Behavioural
Consultations

You need a dog behaviourist when the quality of your daily life (and that of your dog) is reduced. This is when your dog can no longer behave like a ‘normal’ dog. For example, they cannot be alone, are excessively anxious and stressed, or show aggressive behaviour. It is important to look for help as early as possible, so that the problem can be prevented from getting worse. Anxiety problems are complex, and it is difficult to solve them without expert help. In some cases, the wrong approach can actually make the problem worse. And the longer you wait, the longer it often takes before the problem is solved.

One of the biggest problems is that the dog world is unregulated, so anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, behaviourist, coach or specialist. Most dog training courses are (part-time) courses of a few years, or even just a few weeks. In addition, there are many dog trainers and behavioural therapists who themselves train other therapists and provide them with ‘certification’. All those stamps look nice on the website, but unfortunately there is no independent control over the quality of the education or the knowledge of the therapists.

In the worst case, the behavioural therapist has no formal education at all but has had a problematic dog that they ‘cured’ themselves and now they want to help everyone else. Of course, these are nice stories, but it really doesn’t work like that. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to behavioural problems. Just as you would not send your child to someone who has cured her own child of depression, you should not do the same with your dog.

A good dog trainer is worth their weight in gold, and excellent for helping with puppy training, obedience training, agility training, and more. They are also good at teaching your dog not to pull on the lead and to come when you call them.

But can a dog trainer help you solve your dog’s fears?

That is the same as expecting your child’s school teacher to solve your child’s depression and anxiety. Is a teacher valuable and good at what he does? Yes, absolutely. But learning to read and write is a very different skill from treating a behavioural problem.

Fear and anxiety problems are complex and need a specialist approach. A behavioural therapist needs a lot of modern knowledge in the field of ethology (the study of animal behaviour), emotions, cognition, endocrine and stress physiology. So make sure that the behavioural therapist has received formal and recognised education and has sufficient knowledge. 

So how can I help you? I am an Associate Professor in animal welfare, and a specialist in the field of ethology (animal behaviour), animal emotions (including fear and anxiety, but also positive emotions) and phyiology. I have completed eight years of (full-time) scientific education at recognized universities. As a scientist with a PhD degree, I also lead scientific research in this field, so you will get updated knowledge directly from the source. I keep up to date with the latest scientific development and translate this for you, so that you can best help your dog.