 |
Please Note: The BeanTown Dogs website provides information and listings of dog breeds, clubs and associations, rescue organizations, health and nutrition, breeders,
trainers, groomers, boarding kennels, and other pet services and products. However, we do not recommend, endorse, or support any one of these listings over another. The links
provided on the site are for information purposes only and should not be viewed as a recommendation or endorsement. Accuracy of information is the sole responsibility of the
owner of the listing and we cannot be held responsible for any misrepresentation. We reserve the right to refuse any listing at our sole discretion. The BeanTown Dogs website is
not affiliated or associated with any organization or business - It is a completely independent project. - Archie and Mum
| SEARCH ~ ADVERTISE ~ PRIVACY ~ LEGAL ~ CONTACT US Copyright Perkins & Company 2006-2008 All Rights Reserved. All content, including graphics, on BeanTown Dogs Website is Copyright Perkins & Company, unless otherwise noted, and may not be copied or reproduced without prior written permission. |
| Guide to Selecting a Behavior Consultant |
Sniff Around for Dog Events!
Promote Your Events On Beantown Dogs.
Paw here to find out how.
Promote Your Events On Beantown Dogs.
Paw here to find out how.
The following advice is written specifically for U.S. pet owners, where there is no
organization of behavior specialists, counsellors or trainers which has adopted codes of
practice that specify treatment techniques and devices which the membership considers
cruel and/or inhumane, and pledges not to employ such methods. Fortunately, this is
not the case in many parts of the world. Specifically, the Association of Pet Behaviour
Counsellors, the APBC, organized in Britain but with international membership, has
clearly defined standards: For membership, humane treatment techniques and referral.
Along with the APBC, the British based Association of Pet Dog Trainers makes a stand
against training devices which are inhumane or cruel. Some of these devices are:
electric shock equipment, choke chains and check collars, high frequency startle
devices, etc. A trip to the APBC and APDT home pages, available through our main
page index to other sites, will be a refreshing and enlightening experience for any pet
owner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from: the New "Better Behavior in Dogs," 1999,
A Guide to solving all your dog problems.
Sometimes an animal's behavior problems seem so involved that they defy our ability to
see them objectively, which is when the services of a behavior consultant can be
invaluable. The following guide will help ensure that you select someone who will work
with you in a way that allows you to gain the insight needed to correct the problem. The
little extra time required is well worth spending, compared to the risks of choosing
someone based on the size of their Yellow Pages ad or the appeal of their titles.
Selecting a Pet Behavior Specialist
Have Your Pet Examined
Take your problem-pet to your veterinarian for a complete physical examination. Take
along a fresh stool sample for a parasite check. My records of more than 2,000 cases
show that more than 20% of dogs with behavior problems who had not been checked in
more than 6 months also had a health problem. There is no use wasting money on a
behavior problem when there may be a contributing health factor.
Get At Least Two Referrals
After the physical examination, ask the doctor about the behavior problem and whether
you might benefit from professional consultation. If the answer is "yes" and a consultant
is recommended, ask what sort of feedback has been received from other clients so
referred. Make notes about each specialist.
If any of those clients are acquaintances of yours, talk to them before telephoning any
specialists on the list.
Many veterinarians themselves are getting involved in consulting about problems, so if
your pet's doctor has some ideas, listen to them. If they sound reasonable and
appealing, you might be well advised to follow the veterinarian's suggestions before
contacting anyone else. But, give the advice time to work and follow the instructions
carefully.
Qualifying the Consultants
The telephone call to the specialist is aimed at gathering vital information about how he
or she goes about working with owners and their problem pets. But keep in mind, just as
you are qualifying them, they are also qualifying you!
If they are operating on the highest ethical standards, they will want to know a great
deal about you, your pet and its health history, plus the history of the problem from the
beginning to the present time. They should be especially interested in what steps you
may have already taken to solve the problem yourself or with other assistance.
Give them all the facts. This will allow them to decide if they can really help, or if they
should refer you to someone more specialized in the problem.
On the other hand, if they show no interest in the history of the problem and simply
press you for an appointment, count your blessings, thank them nicely, hang up and
contact the next consultant on the list. Anyone in this profession who does not extend
the courtesy of qualifying his or her clients through a few minutes on the telephone falls
into one or more of the following categories:
Any of the above types display a lack of understanding about the emotional state of
someone sincerely seeking help for a pet. They fail to respond as a well-trained
consultant should respond, which is with empathy. Add this to the fact that they do not
qualify their clients in order to save time, effort and money for all concerned.
Get the Facts and Understand Them
If the specialist offers a description of the programs available, listen carefully and make
notes. Be sure all of the following questions are answered to your satisfaction. While
you are gathering this information, don't hesitate to interrupt to ask for an explanation
of any term or procedure you do not understand. Unfortunately, many competently
trained and well-educated behavior specialists tend to use jargon and such terms as
"bonding" and "separation anxiety." These are fine for professional seminars but tend
to confuse pet owners.
Questions To Ask
With these questions answered, you can qualify the specialist on three accounts:
1. The humaneness of the methods to be employed, which is up to your own, personal
tastes.
2. The cost of the program in terms of the money, time and effort you will be investing.
3. What sort of rapport you and the specialist establish. If you and the consultant
cannot communicate smoothly during an explanation of the programs, you're apt to
have even more difficulty later, when it comes to understanding the causes and
corrections for your pet's problem.
When you are satisfied that you have reached the "right" specialist, your chances for
success are almost as good as they can possibly be. However, after 28 years of
consultation work with dog owners, I would be failing you (and my conscience) if I didn't
mention a few more precautions.
There are some impressive "silver tongues" in this field. They are exceptionally good at
using the telephone interview to gain a pet owner's confidence and a preliminary
meeting. To avoid getting involved in something that may not be satisfactory for you or
your pet, hark back to the consultant's description of the actual programs and watch out
for the following:
After you have used this guide and worked with your consultant, please let us know how
the program worked out. Report on the nature of the problem, the dog's breed, sex,
neuter status, age, weight and any other physical conditions you think apply to the
problem. Give us a description of your family, house, etc., and other environmental
situations that are important. We'll enter the results in the data base and other pet
owners and behavior professionals will benefit from your experience.
organization of behavior specialists, counsellors or trainers which has adopted codes of
practice that specify treatment techniques and devices which the membership considers
cruel and/or inhumane, and pledges not to employ such methods. Fortunately, this is
not the case in many parts of the world. Specifically, the Association of Pet Behaviour
Counsellors, the APBC, organized in Britain but with international membership, has
clearly defined standards: For membership, humane treatment techniques and referral.
Along with the APBC, the British based Association of Pet Dog Trainers makes a stand
against training devices which are inhumane or cruel. Some of these devices are:
electric shock equipment, choke chains and check collars, high frequency startle
devices, etc. A trip to the APBC and APDT home pages, available through our main
page index to other sites, will be a refreshing and enlightening experience for any pet
owner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from: the New "Better Behavior in Dogs," 1999,
A Guide to solving all your dog problems.
Sometimes an animal's behavior problems seem so involved that they defy our ability to
see them objectively, which is when the services of a behavior consultant can be
invaluable. The following guide will help ensure that you select someone who will work
with you in a way that allows you to gain the insight needed to correct the problem. The
little extra time required is well worth spending, compared to the risks of choosing
someone based on the size of their Yellow Pages ad or the appeal of their titles.
Selecting a Pet Behavior Specialist
Have Your Pet Examined
Take your problem-pet to your veterinarian for a complete physical examination. Take
along a fresh stool sample for a parasite check. My records of more than 2,000 cases
show that more than 20% of dogs with behavior problems who had not been checked in
more than 6 months also had a health problem. There is no use wasting money on a
behavior problem when there may be a contributing health factor.
Get At Least Two Referrals
After the physical examination, ask the doctor about the behavior problem and whether
you might benefit from professional consultation. If the answer is "yes" and a consultant
is recommended, ask what sort of feedback has been received from other clients so
referred. Make notes about each specialist.
If any of those clients are acquaintances of yours, talk to them before telephoning any
specialists on the list.
Many veterinarians themselves are getting involved in consulting about problems, so if
your pet's doctor has some ideas, listen to them. If they sound reasonable and
appealing, you might be well advised to follow the veterinarian's suggestions before
contacting anyone else. But, give the advice time to work and follow the instructions
carefully.
Qualifying the Consultants
The telephone call to the specialist is aimed at gathering vital information about how he
or she goes about working with owners and their problem pets. But keep in mind, just as
you are qualifying them, they are also qualifying you!
If they are operating on the highest ethical standards, they will want to know a great
deal about you, your pet and its health history, plus the history of the problem from the
beginning to the present time. They should be especially interested in what steps you
may have already taken to solve the problem yourself or with other assistance.
Give them all the facts. This will allow them to decide if they can really help, or if they
should refer you to someone more specialized in the problem.
On the other hand, if they show no interest in the history of the problem and simply
press you for an appointment, count your blessings, thank them nicely, hang up and
contact the next consultant on the list. Anyone in this profession who does not extend
the courtesy of qualifying his or her clients through a few minutes on the telephone falls
into one or more of the following categories:
- They lack the necessary experience and/or training to do it. Why pay them to
educate themselves on your animal? - They subscribe to the new-car dealer's "system house" approach, which states:
"You can't get their check and close a deal on the phone." This is not very
professional. - They are too acutely dog- or cat-oriented to appreciate your role in the problem,
especially if they use the old story that they must "see" your pet before anything
can be decided. - They may be too far up in some ivory tower to feel a genuine "empathy" with you
as the owner of a problem pet.
Any of the above types display a lack of understanding about the emotional state of
someone sincerely seeking help for a pet. They fail to respond as a well-trained
consultant should respond, which is with empathy. Add this to the fact that they do not
qualify their clients in order to save time, effort and money for all concerned.
Get the Facts and Understand Them
If the specialist offers a description of the programs available, listen carefully and make
notes. Be sure all of the following questions are answered to your satisfaction. While
you are gathering this information, don't hesitate to interrupt to ask for an explanation
of any term or procedure you do not understand. Unfortunately, many competently
trained and well-educated behavior specialists tend to use jargon and such terms as
"bonding" and "separation anxiety." These are fine for professional seminars but tend
to confuse pet owners.
Questions To Ask
- Where and how long will the appointments be? 60-90 minutes is usual for
appointments.
- Who must attend? Make sure everyone involved in the problem and correction
procedures can attend.
- What will we be doing? Get "operational descriptions," such as sitting and talking,
training the dog, etc.
- How many appointments will be required ? Six weekly meetings usually suffice,
even for severe problems.
- Will any special equipment be required? If so, what? This will reveal whether or
not shock collars, spike collars, hanging nooses, hobbles, ultrasonic devices, etc.
will be used. If so, get descriptions of how they will be used.
- What is the most severe physical treatment that may be required ? This lets you
know if ear-biting, kneeing, kicking, hitting, jerking or shaking are part of the
program.
- If the problem persists after the program is completed, what happens? This will
prepare you for further meetings and/or charges if things do not go as expected.
- How much will it cost?
With these questions answered, you can qualify the specialist on three accounts:
1. The humaneness of the methods to be employed, which is up to your own, personal
tastes.
2. The cost of the program in terms of the money, time and effort you will be investing.
3. What sort of rapport you and the specialist establish. If you and the consultant
cannot communicate smoothly during an explanation of the programs, you're apt to
have even more difficulty later, when it comes to understanding the causes and
corrections for your pet's problem.
When you are satisfied that you have reached the "right" specialist, your chances for
success are almost as good as they can possibly be. However, after 28 years of
consultation work with dog owners, I would be failing you (and my conscience) if I didn't
mention a few more precautions.
There are some impressive "silver tongues" in this field. They are exceptionally good at
using the telephone interview to gain a pet owner's confidence and a preliminary
meeting. To avoid getting involved in something that may not be satisfactory for you or
your pet, hark back to the consultant's description of the actual programs and watch out
for the following:
- Beware of anyone who says that they can "do it for you." Ask them to meet you at
the local lake or river to make sure they also walk on water. If they can, check for
barely submerged rocks.
- Watch out for anyone who says you will be meeting with their "assistant," and that
they (the specialist) will supervise.
- Watch out for people who lead you to believe the program is going to be "easy."
Solving a pet behavior problem is rarely simple. It requires your mental effort and
often some emotional adjustments on the part of all family members.
- Watch out for someone who tries to make you feel guilty about your pet's
problem. The problem is the result of interactions between your pet and its
people, plus other elements in our environment. Anything you have done that
helped create the problem was done without harmful intent. No guilt feelings are
warranted, only a resolve to eliminate the problem.
After you have used this guide and worked with your consultant, please let us know how
the program worked out. Report on the nature of the problem, the dog's breed, sex,
neuter status, age, weight and any other physical conditions you think apply to the
problem. Give us a description of your family, house, etc., and other environmental
situations that are important. We'll enter the results in the data base and other pet
owners and behavior professionals will benefit from your experience.
Click to go: Articles > Guide to Selecting a Behavior Consultant