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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 profssionals will benefit from your experience.