Behavioral Counselling

Do you have a ” problem dog “, with undesirable or antisocial behaviours?   Aggression towards people or dogs, resource guarding, separation anxiety? Perhaps ” quick fix ” solutions have not worked, because there is a basic fault deeper within the relationship between you and your dog. Behavioural counselling may be for you. Counselling explores such influences as diet, environment, lifestyle and unintentional training, in order to develop and implement a total solution that is right for you and your dog.

K9 Aggression

Best Friends has counsellors who specialize in aggression. While not all aggression is resolvable, behaviour can be improved in almost every case to a more manageable level.

Most dog aggression is based on fear: fear of attack, fear of the environment or a stimulus in the environment, fear of loss of rank, etc. Responding to fear with punishment usually makes the fear, hence the aggression, worse. Best Friends counsellors will show you force free, reward based techniques, such as desensitizing and counter conditioning, to treat aggression problems.

Counselling begins with a one hour, private session. Or you might choose a 45-minute video conferencing session instead.   You will be expected to provide as much history on your dog as possible. The dog will be tested as we try to recreate the problem behaviour. Based on his history and observed behaviours, a ‘ prescription ‘ of training exercises will be compiled and we will walk you through them. At the end of the session, you will be provided with a written report of our conclusions, and the training plan.   Follow-up sessions, if required,  may include one-on-one instruction. An obedience class may also be in order. We are available to help you as little or as much as you need, until your dog is once again demonstrating socially acceptable behaviours.

Cost:  $95/hr + HST

Availability:  Mon-Thurs, noon-5pm; Fri,1 – 3pm; Thurs 10am (45-minute video conferencing only)