MOST COMMON QUESTIONS CLIENT'S ASK BEFORE BOOKING
1. CAN YOU HELP ME?
Would you call a plumber and ask can they help you if you had a leaking tap? No, you wouldn’t, because the answer would be yes of course they can. The same is true here. If you have a behaviour issue or behaviour problem with your pet, we can help you! In all our years of operating, we have honestly never had an unhappy client or ever been asked for a refund. Quite the opposite in fact. Our clients are really impressed with the wealth of knowledge of our Animal Behaviourist and the level of information given during the consultation.
2.WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
The actual answer to this question is everywhere. We cover all of Australia and our services are available Australia-wide.
3. CAN YOU COME & SEE MY PET AT HOME?
No, this would not provide you or your pet with the best level of service. Having a complete stranger come into your home during the consultation can adversely affect the true analysis of your pet’s personality and behaviour. Even if our Animal Behaviourist lived next door to you, she would still want to do your Behaviour Consultation via videocall as this process gets more superior results. This is the sole reason why we developed and founded Animal Behaviour Australia.
4. DO VIDEO CALL BEHAVIOUR CONSULTATIONS REALLY WORK?
DEFINITELY YES! After over 15 years of face to face, in-clinic and home consultations both in the UK and in Australia our behaviourist was sceptical about the effectiveness of this technology too. But her experience has proven that they not only work, but they are actually getting far superior results over the limitations of traditional methods.
Video-calls are more effective than in-clinic appointments or home visits for Behavioural Consultations…. Here’s why:
A) Consultations take place while your pet is in its normal behaviour state as no stranger is there (this allows our behaviourist to assess their true innate personality, quickly and is the most important factor for her to enable her to help you most effectively);
B) Consultations take place in the pet’s home environment so that they are relaxed (and so are you, so you learn better);
C) Clients can access professional services that may not be available to them locally and at a time that enables all family members to attend (including after-hours consultations). Having all family members there helps us to achieve better results;
D) Consultation prices are kept as low as possible by avoiding unnecessary overheads.
Still not convinced click on the button below to find out more:
5. WHICH TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR CONSULTATION DO YOU RECOMMEND?
For most cases we advise the “Behaviour Consultation with Follow Up” as this is the best value for money and most clients will need a 30 minute Follow Up Consultation to check that they are actioning their plan efficiently. This is our standard service. If in doubt, this is likely to be the service that you will need.
6. WHAT IS THE BEHAVIOUR CONSULTATION PROCESS?
After you have booked your consultation you will be asked to complete a client questionnaire for you and your pet which allows our Behaviourist too perform a Pre- Assessment.
Pre-Assessment:
This gives us information on your pet’s personality, behaviour problems, daily routine, other pets and people in your household, along with a suite of other things that our Behaviourist will need to assess for your unique case. Our Animal Behaviourist will review this information prior to your consultation and then start working on your plan even before you meet. This information is crucial and a very important part of the process. Answer the questions openly and honestly and give as much information as you can to ensure she has all of the information to assess fully.
Behaviour Consultation:
The consultation will take about 90 minutes in duration, but we advise that you allow up to 2 hours. Your pet will be reviewed, problem behaviours explained, and a Behaviour Modification Plan will be put in place explaining the techniques to rectify the behaviour problems which you are having with your pet.
You can take your own notes during the consultation or the Animal Behaviourist can type you up a written Behaviour Modification Plan after the consultation for an additional fee. You will then go away and work on your plan.
Follow Up Consultation:
As soon as you start working on your plan, we recommend that you have a 30-minute Follow Up Consultation. This normally occurs within four weeks after your initial consultation. This ensures that you are undertaking the behaviour modification techniques correctly and the plan can be tweaked, if necessary, depending on the results. The most important reason for the Follow Up is to check that you haven’t misinterpreted anything and are going to make efficient progress with your plan.
7. HOW MANY ANIMAL BEHAVIOURIST'S DO YOU HAVE?
We only have one Animal Behaviourist and her name is Dionna Newton. She is the founder of Animal Behaviour Australia and has over 15 years of experience undertaking animal behaviour consultations as a Pet Psychologist. She is originally from the UK and has a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree. Her Honours project focused on animal behaviour. She started some training in Animal Psychology at university and then trained specifically on Pet Animal Psychology through the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE) – a training college that specifically teaches Pet Animal Behaviour. She is also a member of COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers (CAPBT).
8. HOW WILL MY PET'S BEHAVIOUR PROBLEM ACTUALLY GET FIXED?
If you think of an Animal Behaviourist a bit like a Personal trainer. You want to get fit and lose weight but you just don’t know how to do it. The Personal Trainer assesses your current condition and where you want to get to, then develops a fitness program for your situation. You then work on getting fit, losing weight and hitting your goals.
This is similar to an Animal Behaviourist. During your Pet Behaviour Consultation, our Animal Behaviourist will assess your pet and the behaviour problems you are having. They will then teach you why your pet is behaving in this way, and then develop with you the strategies and techniques needed to change your pet’s behaviour. After the initial consultation, you will be fully informed on how to modify your pet’s problem behaviour. You will then go away and work with your pet to modify your pet’s behaviour, in your own time, and at your own pace.
We advise one Follow Up Consultation to check that you are actioning your plan efficiency and you haven’t misinterpreted any information given. This is to ensure that you are kicking goals efficiently and in case we need to tweak anything to ensure that you do. Further, Follow Up Consultations may be advised depending on the severity of your case or for those owners looking for continued support.
9. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Please click on the “Book Appointment” button below to see the current consultation prices.
10. DO I NEED TO SHOW YOU MY PET DOING THE PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR?
No. This is actually less important than our Behaviourist seeing your dog acting normally! In some cases, this could be dangerous. Seeing the problem behaviour being conducted is actually the least important thing from an assessment point of view. Depending on the case, sometimes it can be easily captured and somewhat helpful but it is not necessary for our Behaviourist to be able to determine how to help you. This is because you can easily describe to the Animal Behaviourist when, where and, how the behaviour occurs. Believe me when I say this, with over a decade of Pet Behaviour Consultations undertaken we have seen first-hand almost every behaviour problem you can think of. But having said this you can always send us short video clips of your pet’s problem behaviour prior to your consultation for us to review.
11. I'M NOT SAVY WITH TECHNOLOGY HOW DO I DO A VIDEO CALL?
It’s really easy, most people already have the technology to make video calls. Your consultation can be done on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer. Anything that has internet access, a camera, microphone and speakers. We generally use Zoom or Skype as our preferred video call platforms. But, we have the ability to use any platform that you are familiar with. You can also talk to our Business Manager who is our own in-house IT expert if you need help walking through the process before your consultation. You will need a good internet connection for the consultation with an internet speed of 3Mbps or higher for video calls.
12. WHEN ARE YOUR APPOINTMENT TIMES?
We undertake consultations on certain days during the week and also have evening and some weekend appointment times for those who work fulltime. Please click on the “Book Appointment” button below to be taken to the booking system, booking calendar and consultation appointment times. If you can’t find an appointment time that suits you then please send us an email to see what we can accommodate for you.
13. WILL MY PET NEED MEDICATIONS PRESCRIBED?
This is case dependant. Medications alone cannot fix behaviour problems. Generally, medications will only help to treat the symptoms of a behaviour problem. They cannot fix the cause of the problem. Here at Animal Behaviour Australia, we are committed to fixing the cause, not just the symptoms. So, in most cases, medication will not be required. If, however they are, then we will work together with your pet’s Vet and the problem will be treated from both a medical and behavioural perspective. This is why we work via referral from veterinary practices all over Australia.
Whether medications are required or not it is important for us to know that your pet is physically fit and healthy and there is no medical reason behind your pet’s behavioural problems. You may be asked to get your pet assessed by your Vet prior to having a consultation with us. If your vet has referred you then this has already been done. In some cases, a pet’s behaviour can be affected by pre-existing medical conditions that have not been diagnosed, for example, sudden onset of aggression. Has your dog got an injury or developed arthritis resulting in pain? Your Vet can rule out any medical reasons for your pet’s behaviour and ensure they are appropriately treated. Medical problems could also be influencing the behaviour but a Behaviour Consultation is still required. This is why it is important that you, your Vet and our Behaviourist work together in unison as the perfect team to help your pet.
14. HOW DO I BOOK AN APPOINTMENT?
Simply click the “Book Appointment” button below to book a Consultation. Select your pet type, select your consultation type, click on a date in the calendar to view appointment times available: