K9 Counselling
Like people, dogs and cats can develop behavioural problems...
This is usually due to two main factors:- An experience or incident that has left the dog or cat with a bad association
- Not being exposed to or socialised in a situation, such as with different types of people, animals or environment
When problems occur, the relationship between owners and their pets breaks down. Behaviour counselling with people and their pets helps to do the following:
- Identify the exact problem
- Identify the cause of the problem
- Seek information about the situation and relationship that might help rectify the problem
- Formulate a behavioural programme to follow
The nature of the problem always needs to be considered carefully to ensure that no person or other animal is in any danger while working through a behavioural programme.
The job of a behaviour counsellor is to put the owners on the right track and give them the knowledge to guide their pet towards acceptable behaviour. For example, a dog who rushes up to other dogs and usually starts a squabble due to his over-boisterous behaviour, can be taught by the owner to do a "Down, Stay" whenever another dog is in the vicinity. This means introductions can be done in a calm and mannered fashion.
We have a number of staff across our three centres who deal with behavioural work. Some staff are responsible for temperament Assessments of the dogs and cats in our care, some man our Behaviour Hotline and others work in our Rehabilitation department. At the end of this section we have a Q&A page, our Pet Behaviour School and tips on basic training.