Common Behaviour Problems
Is your dog lunging on its lead?
Are they barking at visitors?
Growling at your children?
Are you worried and don't know what to do?
Danielle can help 🙂
Danielle is the only Clinical Animal behaviourist in North Manchester and is happy to help with even the most complex behaviour problems.
She has over 16 years experience of working with problem behaviours and specialises in aggression.
Contact us now to find out how Danielle can help make your life with your pet, easier.
Some examples of common behaviour problems seen by Danielle include:
Allowing your companion dogs and cats the ability to explore the outside world is a luxury for many and a joyful experience for their caregivers, as they are able to watch their companions walk, run and play. However, for those who are living with reactive individuals the idea of taking your dog for a walk or letting your cat out of the house is a thought filled with dread, as your pets appear to be ‘anti social’ towards other animals. This may include dog – dog aggression, dog – cat aggression, cat – cat aggression, livestock chasing etc. Danielle’s consultations will help you to learn how to manage and control your pets behaviour, allowing you to find a compromise that allows you both to experience the joys of the outside world.
As a previous owner of a reactive dog, Danielle is aware of the stress involved in what appears to be a simple exercise – taking the dog for a walk. The build up of anxiety, the anti social walking hours, the almost ninja senses scanning for other animals as you walk down the road whilst simultaneously taking mental notes of possible hiding places. She also understands the embarrassment and occasional resentment you may feel toward your beloved companion, as you experience the looks and stares from other people wondering ‘what is wrong with your dog’.
If this sounds familiar, Danielle will be very happy to help you to work with your dog to help them to cope in these stressful situations. She can offer guidance and useful techniques to reduce their reactivity whilst helping to give you back some peace of mind and control
Enjoying the company of one companion animal is amazing, so having more than one or a multi species household is even better….right?
For some maybe, for others living with the day to day hassles of separating their pets can be hard work. Trying to stop the dog fighting with the other dogs, or chasing the (enter species name here). Preventing the cats from blocking each others path to the toilet, food, bowls or outside whilst the lizards argue and injure themselves in the vivarium. These are just a few examples of the complications that can occur when more than one animal is living amongst another.
Through careful management and understanding, often these difficulties can be resolved or at least reduced through environmental enhancements or management. Danielle’s background in zoology and working with multiple species, whilst also living in a multi species household herself, will help you to find a solution that works best for your individual circumstance
There’s little in life more annoying than trying to have quite evening with a good book or in front of the tv, whilst your companion animal is exercising their vocal chords. The reasons behind this are many, which is why a consultation is required to work out the causes of these excessive vocalisations in order to treat the cause effectively. Often the initial causes for these behaviours may no longer apply and they have become a learnt way to gain attention or cope with some stressor within the environment. With time and patience Danielle can help you to understand these vocalisations and teach you how to manage and reduce them, with the aim of allowing you to regain some peace and quiet
Repetitive, compulsive and stereotypical behaviours are often associated with traditional style zoological collections and poor animal welfare. Although there is some truth to this, our companion animals can suffer with repetitive behaviours too. These can occur in the form of a dog chewing its paw and causing sever injuries or chasing ‘imaginary’ flies to lizards or tortoises constantly scratching on the walls of their enclosure. Repetitive behaviours are often a coping strategy for a stressor or conflicting emotions and may have an underlying medical condition. If your companion is suffering with a repetitive behaviour, please seek veterinary advice ASAP, as the sooner you can arrange a behaviour consultation the higher the chances of a good prognosis. Danielle understands how difficult it can be to see your companion in this situation and will work with you to help you take the best course of action for both yourself and your companion.[/
When your companion animal starts to display aggression towards you, your visitors or strangers, it’s often very disheartening and scary for all involved, particularly if a bite has occurred. This type of behaviour can leave a caregiver feeling highly stressed and frustrated, which can lead to a breakdown in the human animal bond. It is Danielle’s aim to help you to understand the reasons and motivations behind your pets behaviour, which will enable you to work together to manage the situation and prevent any miscommunications. These displays of aggression can often be reduced and/or resolved, depending on the context and severity of the behaviour, whilst rebuilding your relationship and the bond of trust that many caregivers require to have a healthy relationship with their companion
The image of a friendship developing between a child and their companion animal is one often revered by many families, which is evidenced by the large amount of companion animals that share our homes today. Although in many cases, the children and their companion animal do develop a trusting relationship, there are many that don’t. Often this leads to the animal displaying signs of aggression or reactivity towards the children, which may have developed silently over time then suddenly appear ‘out of the blue’. As a mother herself, Danielle has a passion for promoting safe interactions between children and their companion animals, regardless of species. She will take the time to help the whole family to understand why their companion animal is reacting the way they are and offer talk them through the options available to them to help improve the situation, taking into account everyones welfare
Many of our companion animals are chosen due to their social nature, which is especially true for our canine friends. Their ability to mix well in multi-species households and enjoy the company of other species is one of the many things we love about our four legged friends. However, their highly social nature comes at a cost….they need company and a social outlet. If they are left alone for long periods of time, and do not receive sufficient social interactions, separation related problems may occur.
Furthermore, not all separation related problems are due insufficient social interactions, some individuals may have never learnt how to cope with being alone, or they may be scared of noises inside or out of the house. They may get frustrated or even bored when their caregivers leave, which leads them to display unwanted behaviours including destructiveness, vocalisations, depression, indoor toileting, repetitive behaviours and even self harm through excessive chewing.
If you suspect your dog may have a separation related problem recording it can be extremely valuable as it will show you how your dog reacts when you leave. This will help Danielle to identify any signs of stress or frustration during the consultation, so she can devise a suitable treatment plan for you
We love our companion animals dearly, but when they toilet in our house our affection is often somewhat lacking. This is a common problem for a variety of species including dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises and lizards and well any animal that at some point is able to free roam within your house. Sometimes this is due to insufficient toilet training, and yes most species are able to be toilet trained, the rabbits Danielle kept as a child and her 15 year old Iguana Dexter are living proof of this. In this case Danielle can help you devise a training program to help you rectify this.
However, there are many reasons to why your companion is no longer toiling in the right area. This could be due to a medical condition, environmental stressor, emotional stressor, panic etc. Therefore, a behaviour consultation is needed in order to gather the information, which will help Danielle to determine the cause of your pets toileting and create a treatment plan to overcome the problem