect based on what they are accused of alone, without hearing any of the evidence. It may work, if you're lucky, but more likely you will end up wasting time and maybe even making the issue much worse.
Yes, I am fully insured to work as a dog trainer and behaviourist.