What Is The Behaviour Modification Process?

A Behaviour Modification Consultation is required if you are dealing with problem behaviour with your pet. This style of consultation looks at the root cause of the issue, giving you the understanding on what is driving your pet's unwanted behaviour, and educates you to solve and fix the unwanted behaviour. The result: happier people and happier pets.

As an Animal Behaviourist I act as a kind of interpreter for your pet. This provides a vital communication link that is missing between you and your pet. Once you have a full understanding of the problem I then equip you with the skills necessary to solve and fix it, so that your pet is content once again. This can usually be done in around 1 hour per behavioural issue.

Behaviour Modification is a stepped process which allows for results to be realised. This process has been tried and tested for over two decades so we are sure that we are helping you and your pet in the best way possible. It is efficient, affordable and WORKS!

Step 1: Pre-consultation evaluation of your pet and personal situation:

Before I even see you or your pet, you will be asked to complete a Modification Behaviour questionnaire. This will give me the ‘full story’. Not only the situation or issue you are concerned with, but also, and very importantly, your lifestyle, routine with your pet, and of course will ask many personality type questions about your pet and their normal behaviours. When these are completed I get a complete picture of your pet’s life, personality and troubles. At this stage, some owners upload video that demonstrates the problem behaviour for review ahead of their consultation. Depending on the case, I might ask you for video of certain elements or tell you none is required.

I perform your pre-assessment: I review your case and look at how I can best help you. I do this EVEN BEFORE I SEE YOU.

Step 2: I then meet your family and your pet via video-call:

It is important for me to see your pet in its natural behaviour state (how it acts generally on the day to day). People don’t realise the importance of this. They think I only need to examine their pet’s unwanted behaviour. It is actually more important to see how your pet behaves on the day to day and what is ‘normal’ behaviour for them. This can tell me a lot about how, or why, the unwanted behaviour has arisen. This is why a video call works best. If you were to bring your pet into clinic to see me their behaviour changes. Ditto, if I turn up to your house for a home visit.

The other really important reason that video-call work far better is that they can be arranged at a convenient time to allow all the family members to attend. A behaviour consultation is different to taking your pet to the vet to get fixed or to have a vaccination. Any family member can do that as the vet will fix your pet and then return them to you. What I do requires YOU to fix your pet. That’s means that everyone needs to know exactly what to do, why and how! The amount of information relayed to you in the consultation is immense. Everyone needs to listen so as a family you are all on the same page and are tackling the problem in a unified way.

Step 3: A written Behaviour Modification Plan (BMP):

After your consultation, you can choose to have your case and your step by step instructions devised within the consultation written up into a Behaviour Modification Plan. These are case specific. No two BMP’s are the same because no two animals and situations are the same. This is recommended because some instructions can be very subtle, and getting them right is the key to success. But you can take your own notes on the day. We don't want cost to be a barrier that prevents people from getting help for their pet. You will learn everything you need to do to change your pets unwanted behaviour throughout your session, but this requires heavy listening skills, and getting your head around what you have to do and how!

Vet Referral:

Your vet may refer you to me. This is encouraged as with behaviour modification I may need to contact your vet to get a medical history and your pet needs to be checked out medically by a vet to ensure that no medical issues are contributing to the behaviour problem. It is more efficient when your Vet refers first up as I don’t need to chase them. I can follow-up with them though if you haven’t got a referral.

The referring Vet will get given Case Notes to add to your pets file at their clinic which will explain what the problem is and how it is being managed and treated – key elements advised within the Behaviour Modification Plan devised. This is helpful for them as they can also then guide and support where necessary. Sometimes medication assistance may be beneficial and this can be discussed with your Vet and they can prescribe this for your pet.

Timeframes and Follow-Up Appointments:

I often get asked how long a pet's behaviour problem will take to fix? And will it be very costly, with a lot of repeat visits necessary?

The short answer: it depends on the severity of the problem, the complexity of the case and your commitment to fixing the problem. You will be given a full understanding of the problem and what you need to do to fix it at the first appointment. Sometimes the fix is quite quick, but sometimes it can take a little longer and need a bit of work. Plus, you need to go at your own pace.

Follow-up appointments are sometimes required to ensure you stay on track, and allow us to vary our plan if some aspects don’t go as expected. There is no 1+1 = 2, in pet psychology! Our pets like to keep things interesting for us! Each animal is different and responds differently. You are working from best gauged plan A, which usually works with a few minor tweaks, here or there. Sometimes you can make the tweaks yourself, but sometimes further advice and support is needed. Many owners come skipping into their Follow Up to show the extent of the improvement made because they are elated with progress. How fantastic for us to see! But it’s all down to their own hard work, and because they got the right advice for their pet and their particular individual situation.

The consultation itself gives you the road map. You then need to travel the road and stay on course! Sometimes the journey is long, sometimes short, but you will notice progress, usually quite dramatically at the beginning because some vital, and often simple things, are put in place. Great, because at the beginning you are very frustrated, and often feel defeated by your pet's behavioural problems. Seeing some immediate progress fuels your confidence. You can now start your journey with a full tank of fuel!

We are the perfect team to ensure your success!

Your Behaviourist, your Vet and you are the perfect team. We work in unison to make sure that you solve your pet's behavioural issues in the most efficient and effective way. I want you to have a fantastic relationship with your pet, for their sake, and yours! Your relationship with your pet is important, and love is worth it! Don’t give up on your pet! You just need to understand them and to talk to them in a way that they understand. That’s what a modification consultation allows for.

To recap using a travel analogy. Your pets Behaviour Modification journey will take the following steps:

Step 1: Pre-consultation assessment and evaluation - I think about the journey you need to take, and start designing your personalised roadmap. I know all the routes available, and which are best to travel. Google Maps has nothing on me! And is often why you went wrong in the first place!

Step 2: Consultation - I evaluate your pet in their normal every day behaviour state. We discuss the logistics of your journey and map it out in detail together, with me teaching you how to get there, what routes to take, why and how.

Step 3: Behaviour Modification Plan - You have your roadmap in hand. You write it yourself, or I can prepare it for you. This can be communicated to your Vet, so they are aware of your journey and expected route. You travel the road to modify your pet’s behaviour;

Step 4: Follow–up support if required - You have stuck to the roadmap, but sometimes detours are required! Maybe you have taken a wrong road. Oops, it happens. You are human. No worries, because you get support, and additional advice as required in Follow-Up appointments. Your roadmap can be tweaked if your pet doesn't respond as expected, or you struggle to follow your route. There are different routes we can take, many. Sometimes, it's even necessary to go off-road! But your journey concludes with a happy and healthy pet, free of behavioural issues.

The reason we do what we do: Happy people, wagging tails and purring felines.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR AUSTRALIA

"Talking to Animals"