Dog Behaviourist question

[SparklyOnTheInside]

Hi, is anyone able to advise me on what to look for in a dog behaviourist?

An older relative of mine has a lovely rescue dog who is in his "decompression" time after being rehomed. He was tested with other dogs etc by his rescue and was fine but is becoming reactive to some other dogs when out and about.

My relative is 100% committed to getting their dog some help but is trying to work to what qualities they look for in a dog behaviourist. Relative is an experienced dog owner but this is her first rescue as she has had from puppy in previous dogs.

Thanks for any help!

Qualifications - specifically, being APBC or CCAB accredited

Www.apbc.org.uk/find-an-apbc-member/
Www.asab.org/ccab-register

Going for one of them will mean you get someone who knows what they're doing and uses positive reinforcement methods, and avoid the charlatans who believe in pack leadership theory.

Thank you! I will pass this on

She needs to speak to her vet and will refer her to a qualified recommended behaviourist they have used before. (usually from the organisations that Avocado has listed)

All behaviourists will require a vet check .

Thank you - I will get them to speak to the vet next week (they have to go in again as poor dog had quite a lot of teeth out just as relative got him)

Oh bless him. If he is in pain that will make his reactivity way worse so getting his teeth sorted could be a big help in many ways.

I tried one once - she was also a PhD student in animal behaviourism as i had a rescue collie taking part in a study, really didn't think she made a blind bit of difference, on the other hand my friends lab which she bought from a gun dog trainer was the best behaved dog i have ever seen. Maybe word of mouth is a good bet.

Tell them to look for an experienced (and sensible!) dog trainer!! I know of an excellent one if you want to p,m.. Depends on where yu live, of course.

@percheron67

Tell them to look for an experienced (and sensible!) dog trainer!! I know of an excellent one if you want to p,m.. Depends on where yu live, of course.

The first thing to know is that dog trainers and behaviourists do different things.

Dog trainers deal with training things like recall, pulling on the lead, jumping up, house training, sit, paw and so on. The stuff every dog needs to know.

Dog behaviourists deal with the more tricky issues - many of which are fear based behaviours. Separation anxiety, reactivity, livestock chasing, obsessive compulsive behaviours and suchlike.

The next thing to realise is that "experienced" isn't the same as "competent". There's a lot of dog trainers who have been doing their job badly for 20+ years, often using very outdated methods worthy of Barbara Woodhouse (or, worse, Cesar Milan).

Behavourists change/work with the emotions and then behaviour. So a dog lunging and fearful of other dogs needs to have their emotions changed to enable new behaviour eg no lunging to be performed.

Trainers train new behaviours

If the dog is acting through emotions you need a qualififed behaviourist.

Although some good trainers may also have dealt with this I would want to know they are qualified themselves and are experienced. If they get it wrong you have a much bigger issue on your hands so easier to go to those who are qualified to deal with it.

Can you not ask the rescue? My sister is a dog behaviourist working with dogs trust to rehabilitate before rehoming. If it’s a large rescue centre you may be able to speak to the behaviourist that was working with the dog before rehoming to your relative? Or at least they may have suggestions on how to speak to if they are a good rescue centre.

So much good advice! I will feed this all back to my relative.. she is seeing the vet this week coming and I am pretty sure she is still in touch with the rescue, it's a small local one that does UK and overseas dogs.

He really is an absolutely lovely dog, really sweet and gentle and a lover of cuddles on the sofa. His owner (my relative) is committed to putting in the work so hopefully she can sort out his issues over time.

Thanks so much

I would do as previous poster said. Please check them for proper qualifications as they can damage your dog. I once encountered one a few year ago who used the pack heirachy method. Needless to say there are a few about and those who did a quick online course via Groupon. Be very careful who you choose.