The Happy Hound
Nashville, TN 37204
ph: 615-584-2940
houndsnp
What is Behavior Counseling?
There's a blurry line between behavior modification and training. They reinforce each other, even in the most basic of
cues. For the life of your dog, one of you will always be training the other. Dogs keep learning until their last breath, we humans
would be wise to follow their example! As the human in the pair, it's to your advantage to be the one doing the most of the training most of the time.
I have worked with all sorts of behavior issues -- separation anxiety, excitement, aggression, fearfulness, barking, house
training, etc. Every behavior problem has something to do with the dog's environment and something to do with the dog's nature.
As with most things in life, it's a situation of "both/and" rather than "either/or."
Because of the interaction of nature and nurture in each dog and dog's family, every situation is a little different. So my
behavior protocols are tailored to fit a given household.
Phone Consults are available for those who live an hour or more outside of the Metropolitan Nashville area. They are billed at $35/20-minutes and must be pre-paid via Paypal. Please call me for details.
How does a Behavior Consult work?
First, call me (615-584-2940). We will go over a list of
questions and decide together if, when, and where to meet. Sometimes, I will recommend a class instead of a behavior consult. It's important to talk with you first.
The second step is based on the answers you give me. I will send
you a particular Behavior History Evaluation form. You will
return the form to me no less than 48 hours before we meet.
At our meeting, I will give you a draft protocol based on the
information gleaned from our initial phone conversation and the
Behavior History form. This draft protocol includes topics to
discuss with your veterinarian (if appropriate), a list of
resources that pertain to your dog's particular behavior
problem, and a number of management suggestions to help you
deal with the behavior while a protocol and/or training program
is put in place. We will discuss short- and long-term goals and I
will help you discern reasonable expectations for you and your
pooch. In addition, we will work on several training techniques to be used to reinforce and teach your dog acceptable behaviors in lieu of the problem behaviors that sent you to the phone to call me in the first place. The draft protocol will be adjusted according to insights gained from our meeting.
This first meeting will last from an hour to an hour and a half--the fee depends on the nature of the consult.
Follow-up sessions can be scheduled as needed and are billed on my hourly rate of $75.
Copyright 2012. The Happy Hound. All rights reserved.
The Happy Hound
Nashville, TN 37204
ph: 615-584-2940
houndsnp