• about us
• services
• puppy school
• pet tips
• local info
• photos

Behavioural consultations

Wendy is a veterinary nurse and a dog trainer. She has been running puppy preschool classes for 9 years and has a passion for dog behaviour. Wendy will come to your home and discuss with your family the issues you are having with your dog. These could be minor or major behavioural issues or training advice. She will help you understand why your dog does what he does and help you to communicate to him in the correct way. In some cases your dog may need to see a vet to rule out a medical issue before a behavioural consultation and all cases must have had their annual check up.

The cost for this service is $150.00. This includes the first consultation and a follow up in 2 weeks.

Testimonials

I initially came to Hobson’s Bay Vet clinic distraught and at the end of my rope with Elvis, my 7 year old German Coolie cross. Ever since I was pregnant with my first child four and a half years prior Elvis had begun to loose his overly-friendly-to-other- dogs nature and became more and more aggressive towards other dogs. It had gotten to the point where we never let Elvis off the leash and every time I took him for a walk (every day) I would be extremely anxious. He would lunge and attack any other dog we walked past, fighting them if they were close. I’d constantly be crossing streets and telling people before we crossed paths, “my dog is not friendly to other dogs”. I had already decided that we shouldn’t have him anymore - he chases kids and barks when you play, my son was becoming more afraid of animals because of Elvis’ behaviour and I was worried something horrible would happen to my kids one day while we were walking.

The vet at the clinic made it clear to me that Elvis was healthy, seemed well behaved while we were there and that if we wanted to adopt him out, we shouldn’t have any problems because he’s quite a handsome guy. This already alleviated some of my worries. He also suggested I have Wendy, a dog trainer and vet nurse at the clinic, come around and see if she could help me with some of Elvis’ behavioural problems.

Wendy came around one day for a couple of hours. I can honestly say, these two hours were life-changing for me and for Elvis (and the whole family). Wendy not only taught me how to get Elvis back in my control she also gave me confidence to walk with him down the street again. Wendy was very good at demonstrating to me what we needed to do then watching to make sure I was comfortable doing it myself. Wendy also set the record straight on dog-keeping for me and corrected me on misinformation I thought was true. I thought Elvis had a terrible life and was bordering on a savage beast. Wendy explained that Elvis’ life was actually quite good, that he seemed happy to her, he was healthy and that he was not a savage beast, in fact he was a great listener, a good learner and very good with people. It completely changed my perspective on our dog and us as dog owners and allowed me to start enjoying Elvis again, not thinking of him as the poor animal that we needed to re-home.

All we needed were a few tips and it made the world of difference. We practiced all the techniques Wendy taught us and when she returned in two weeks, Elvis was like a new dog. We were able to walk him past dogs with him completely ignoring. He wasn’t pulling me while we were walking and most importantly, the walking experience for all of us had changed from an anxiety inducing experience to an enjoyable one. Elvis continues to progress and we have even been able to walk him with a friends dog on numerous occasions without any incidents. I’m not ready to let him off the leash with other dogs yet, but if we keep progressing, Elvis should be able to roam free one day soon.

Thanks everyone at Hobson’s Bay team especially Wendy!

Celene and her dog Elvis

Jasper was found wandering the streets in Tasmania and then flown here to join our family. At first he seemed as though he was a typical dog who just needed time and love to adjust to his new home. Unfortunately this was not the case. As time went by Jasper's anxieties seemed to get worse.

Everything that we tried had little or no effect. Going for a walk was a nightmare as Jasper was spooked by bikes, loud noises, joggers, the wind and that was the easy part of our walk. Jasper did not know how to walk on lead. It was full speed ahead or nothing. Then in came Wendy.... Wendy you are truly a gifted Aussie style dog whisperer. The techniques that you have shown us have made such a difference to Jasper's behaviour. Our walks these days are much better. Jasper is still not to keen on bikes but he is getting better and better everyday. I know that with time and consistency we will get Jasper into a well-balanced state. Wendy, you have a special talent that will have so many ‘Jaspers’ find a calmer and happier life and for that we thank you.

The McAdam Family

I am very grateful for Wendy's expertise and time. I got more out of two sessions with Wendy and her canine assistants than out of eight months of obedience school – so did my dog. Thanks for restoring my confidence in my dog and me!

Lisa and her dog Barry