Great question! Pets with significant behavioral-needs rarely see positive change in a “one-and-done” session or group class setting. They need their humans to understand how an individual pet communicates, something that takes time for us humans to learn. I’m here to help be a “translator” for your pet, offering insights into their body language, emotional states, and how to support them through behavioral and life changes. That’s a lot for you and your pet to learn, so we can do that together! Here are the steps in working toward behavior change:

Step 1: Scheduling

Within 1–3 business days of completing a Contact Form, you will receive an invitation to access your pet’s Fetch pet portal, following the sequence below to schedule your pet’s Initial Consult:

1. Upon accepting the portal invite, you will be asked to complete a comprehensive behavior history questionnaire for each pet you are seeking help for and to sign a waiver and release form.
2. Once these have been submitted, you will receive a link to schedule and prepay your pet’s Initial Consult within 1 business day.
3. Please contact your primary care veterinary clinic to request for medical records be sent to. info@derpypawsbehavior.com at least 3 days before your pets initial consult. A draft message of how best to request medical records can be sent to you upon request.

Step 2: Initial Consult

During the Initial Consult, I’ll ask additional questions about your pet’s behavior (+/- medical) history and your goals for life with your pet. A tour will be requested of the spaces your pet has access to throughout the home, as well as access to the outdoors. And I will offer initial recommendations, including ways to manage/reduce the current behaviors and preliminary behavior therapy training interventions.

Step 3: Behavior Training Sessions

Meaningful behavior change occurs over weeks and months, meaning your pet will likely need more than 1 additional training session to work toward your goals. Session packages are an option to help keep momentum going. Please refer to the Canine Services or Feline Services pages for package fees.

Step 4: Maintenance Sessions

Many pets benefit from periodic “maintenance” sessions- single sessions to assess stable behaviors or when a pet may only need 1-3 sessions to focus on a single target behavior.