Initial Consultation!
Initial Consultations are a 2hr introductory sessions for dogs with either behavior issues, known training challenges, or owners who just want more guidance with their dog.
What does the Initial Consult look like and what happens?
You and your trainer will sit down for a very in-depth conversation about your pup and the struggles you are experiencing. If in-person, we’ll casually observe your dog as they explore the space, play with toys, or just do what they feel comfortable doing (*if safe to do so). We learn a lot through observation while the humans chat.
Why is the consult largely a conversation?
Think of this like us doing diagnostics–you don’t just rush in to surgery without knowing what is actually wrong. There are a lot of reasons for a dog to be doing behavior “x” and knowing more about the situation allows us to pick the right training plans more quickly to address the issue because we have more details on where behavior “x” is coming from. We can also find out if there are things in their daily life that are contributing to the issue that we can address those things quickly for fast improvements.
So, what do I get at the end of the 2hr session?
1. A professional’s feedback about your dog’s behavior, their struggles, and an empathetic ear to listen thoughtfully to your concerns.
2. A packet of handouts with information related to your dog’s behavioral concerns. Some handouts provide training instructions and some just information about behavior, but a huge amount of information (*digital packet if you meet digitally)
3. An Initial Action Plan! This is the most valuable part of the consultation for most people. You will leave with a detailed plan for you to implement over the next few weeks. The plan will include a management plan, daily life changes plan (if needed), and generally 1 or 2 training activities to implement.
4. Access to a follow-up plan. We fully expect there to be improvements if you dutifully implement the Initial Action Plan. We give you 3 weeks to implement the plan and we’ll then check in via email to see what’s worked, and what hasn’t worked, what things have improved and by how much.
Once we get this update and see what worked, what didn’t, and how much initial improvment you made, we’ll give you our recommendation for the training package we’d recommend for you to meet your goals.
Let’s Get Started!
STEP 1: Fill out the apporpriate History Form
Behavior Modification Form
This is the correct form if your primary behavior challenge includes (but not limited to):
Aggression in public
Aggression in your home
Reactivity while on leash
Resource guarding or food aggression
Fearful behaviors
Phobias
Obsessive behaviors
Anxiety or stress related behaviors
Sound sensitivity
Dogs with a bite history
OR
If SJC Staff specifically recommended this form
Basic Training Form
This is the appropriate form for basic training skills including (but not limited to):
Puppy socialization and training
New dog foundation training
Housetraining
Leash walking (not reactivity)
Sit, down, stay, come
Polite greetings
Leave it or drop it
Canine Good Citizen prep
Dog sports (rally, agility, scentwork)
Basic trouble shooting for skills
Or
If SJC Staff said this form specifically
STEP 2: Schedule your appointment
(if you didn’t do it immediately after submitting the form)
Tena is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and sees ALL of the dogs dealing with more serious fear, aggression, or reactivity issues, including dogs with bite histories to humans resulting in injuries. She also specializes in training for multiple dog sports–rally, obedience, scentwork, rat searching games, disc, and more.
Kelly, Coleman, and Katherine are all Certified Professional Dog Trainers who see puppy/adult basic training challenges, dog sports*, plus moderate level behavior issues like reactivity, resource guarding, etc. They do not see dogs with bite histories to humans resulting in injuries.
*Coleman (rally and scent) and Katherine (flyball and NASDA games)
