How Much Does a Dog Behaviourist In Harrogate Cost?

One of the things I sometimes hear is how much people pay for behavioural support for their dogs, and how it seems expensive, (it obviously varies so this is about my pricing and input in and around Harrogate and Knaresborough).

I thought I’d go through a few of my recent cases and see on average how much time actually goes into a behaviour case (for the initial package) so you can see where your money goes.

It’s not me defending my pricing structure (doing this actually shocked me a little – maybe I need to put my prices up :0), it’s just a little bit of “for information” about what actually goes on behind the scenes when you work with an ethical, qualified behaviourist (for those who don’t know me, I hold an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare, am a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist – CCAB, and spend on average 100 hours a year on continuing profession development:0)

My initial behaviour package costs £375 and includes 4 hours of face-to-face time with the owner.

But when I actually add up the time involved, that equates to roughly 10–11 hours of my working time on average.

So, what does that look like?

🐾 Pre-consultation call – around 30 minutes
Before I even book someone in, I have a chat with them to make sure I’m the right person to help them, behaviour is a very personal thing so we both have to be happy that i am the right ‘fit’.

🐾 Case preparation – around 2.5–3 hours
Before I arrive at your house, I’ve read through the intake form, veterinary referral, medical history and all the information you’ve provided, made notes and mapped things out. I’m already starting to formulate hypotheses about what might be happening for your dog and what we may need to investigate.

🐾 Initial consultation – around 2 hours
This is the bit you actually see! 😂
We talk through the history, behaviour, environment, lifestyle, medical factors and what’s happening day-to-day, before starting to put a plan together and doing some initial training.

🐾 Report writing – around 1.5–2 hours
Then I go away, work through the differentials again to make sure I am following the ‘right path’ and write everything up. The aim is to send you something that is detailed enough to contain everything you need, but clear enough that you can actually follow it when you’re tired and your dog is doing the thing again. 😂

🐾 Follow-up sessions – 2 x around 1 hour
We then have two further face-to-face sessions to review progress, troubleshoot, make changes and continue building on the plan.

🐾 Follow-up reports + travel time
Because apparently I can’t teleport between Harrogate, Knaresborough and everywhere else I visit. 😉

🐾 WhatsApp support between sessions
And then there’s all the support that happens in between. Questions, updates, videos, “is this normal?”, “he’s just done this…” and the occasional “HELP!” message. 😂

So when you see a behaviour package that includes 4 hours of face-to-face contact, it’s worth remembering that those 4 hours are only the visible bit.

There are actually around 10–11 hours of work going into an individual case — and that’s before we even start talking about university, training, ongoing CPD, running a small business, etc etc.

So next time someone looks at the price of a qualified, ethical behaviourist and think “ooh, that’s a lot”…

…just have a little think about what’s happening behind the scenes. 😊

Struggling with your dog’s behaviour?

If you’re dealing with anxiety, barking, aggression, or just behaviour that’s leaving you scratching your head, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own, I’d love to see if I can help.

🐾 Find out more about behaviour support here

Because sometimes you don’t need more advice from Facebook… you need someone to look at your dog, your situation and the reasons behind the behaviour, and help you work out what to do next.