KEY FACTS
Overview:
A virtual clinic behaviour consultation allows us to make a preliminary assessment of your pet’s behaviour and to provide you with a remote behaviour modification plan. It is also an ideal learning environment for budding pet behaviourists. Our senior behaviourist will be supervising the consultation and providing advice, but an advanced student will be leading the consultation. Moreover, up to five other students will be quietly sitting in with us or virtually via Zoom. This service is particularly suited to cats and parrots, but it is also appropriate for some dog cases.
When: takes place monthly between 9am and 6pm (usually the last Saturday of each month)
Where: online
What you need to do to prepare:
□ Get your vet to complete the referral form through our web site, or ask them to post, email or fax it to us (for parrots please ask your avian vet);
□ Complete and return the questionnaire at least a week before your appointment;
□ Without putting your pet under any further stress and while ensuring your own and others’ safety, take a video recording, or any other form of recording (e.g. diary) of the behaviour;
□ Draw a house plan of your home and garden and take photos or do a ‘video tour’ of all the rooms your pet has access to;
□ Read the safety precautions below.
What we will do:
• We will make a preliminary assessment of your pet’s behaviour and provide you with some management strategies, as well as the essentials of a behaviour modification training plan (BMP).
• You will receive detailed information sheets relevant to your pet’s problems to work through by yourself and a dog training manual (if applicable), as well as a written report. The report may take up to a month to receive, because it is part of the student’s learning process.
• The student leading the consultation will be available for regular remote support through email for 3 months after your consultation. Please note this is subject to our fair use policy. This means that we are only contactable Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Moreover, if we feel that you are contacting us too frequently (e.g. more than three times a week) or calls last longer than 30 minutes, then we may suggest another face-to-face follow-up session, or we may have to charge for our time.
• We keep your vet informed of how you are getting on.
• Note all students have signed a strict confidentiality agreement. They will receive a copy of your pet’s veterinary referral and behaviour questionnaire.
Please note: Be aware that the clinic setting is not suitable for all individuals or problems. It does not allow us to make a thorough investigation of the behaviour, or provide a full, tailored behaviour modification treatment plan.
Safety for you and your pet:
• Any information regarding the pet’s health and/or existing medical conditions/treatment must be disclosed prior to any consultation, or training, or supply of equipment. Where relevant any health issues regarding you, the handler, should also be disclosed to avoid injury and other issues pertaining to the services/equipment supplied.
• Any information regarding behaviour issues in relation to your pet MUST be freely disclosed for example, fear, aggression, pet’s previous behaviour history etc. Failure to do so could cause serious harm to your pet, you the owner, your behaviourist, or other members of the public.
• If your pet is showing signs of ill health (such as vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing), or if you have a bitch in season, please advise your behaviourist as soon as possible in order to rearrange your appointment. This also applies to post-operative recovery periods. Your cancellation clause arrangement will of course apply in this case.
• All pets must be free from disease and up-to-date with worming, flea and tick treatment prior to consultation.
• Children, friends and family members are welcome to join in with consultations – this is at your own discretion. All involved must also comply with the Health and Safety recommendations advised herein and to take proper reasonable care during and after the consultation. We accept no liability for the health and safety of those you choose to involve.
• Children must always be supervised when around animals and you should take proper care to ensure that they do NOT attempt to replicate any training, or behavioural modification recommendations on your pet without proper, adult supervision. This applies in all cases, even if the children have been actively involved with behavioural consultations or training sessions with Second Nature Behaviour.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that your pet does not harm in the future. You may wish to consider taking out third party insurance for your pet.
• Second Nature Behaviour does not endorse the use of physical punitive correction. Our welfare and protection policy is that any health or welfare issues found to be of concern will be reported to the local government authority and RSPCA inspector, or local Police where appropriate. We also reserve the right to notify the appropriate authorities if our advice is repeatedly ignored and we believe there is a risk of harm to members of the public or of your household.
• In emergency situations for your animal, please call your vet straightaway.
How to get the best results: It is important for you to follow the behaviour modification plan (BMP) if any improvement is to be seen. However, the BMP is not always successful and success cannot be measured by results. The BMP may be modified as the animal’s behaviour develops. Each animal is different and it may take a long time, dependent upon individual needs of the animal and your own circumstances. Therefore, whilst we will do our very best to assess the animal’s behaviour and make recommendations, success is not guaranteed and we cannot be held responsible if the animal’s behaviour does not improve or change.
Cost and payment terms: The clinic fee is £150. Clinic bookings are secured by a full payment in advance, which can be paid over the phone or online. Clinic fees are non-refundable due to the resources that need to be organised for your pet for the day. Any follow-up appointments will be charged from £70/hour. If one of our behaviourists is not within 10 miles of you, then travel is charged at £1/mi return journey on top of the session’s fee.