Behavior Consulting

Does life with your dog feel chaotic, stressful and overwhelming?

Take a big, deep breath……I’m here to help.

In-person behavior consulting in the Sacramento area or anywhere in the USA via Zoom

Living with a dog with serious behavioral problems can be stressful, confusing and isolating.

Let’s work together to give you the knowledge, skills and confidence to restore peace, harmony, tranquility and contentment back into your lives by modifying or alleviating these concerning behaviors:

Dog to dog aggression

Dog to human aggression

Reactivity

Resource Guarding

Fear, anxiety or stress

Compulsive behaviors

Chaotic walks

Pushy, rowdy behaviors

Hyperactivity

Alone time problems

Escaping behaviors

Household destruction

Your dog’s behavior solutions are just a click (contact me!) away.

Step 1: Discovery Call

Let’s schedule your complementary 15 minute phone chat to discover what behavior challenges you and your dog are struggling with and then we’ll discuss how my behavior consulting program works.

Step 2: Initial Consultation

This thorough, 90 minute session is where we dive in and discover what is at the root of your dog’s troubling behavior.

You’ll learn how to prevent the behavior through management.

Then we’ll discuss the prognosis and I’ll make recommendations for the custom behavior plan that best suits your specific situation.

Step 3: Customized Behavior Program

Watch your dog’s behavior transform and feel the weight start to lift as we work together to implement change based on the initial plan.

Learn safety techniques and precautions
Learn how to acurately read your dog’s body language
Teach your dog foundation skills
Progress to advanced skills
Modify your management and behavior plan as needed to fine tune

Ready to find your solution?

Let’s get started!

Pricing for Private Behavior Consulting

90 Minute initial consultation………………………….. $300

Single, one-hour session…………………………………… $160

Package of 5 one-hour sessions……………………… $750

Package of 10 one-hour sessions…………………… $1475

Does positive dog training work for serious behavior problems?

Absolutely!

Many aggressive or reactive dog behavior problems stem from underlying fear, anxiety or stress.

When a dog is afraid, worried or nervous about another dog, person or anything else, they may display flight behaviors such as crouching, backing up, running away or hiding – commonly recognizable to the general public as fear.

But other dogs experiencing fear or worry may resort to fight behaviors instead. Fight behaviors such as growling, barking, lunging, snapping and biting function to make the scary or concerning thing go away.

In both cases, we’ll work to help your dog feel safe around that trigger.

While punishment methods may appear to work at the moment, they are simply inhibiting the dog from expressing how they actually feel about that scary or annoying thing, without helping them to feel better about it.

There are other causes of aggression such as predatory (stalk + chase) behavior, and with these dogs we work with the dog, not against him to gain natural controls and reduce his (and ultimately your!) frustration.

Many times, a dog simply hasn’t been taught the behaviors you’d prefer instead. This is where I come in – combining the art of training with science-based proven methods.

Positive reinforcement training doesn’t mean that a dog can live a life of anarchy and gets everything he wants, when he wants it.

Life as a family dog means learning the rules – that have been clearly, constantly and kindly taught. A dog with good manners ultimately gets more freedom, is happier, healthier and is a pleasure to live with!

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sessions will it take to resolve my dog’s behavior problems?

There are many factors that contribute to a dog’s behavior change success such as her state of health, genetics, early socialization, environment, learning history and motivators. At your initial behavior consulting session we will explore these and discuss a range realistic outcomes from my experience with similar cases and those time frames.

What training equipment do you use?

Depending on the needs of the situation, we will use equipment and management to keep everyone safe and comfortable including flat or martingale collars, harnesses, leashes, long lines, baby gates, tethers, muzzles, etc.

We will never use choke, prong, pinch or electronic collars, or use techniques that involve pain, fear or startle.

Does Canefida offer board and train services?

Over many years I have found that the best outcomes for dogs occur when their families learn how to create an environment in which the dog can be successful. So my specialty is helping pet parents learn how to succeed with their pets vs. sending them away.

What is your scheduling and cancellation policy?

In order to help you achieve the best results for your dog and to offer the best customer service to all of my clients I require at least 48 hour notice of any schedule changes.

What My Clients Say…

“Exceeded our goals!”

In January 2022 we rescued Geo, a scruffy little terrier with a mind of his own. We discovered Geo had some really bad habits like attacking anything that moved, birds, squirrels, other dogs and humans. Immediately I knew we needed help. By February Heidi came into our lives… Today (August) Geo is a totally different dog. There’s not a human he doesn’t want to meet and not a strange dog he doesn’t want to greet… We’ve come a long way and it all started with Heidi teaching us how to be a better dog-moms… There’s no such thing as a bad dog, but we humans need a lot of help in how to communicate with them in a good way. Thanks Heidi you exceeded our goals.

~Rhonda

When I started with Heidi, I had a 100 plus pound dog who pulled my shoulder out of the socket. He was afraid of the world, so he often went after things to attack it before it could attack him. After training with Heidi I can walk him with a harness, and nothing else. Her positive training technique have taken an afraid dog, and made him comfortable with the world. He is a happy dog now. She taught me how to speak dog.

~Annie

Heidi worked wonders on a dog that seemed on the spectrum. She was able to change him from being a dog who wouldn’t/couldn’t be near other people and dogs to a more confident dog who is discovering what it means to be social and the “goodest boy”.

~Victoria