I am Denise Nuttall, a dog behaviourist with 17 years professional practice. I work on vet referral and if you have pet insurance that covers behaviour therapy, you will very likely be able to reclaim my fees minus your excess.
During an initial free telephone consultation I like to discuss the behaviour problem with you initially so that I can give you a reasonable idea of what to expect. This enables you to get to know me and for me to get to understand the nature of the problem you need help with. If we agree a behaviour consultation then I will ask you to ask your vet to complete a vet referral form and ask you to complete a pre consultation questionnaire before making an appointment to see you. With Covid 19 restrictions, this will be conducted using zoom, an online system. I can coach you via zoom and this is a method I have used for several years to great effect.
Vet Referral
As a registered dog behaviourist, I must work on veterinary referral so it is a requirement that I have this before I can make an appointment with you. This ensures that your dog is healthy and that the reason for the problem behaviour is not likely to be medically related. It will also enable me to review any relevant medical history which might be contributing to the behaviour problem.
Pre Consultation Questionnaire
I will ask you to complete a pre consultation questionnaire before I can make an appointment to see you. I have made appointments and clients have not returned these details. This has resulted in cancelled appointments. This, in turn, prevents others from being able to have a consultation. I cannot see a client without a history and a clear understanding of what the behaviour problem is. Without the vet referral and completed pre consultation questionnaire it will not be possible to make an appointment to see you.
The Consultation
Once I have received the vet referral form and the completed pre consultation questionnaire, I will contact you to make an appointment. The appointment is likely to last about two hours if I visit you, or 1.5 hours via zoom. However, with zoom consultations I will ask to see videos of your dog to aid the behavioural diagnosis.
For more information about dog behaviour consultation including prices, please see Dog Behaviourist Services
Due to running classes, I will only be able to physically see clients based very locally to Ferndown due to heavy traffic in the area. In most cases, Zoom consultations are appropriate and this would be discussed during the telephone call. Zoom consultations are also cheaper as I do not have to take into account travel time.
