I’ve just had a phone call from someone who was looking for help with her dog who is aggressive to her other dog.
She asked for advice on what she could do.
This isn’t unusual. Most weeks we’ll get several messages on Facebook and 2-3 phone calls asking for help.
Usually the problem has usually been going on for some time. There’s a load of research about how people make a decision to do something about a problem, which I won’t bore you with, however, one key point is that there is often a tipping point – some (often small) thing that makes the problem suddenly urgent.
Sending a message or picking up the phone seems a good idea – after all, you’re unhappy and you want help NOW.
I offered the lady from Liverpool the name of some good behaviourists I know that are more local to her. What I didn’t give her was any advice about her dog’s aggression problem.
There’s a few good reasons I don’t give advice over the phone or on Messenger (except for emergency “first aid” advice to keep people safe in cases of aggression):
– The problem you think it might be may be something else entirely. I need to spend time with you finding out a lot about the problem before I can be sure of my diagnosis
– There could be a number of different reasons for the problem. Giving advice without seeing the dog might make things worse rather than better which will make you even more unhappy
– There isn’t usually a simple answer to most problems. Any treatment solution that is going to work has to be possible for you to do within the constraints of your overall life and work and the time you have available to commit to doing something
– Adults learn best by seeing then doing. For most problems I need to be able at a minimum to see you and your dog and visiting in person means I can try out different things with your dog to make sure I find the quickest and easiest solution for you
– Monitoring progress is a vital part of any behaviour work, which is why our packages always include at least one additional visit where we check progress and make any tweaks necessary
– Giving advice over the phone (or internet) is unethical and risky
That’s why I don’t do it.
If you have a problem with your dog’s behaviour, please consider booking a House Visit or Consultation Call where I can give you the exact advice you need to solve your problem.
And then we’ll both be happy.
Keep training,
Carol