Pet Behaviour Counselling Techniques

There is no standard therapy, each case is different, but working closely with the animal, their owner and their veterinary surgeon enables an individual behavioural modification programme to be structured.

Instincts has facilities for rehabilitating dogs, running groups which have proved beneficial for many unsociable problems. Instincts works within the private home or welfare organisation.

Fiona is often asked to attend meetings and give lectures of public interest, enabling pet owners to benefit from her ever increasing knowledge of animal behaviour.

Puppy classes at veterinary surgeries, one-day workshops and individual training are all offered, often incorporating colleagues within the field of animal behaviour.

Instincts' Approach

Working within the client's and animal's home enables both to remain relaxed as the consultation takes form.

As with most holistic approaches, behaviour therapy looks at the animal as a whole, taking into account the personality, constitution and environmental influences of the problem to be addressed.

Most importantly, the 'jigsaw' starts with a complete clinical profile, provided by the client's veterinary surgeon.

Health affects behaviour, and unless possible clinical signs can be recognised, important clues may be overlooked.

An example of Fiona working with a horse

Teaching an animal is done in short, individual stages, working at the animal's pace and using their previous experiences.  Sometimes 'undoing' previous learning is necessary to help them gain lost confidence or learn new procedures.  Fear in an animal is a serious emotional state and can influence all other cognitive states, therefore rehabilitating an animal with the utmost care and understanding is vital.

This horse is working at understanding the formative relationship built with Fiona, and trusting Fiona to take her up to the challenge of overcoming fear of poles, using ground work initially. Click here to see a slide show displaying this work.

Insurance

Instincts is able to accept referrals from vets; the cost incurred by the clients in such cases are covered by most pet insurance policies. Instincts is covered by public liability and professional indemnity insurance.

Some Case Histories

'Polar' the grey thoroughbred horse	has been helped to cope with box rest after an injury with environmental stimulation and problem solving activities
'Beau' the rescued wild rabbit	has learnt that there are other forms of entertainment other than attacking visitors to her garden and is now sociable
'Charlie' the Senegal parrot	has learnt to play cards rather than attack his owners when he is bored
'Ben' the black labrador	has established alternative behaviours to attack when he is worried and feels defensive. He is now off death row, his owners having been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act
'Poppy' the Great Dane	has learnt how to socialise and play with other dogs having been isolated during her critical puppy stage
'Harvey' the skewbald pony	has found his potential as a trick-trained demonstration pony for an equine charity, having over come his aggression towards people
'Winston' the mastiff	has been helped to over come his fear of the car and travelling
'Bagpuss' the rescued cat	has accepted people as companions rather than attack them
'Star' the homebred Burman	has over come his fears leading to his urination in the home
'Dilly' the cross breed dog	has learnt how to overcome some of her timidity and has developed appropriate coping strategies
And so the list continues...................... All of these animals have been helped with the aid of their devoted, determined owners - a must if problems are to be overcome.  The relationship between a pet and their owner is crucial and in order to prevent further problems, owners are coached and nurtured into helping their particular animal by Fiona.  Most cases have a happy ending, which can be dependent on owner compliance.