# Questions to ask when searching for a Behaviourist? Edit - I've changed the title on this thread as I am now actively looking for a behaviourist... I've talked about dog reactiveness many times (mainly because I have such a prime example living in my house), but I was reminded yesterday of why Jazz takes melatonin before outings. We had a shiba meet… ## Thread In Behavior · started by ljowen123 · 15 replies - **Category:** [Behavior](https://nihonken.org/community/c/behavior) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T14:24:36.000Z Edit - I've changed the title on this thread as I am now actively looking for a behaviourist... I've talked about dog reactiveness many times (mainly because I have such a prime example living in my house), but I was reminded yesterday of why Jazz takes melatonin before outings. We had a shiba meetup at a local park yesterday. Normally I dose Jazz with 1mg of Melatonin before we do events like this, because she really doesn't like other dogs. Even with the dosing, we get grumbles and growls but Jazz seems to be more forgiving when she has been drugged. Yesterday, I completely forgot to dose her. Remembered right before we got to the park. I decided to continue on into the park in hopes that we'd not see much difference in drugged Jazz and not-drugged Jazz. Alas, I was wrong. She growled at anything with four legs yesterday. We had no real warning grumbles - it was out & out growling, teeth bared, I'm going to kill you if you try to sniff me again (cocker spaniel), and no relief. Most of the time, Jazz was in my arms because there were so many dogs around. I did a walk with her in the park before we got to the main area, which normally calms her down, but not this time. My lesson was to not forget the melatonin. It was also a reminder of what Jazz was like before discovering this forum and getting good suggestions to talk over with my vet. ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-11-24T15:22:06.000Z Not that it is feasible for all people, but have you considered enlisting the help of a certified behaviorist? My husband and I are considering traveling a few hours to Philly to meet with one for Hanzo, but I'm not sure yet. In my area, its really slim pickings and the behaviorist that came with high accolades from my very trusted vet was not a good decision for Kitsune at all when we needed answers from a fight he had. I want to trust someone that I've only spoken on the phone with, she's listed on CAAB's directory and I spoke with three references and a veterinary reference but I still hesitate. Its interesting the major difference of the melatonin, do you dose her on a daily basis or as needed basis? I think Pam is dosing Hachi on a daily basis for now, and hopes to lessen as time helps them connect. I know very little about the melatonin, but I'm doing some research on if it would help or hamper Hanzo's reactiveness in our immediate pack only. My vet is actually against it, he says we'd be going against his nature. I'm happy that you have some perspective with Jazz at the meet up, its unfortunate she was so reactive again. Do you think her interaction with Sally/Niko has helped her at all? Was she dosed during those play sessions? ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T15:28:47.000Z Jazz is dosed 1 mg on an as needed basis per my vet's recommendation - for thunderstorms, dog parks, and when there seems to be a lot of gun activity. She does receive 300 micrograms daily (at night) She is not dosed at all when playing with Sally (as the play usually occurs before her night dosing), but she is dosed when we go to Rachael's house. I will be looking at a behaviourist - I'm just wanting to find one that is good and hopefully somewhat local. ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T16:43:40.000Z I'm changing the title of my thread to Questions to ask when searching for a Behaviourist, since I am now going to begin the search. For those that have gone this route, what questions did you ask? ## Romi (admin) · 2008-11-24T16:58:01.000Z It would be helpful if you tell me what exactly it is you want to accomplish with Jazz? ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-11-24T17:03:30.000Z Not that it is all important, I ask which spitz type dog breeds they have worked with, in particular how many shibas and if they can give me their owner's # as a reference. I ask what their certification is (titles, degrees, practicum certs - do they belong to www.apdt.com) and how long they are in practice I ask what methods of behavioral modification and/or training, or schools of thought, they use and specifically what they intend to go through with my dog's case I ask if they've dealt with the issue I'm coming to them for and if I can have former clients with similar issues as a reference I ask what their experience is with rescue or damaged dogs I ask their expectations for the dog (and hope they ask the same of me) and time frame for behavioral assessment/work I (sometimes) ask what kind of animals they have, if they use them during training, and for a vet reference *best case scenario is getting a reference from someone you know with a similar dog breed and similar issue to resolve and a reference from your vet, but thats not always available... ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T17:15:57.000Z My goal with Jazz is to lessen her dog reactiveness. I would love to be able to take to a doggy daycare or to a friend's house without her reacting out of fear. I know she can do it and while she has come a long way, I feel that I could truly benefit from some professional help for her. ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T17:44:02.000Z I do have a referral from my friend who runs a rescue group and I thought I would check her out first, since she is one who helps to do home assessments for the rescue. Rona tells me that this behaviourist is familar with shibas, so we'll see when I go to question her on this part. ## TeamLaika · 2008-11-24T17:49:34.000Z There is a huge distinction between a behaviorist and a trainer. Check for someone qualified as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB)http://www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/page3.html OR someone boarded with the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (DACVB) http://dacvb.org/home/ Also read this http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/pdf/dogtrainer.pdf ## Romi (admin) · 2008-11-24T17:49:39.000Z Ok, what Jen posted are really good questions to ask. I would choose a behaviorist who uses positive reinforcement and uses re-direction techniques. I would also ask if they recommend any books for you to read. This will help you get a feel for what kind of training methods they like to use and who they look up to. Also, It would be nice if the behaviorist had a dog that you guys can train Jazz with. This dog would have to be very mellow and non-reactive. This way when they come for the home consult, you can use their dog as a tool in your training session. Basically see how close a dog can get before it passes Jazz's threshold and she becomes reactive. Training should begin WAY before she shows any signs of being uncomfortable. Each dog has their own threshold and each is different. If you start out on a walk and Jazz is super stoked and excited - that makes her start closer to her threshold rather than if she was calm and relaxed. So it's best to keep Jazz as comfortable and calm as possible before starting training, that way she will have more tolerance for things - much like how you use melationin to calm her down before you take her to meet a lot of new dogs. But this training will be used so that it will replace the use of melatonin - if that makes sense. I think professional help with really help Jazz - if you find the right behaviorist. I would highly recommend finding a behaviorist who uses clicker training. The "look" technique might really do some good for Jazz as well. Or even "go to your mat" - I think you mentioned you taught Jazz to go to her crate when the door bell rang - so it would be very similar, except you can take the mat anywhere and hopefully she will do it on command wherever you are. "Go to your Mat" is basically a calming technique - they will learn to associate going to the mat and being calm. ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T18:05:48.000Z I am most definitely looking for a behaviorist, not a trainer. The only times that Jazz gets super stoked is when I come home and when she's going to get a cheese treat. I did mention the door bell training (good memory, Romi). I will begin making some calls and doing some serious research. ## okiron · 2008-11-24T18:08:15.000Z LJ, did you ever explain to us how you went about doing the door bell training? I would love for us to do that but wouldn't know where to start. Hopefully you'll be able to find someone who could help Jazz and you :) ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-11-24T18:52:06.000Z Door bell training...it took some doing. It started with my niece ringing the bell, my nephew playing with Jazz in the living room, and me being in the bedroom (where her crate is). Niece would ring bell and I would call Jazz to her crate and treat with cheese (super high value to Jazz). We would do this for 10-15 minutes a day and treat/praise. After the second week, Jazz figured out that when Kodee went to go outside it meant a treat was at her crate, so we had to shift who was doing the bell ringing tp the niece next door. Once she caught on that it didn't matter who rang the bell, we were good on her going to the crate. We then began working on me not calling her and the bell ringing. To do that part, she started off in the bedroom on the bed and me throwing the treat in the crate when the bell rang. We would move her further out of the room until she was back in the living room. --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)