Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant in Olathe, KS
BEHAVIOR CONSULTING
Helping humans rediscover peace and harmoney with their dogs.
BEHAVIOR CONSULTING SERVICES
I offer behavior consulting services for those who need help with more challenging and complex behaviors such as:
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Extreme fears, anxieties and phobias of various things or situations, such as:
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Fear of humans, children, other dogs or animals.
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Fear of novel objects or situations
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Difficulty with handling for grooming or the vet
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not wanting to get into the car
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Fear of houshold objects - vaccuums, blenders, blow driers ect.
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Sound sensitivity/noise phobias - intense fear and distress in response to loud noises - spontaneous or prolonged. This can manifest as excessive panting, pacing, and trembling and seeking out reassurance or quiet parts of the home.
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Separation anxiety - fear of being left alone. Brought on by being left alone this can manifest as excessive vocalization, heavy drooling, urinating and deficating, destructive behaviors such as chewing, shredding and ingesting items, and self harm such as plucking hair, excessive licking or chewing of themselves.
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NOTE: I do not offer treatment for separation anxiety, however there are trainers who specialize in this, you can find them here: Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers (CSAT).
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Reactivity which can be characterized by large emotioal outburts in reponse to a stimulus or situations. This can look like:
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Barking and lunging on leash at dogs, people, cars or other things in the environment.
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Barking, lunging, jumping and pawing at barries - doors, windows, gates - in response to things in the environment.
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Not all reactivity leads to agression, though it can often overlap.
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Agression - the act or intent to cause harm to another being (human, dog or other animal). In dogs this primarily through biting or atempting to bite a person or other animal in a manner that is not playful. Agressive behavior is often accompanied by fear and reactivity.
INITIAL CONSULTATION
All cases will begin with an initial 90 minute consultation. During the initial consultation we will go over your concerns, training goals, as well as your dogs history in-depth. At the completion of the consultation I will provide a professional assesment and prognosis, as well as immediate next steps and guidance. Next steps can include the following:
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Implementation of management for safety and reduction of behavior rehersal
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Changes to routines and enrichment to reduce stress and improve resilience
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Handouts and guidance on supportive training exercises
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Refferral to specialist to address any medical concerns
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Because health and behavior are inextricably linked, many of my behavior cases are working side by side with veterinary professionals. Underlying health conditions are one of the main causes of behavior changes and abnormalities and often we see improvement in agression and fear when underlying medical conditions are diagnosed and treated.
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You may save yourself a step by working with your vet before coming to me so as to rule out and/or begin treatment for potential medical concerns.
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Beginning behavior modification training with me
1 hr 30 min
150 US dollars
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TRAINING
Behavior modification training involves systematic desensatization and counter conditioning to change the way a dog reacts to, and feels about their triggers. The length of time, complexity and success of behavior modification will vary greatly from case to case but there are some factors that can influence the outcome.
Factors that influence behavior modification training:
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Health and well-being of the animal. As mentioned above, many behaviors are caused by or exacerbated by underlying health conditions such as: chronic pain, nutrient imbalances, and gut health. It does no good to implement training when the dog is unwell and ultimately it prolongs their discomfort an suffering. A dog needs to be as healthy as possible before beginning behavior modification training.
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Learning history and rehersal of the behavior. A behavior that has been rehearsed for a long time, or at a high frequency will take a longer to modify than a behavior that is new. This is one of the reasons it's strongly encouraged to begin behavior modification at the onset of the behavior and reduce rehersal of the behavior as soon as possible.
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Genetic predisposition. Fear and agresssion can have genetic influences and some dogs are at a higher risk to be predisposed to fearful and agressive behaviors. While this does not mean they are untreatable, they can be more difficult to change depending on severity.
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Environment. Dogs undergoing behavior modification need to have rest and recovery in order to succeed. Chaotic, unpredictable environments with high prevalence of triggers that offer no escape are difficult to achieve behavior modification in.
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Consistency. While consistency is important in any dog training, it is especially important with behavior modification. Changing a behavior response takes time and consistent rehersal of the new, disired response to triggers.
1 hr
1 hr