As a member of the APBC, all behaviour cases are seen upon veterinary referral only. This is to ensure that all avenues have been covered and your pet gets the very best, and most appropriate treatment. Please read the veterinarian statement which explains why this is so important.

If you think your pet needs a consultation, please download a referral form (PDF). Print one out and take it to your regular veterinarian for completion. This takes only a few minutes. Many vets will already have a referral form in their practice or will prefer to write a personal referral letter or telephone our office themselves to give a verbal referral. Any of these options are fine and lets us know that the referral is formal. 

 

NOTE: If no telephone or written referral has been received at the time of your consultation it will not be possible for you to be seen.

Vets: If you would like to receive a supply of referral slips for use by your clients, please e-mail your postal address to info@petbehaviourcentre.com using REFERRAL SLIPS in the subject box.

 

What To Expect

To make an accurate assessment of the problem, a full history will be taken of your pet's routines and the development of the problem. This consult may involve your family members.

 

 Clinic or Home Visit?

When deciding whether to opt for a clinic or a home visit, do remember that it will not normally be necessary for the practitioner to actually see the behaviour being performed to understand the problem.

 

If you own several large dogs or dogs that cannot safely be in a room together then please consider a home visit since it is more practical and safe to consult away from the clinic.

 

I recommend that cat consults also occur within the home environment whenever possible.  

 

Home Visits

If you do feel that you prefer a home visit, these are restricted to areas in which we have clinics and it might be necessary to wait for an appointment. It is often quicker to be seen at one of the clinics but please call to discuss possible appointments.

Home visits cost substantially more than clinic consultations due to the travelling time/cost involved and necessary reduction of clinic appointments to accommodate home visit appointments.

Benefits of a home visit include the fact that you and and your pet will be more relaxed in your own surroundings. The time schedule may be slightly longer to accommodate demos or visits to locations. This can be a practical solution as training can be demonstrated and it is an easier way to see multiple animals interacting with one another.

 

Clinic Consultations

The clinic consultation lasts for one to one and a half hours. The practitioner will go through the history of the problem with you, explain why the behaviour is occurring and devise and advise on a programme to modify your pet's behaviour. You will be advised about any equipment which may aid your progress.

 

The appropriate behaviour-modification programme will be discussed with you. A full written report will be provided and sent to both you and your referring veterinary surgeon.

 

Telephone or e-mail support will be available after your consultation, at no extra cost. However, it will be up to you, the client, to make contact. If required, additional follow-up sessions can easily be arranged to support your progress. 

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Regional clinics attended by Claire Arrowsmith include Lichfield, Leicester, Hereford, Northampton, Cambridge, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham. Consultations at the Cambridge clinic (held at the Queens Veterinary School, University of Cambridge) need to be made directly by your veterinary surgeon.

Occasionally Claire will have a student, such as someone studying pet behaviour at Degree level, a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse, sitting in to observe consultations.

 

It is useful to take some notes during the consultation, and you will receive a report outlining the advice given about 10 days after the consultation.

 

CONSULTATION COSTS

You will be given a quote when you call to make your appointment.

Initial Behavioural Assessment Home Visit & Report apprx  £180.00
Clinic Consult (Northern Clinics)    £95.00
Cambridge Vet Clinic    Vet School's own fee schedule
Hereford Clinic   £120.00
(Many Pet Insurance policies will cover fees for behavioural referrals so check your policy.)

Important Information

Please Be Aware. There are many people out there calling themselves behaviourists who have very little knowledge about the subject. Unfortunately, it is still an unregulated profession. If you seek help from a member of the APBC, or at least ask your vet to refer you to a specialist in your area, you can be sure that you are getting the best, most up to date help available. Be wary of people telling you they have "owned dogs for 25 years" but who are vague on their credentials; after all you wouldn't allow someone to cut and style your hair just because they had been growing and brushing their own hair all their life! You would expect them to have attended training and become qualified as a hairdresser before you parted with your hard earned cash or risked your hair. Your pet's welfare is arguably much more important than a disasterous hairstyle, and the results could be more tragic so please take the time to make sure that the person helping you is right for the job. Time and time again I see clients who are having to rectify the damage done by a harsh, unskilled 'specialist'

 

Booking
At the time of booking you will be asked to pay a deposit of £30 to secure your appointment. This is to ensure that waiting times for appointments are kept as short as possible by making sure all available appointments are used rather than being subject to notified or un-notified cancellations. The deposit is non-refundable but is deducted from the total fee at the time of consultation.

 

Making Progress
The behaviour modification programme advised upon may produce results very quickly, but often it will take time, effort and a commitment by all of the family to work at it to produce the improved behaviour. Please be prepared for this to be the case and remember that the animal's current behaviour problems may themselves have developed over a long period of time. Following your consultation we are available for on-going e-mail or telephone advice to ensure that all is going according to plan.

 

Booking an appointment (normal office hours):

 Birmingham | Cambridge |Defford | Derby | Lichfield | Leicester | Northampton Nottingham | Swindon | Wolverhampton|