GENERAL INFORMATION
What is your approach to training?
“Coaching is a work of heart” is how I approach the pets and people I work with! While there are many approaches to training and behavior change, focusing on teaching a pet what to do is as crucial as knowing what you don’t want your pet to do. It’s often easier to promote those “to-do’s” with a better understanding of your pet’s natural behaviors by following the L.E.G.S. and “Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective (LIFE)”models.
The L.E.G.S. (Learning, Environment, Genetics, Self) model offers insight into your pet as a whole. A Family Dog Mediation approach expands your behavioral “tool kit” so you can better understand your dog for life, as well as future dogs who may join your family. (The L.E.G.S. model may be specifically geared toward dogs, but I apply the same concepts to kitties!)
The “LIFE” model is an ethical, modern, reward-based training approach that understands and highlights the natural behaviors of your pet while reducing negative interactions that can damage your relationship.
These models help me emphasize not just The Five Freedoms welfare of your pet, but your welfare as well. I understand personally how a pet’s behaviors can negatively impact your quality of life, and how little time and energy most pet parents have to work on their pet’s behaviors. I’ll focus less on precise physical skills or daily 15-minute training homework, and more on how to incorporate short, simple behavior patterns into your current routines with your pet. After all, most of us can only spare a few minutes here and there with our busy lifes!
What types of behaviors do you specialize in?
Lions, and tigers, and bears- oh, my! Well, the “lions, tigers, and bears” that our pets worry about. I help with a variety of fearful, anxious, and aggressive behaviors- from barking or biting to hyper or hiding. Click below for more information on the behaviors I can help with:
My pet has difficulty at the vet or groomer. Will you work directly with my vet or groomer?
Yes! Having worked in a Veterinary Behavior Speciality clinic for years, I appreciate the importance of collaborating with a pet’s entire care team. Each person- friend, family member, or pet professional that plays a substantial role in your pet’s life is part of your pet’s integral care team. Building out a comprehensive care team can be a crucial component of reaching goals- something I’m happy to help with!
What areas do you service virtually vs in-person?
Virtually: Anywhere! I’ve helped families throughout Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Dakotas- even Nebraska and Canada!
In-Person: Northwest to Southwest Metro, from Rogers to Shakopee and from Minnetonka to Minneapolis. (Additional travel fees may apply outside of these areas.)
What makes you different from other professionals?
While it may seem easy to call myself an “animal trainer”, I really consider myself a “people trainer”. When I entered the veterinary field in 2008, I had numerous misconceptions about how animals perceived and communicated with the world around them. As I’ve expanded my education, I find the best rewards come from better understanding the animals we share our lives with.
I believe that many behavior concerns are less about needing a “perfect recall” or “perfect stay”, and more about learning the individual animal’s wants, needs, and communication patterns. My strength is helping assess your pet’s preferences with you so that you have the tools to support yourselves for years to come.
Process with Derpy Paws
What sequence of events should we expect working with you?
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: Pre-Scheduling Requirements
After completing the Contact Form, I will reach out to confirm if I’m the most appropriate option for helping with your pet’s needs. If so, these 4 items are required to be completed and returned to Derpy Paws Behavior Consulting before you will receivea link to schedule your pet’s Initial Consult:
- A comprehensive behavior history form to complete,
- A services agreement to sign electronically,
- An invoice to prepay, and
- A draft message of how best to request medical records be shared with me by your pet’s veterinary clinic.
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. 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 pet’s 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.
How will you share your recommendations with us after appointments?
You will be sent a link to join your pet’s portal, called Fetch. This portal will be rich with information and resources- including the written summary from our Initial Consult and a “Road Map” for ongoing work together.
“Road Maps” are a way for us to gradually add to you and your pet’s behavioral toolkit. Within your pet’s portal and Road Map, you’ll have access to applicable handouts, homework, and various video and product resources. You can also upload pictures and videos in your portal to share with me!
My veterinarian recommended my pet be on behavioral medications. How will that impact our work together?
Another great question! “Big emotions” (acute and chronic stress) impact how your pet responds to his environment. If those emotions are “too big”, than some animals essentially “loose control” over their behaviors and/or can develop medical conditions. If that’s the case for your pet, and your vet has recommended behavioral medication, then I can work with you and your vet to help assess if the prescribed medications are having the intended positive effects. (Helpful quick read: Behavior Medication for Dogs: 9 Things You Should Know)
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a veterinarian, therefore I cannot diagnose, prescribe, or alter medications. Once your veterinarian has started your pet on behavior medication, I can help assess if your pet is showing reduced fear, anxiety, and aggression, and if your pet is learning more effectively throughout our sessions. I can relay this information to your veterinarian for them to continue offering medication recommendations.
I have more than one pet with behavior concerns. Will you still work with us?
Yes! There is an additional $175 fee per added pet. This accounts for the time reviewing each pet’s history.
No additional fees are added to packages or single sessions thereafter.
Do you offer night and weekend appointments?
Unfortunately I cannot offer nights or weekends at this time due to child care needs at home.
Policies
Do you offer guarantees for results?
As the old adage says: the only guarantees in life are death and taxes!
All animal behaviors, including human behaviors, are under a constant ebb and flow as part of a response to their environment, their learning experiences, and genetic makeup. Because of this, no guarantees should be made for behavioral outcomes.
Animals are sentient beings, with similar emotional and physical processes as humans. I believe in “listening” to what pets have to say throughout the behavior change process. I will work with you and your pet to help assess behavior change outcomes that could work for human and pet alike.
What are your reschedule and cancellation policies?
Understanding life can be unpredictable, Derpy Paws Behavior Consulting offers some flexibility reschedule and cancellation policies.
PLEASE NOTE: Payment for services is due in advance at the time of booking.
Initial Consults may be rescheduled up to 2 times with at least a 3-day notice. The Initial Consult must be held by the third rescheduled date or the service fee will be forfeited. Ex: if the Initial Consult was originally scheduled on 5/1, then rescheduled to 5/22, then rescheduled again to 6/3, the Initial Consult would have to proceed on 6/3 or the service fee would be forfeited.
Initial Consults can be cancelled with at least a 5-day notice. This provides time for other families to fill your spot. Initial Consults that are cancelled with less than 5-days notice may be forfeited.
Sessions (Individual or Package sessions) may be rescheduled up to 2 times with at least a 24-hour notice. If rescheduling with less than a 24-hour notice, the session fee wll be deemed forfeited. In the case of a package, the forfeited session will count against the package.
Sessions (Individual or Package sessions) may be cancelled with at least a 48-hour notice or the session fee will be forfeited. In the case of a package, the forfeited session will count against the package.
I’d like you to see my pet’s behavior in person. Why are your Initial Consults held virtually?
Initial Consults are typically held virtually so that I can assess your pet’s behaviors in her “natural” environment- what’s the layout of your home, how does your pet move within your home, where are valuable resources like food dishes, beds, access to outside, and how your pet interacts with you when no guests are around.
This offers me a general “baseline” of your pet’s overall emotional state and an opportunity to troubleshoot behavior and safety management recommendations with you before I’d ever enter your home. And since many fearful, anxious and/or aggression pets tend to dislike guests in the home, we’ll be able to establish some foundational behavior patterns with you before I’d meet them in person.
Once I get to know you and your pet better, we may be able to work in person at your home or at your pet’s veterinary clinic.
What type of tools and equipment might we use for training?
In general, I recommend an appropriately fitted body harness, head harness, and/or martingale neck collars. I also recommend the use of 3/4 or 1/2 inch wide flat leashes (leather, biothane, or nylon) in a 6- or 8-foot length (based on your pet’s needs). Treat pouches are highly recommended, stocked with a variety of super tasty pea-sized foods.
As a member of American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, I adhere to their Position Statements against the use of aversive tools like prong, choke, underground electronic fences, or shock/electronic collars due to the adverse effects these tools have on animals and the human-animal bond. I also recommend against retractable leashes due to risk of injury or breakage. If these tools are currently in use with your pet, we can work together to find alternative tools for your pet.
It’s been 4 months since we last reached out to you- can you still help us?
Yes! And, to help you as best as possible, a second Consult appointment and fee may be recommended.
So much can change in a pet’s life within a month, let alone several months, that I will have a lot to catch up on to ensure I’m offering the most appropriate advice.
Behavior Info
Why the focus on using food for training? Are there other ways to reward behavior?
Food is a strong motivator for behavior- we humans have oodles of foods we use as rewards for our own hard work! How food is used is what’s important- making food either rewarding or aversive. The type, size, where offered (from a hand vs on the ground vs other), when, and how frequently (at first!) are vital components in helping strengthen or weaken a behavior.
Even so, some animals may prefer other types of rewards: toys, play, access to a preferred or “safe” location, praise, and some even love petting or scratches! I’ll work with you to help assess what rewards your pet prefers and how to utilize those to your advantage.
Will the behavior change we work on be permanent?
It depends! Some pets learn a new behavior pattern and continue that pattern for life (think of a cat hearing a food can opening). Other behavior patterns might require some life-long reinforcing (think maintaining an awesome recall with your dog).
Each human-pet duo is unique. Some pets may “work for less” with one of their trusted humans, but may “only work” for food or toy rewards from the other human in their family. If that dynamic is ok for you, then that’s ok and it doesn’t need to change. If you’d like help assessing if or how to change that dynamic, let’s see what we can do together!
How long will it take to see behavior changes in my pet?
Sometimes behavior changes are seen within a matter of days! Every pet, family, and behavior pattern is different. Some behaviors may improve dramatically through management interventions and a few easy changes to your daily or weekly life.
Other behaviors, especially those rooted in significant fear or anxiety or that have been “practiced” for years may take longer to change. In these cases, partnering with a Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist or your primary care veterinarian may be most appropriate.
What if my pet doesn’t respond to training?
We’ll assess what “success” may look like together. I find that the better we understand our pet’s problematic behaviors, better support their natural behaviors, and expand your behavioral “tool kit”, the more likely the initial goals for you and your pet may change. I’m happy to help navigate those changes with you!