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 can anticipate the following:

1. An email invitation to complete a detailed behavior and medical history questionnaire. This questionnaire takes 15-30 minutes to complete. You can start, stop, and return to the questionnaire as often as needed.
2. Upon completion of the questionnaire, you will receive a link to prepay and schedule your pet’s Initial Consult.
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.

Within 1-3 business days you will be emailed a written summary and an invitation to join your pet’s portal (Fetch). The portal will contain detailed instructions, video links, product links, and more.

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.