Canine History Questionnaire
 

1. Welcome to the Canine History Form

 
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Thank you for your interest in Collected Wisdom Animal Behavior Services! This form is to be filled out for those looking to have private one-on-one training (not for group class registration). You will be seen by an Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and all client information is kept strictly confidential.

We have years of experience treating a variety of behavior problems using scientifically based training techniques. We focus on setting clear guidelines for your home and encouraging the behaviors that that you want to see again. Some trainers focus on simply stopping or suppressing behavior, but as behaviorists we focus on changing the emotional response. This way your dog will learn how to relax instead of feeling anxious or aggressive, and will gain emotional control to behave in the way you need him or her to be.
It has taken most people 45-60 minutes to fill out this survey depending on what behavior problems you are seeing. You do not have to complete it all at once, you may finish it later as long as you use the same computer. Please take your time and answer the questions as honestly as you can. The only way I can develop a successful plan is if I have a complete picture of what life is like for your dog. Your answers are kept confidential.

With every interaction, your dog is learning from you how to behave based on how you respond. Most behavior “problems” are actually normal behaviors for a dog, but we do not find them appropriate. Your dog can not learn to act in a different way on their own. They need your intervention or the behavior will continue to worsen.
What to Expect:

The FIRST VISIT is a consultation intended to obtain a thorough history, identify the problem, assess the dog's behavior and design a treatment plan. We will address any immediate safety concerns and will give you management skills to get started. However, it is likely that your dog has been practicing inappropriate behavior for awhile. The longer those behaviors have been there the longer it will take to change them. Like programs for people such as losing weight or stopping smoking, it takes baby steps for long-term success. Cutting corners increases the chance for relapses later in the learning process. If you have aggression or anxiety issues, expect that it will take significant time to effectively change your dog’s behavior problems for the long-term.

FURTHER VISITS: If you are having mild behavior problems one or two sessions may be enough. For aggression or anxiety, successive sessions are needed to effectively change your dog’s behavior. We can guide your expectations so they are reasonable, but the goals will be defined by you. Since you live with your dog, we serve as your coach so you can continue to train them when we are not there.

Success depends on an unlimited number of variables; your commitment to changing the problem, the number of visits, how long the behavior has been occurring, your dog’s health, genetic predisposition, how severe the problem is, how consistent the household interactions are, the amount of time you have to commit to training, etc. There is no cure for aggression but you can modify the behavior so that it becomes easier to live with. Due to the large number of variables for behavior change and the wide spectrum that behavior falls within, there are no guarantees for the amount of behavior change or that the behavior will never been seen again. Animals are forever learning and changing their behavior as will you too in order to live with them.