Services for Pet Owners: Behavior Consulting

After 25 years of focusing on providing individual consultations to pet owners, Drs. Hetts and Estep are moving into a new phase. Our focus will be creating information products for both pet parents and pet professionals to help prevent and resolve pet behavior problems. These are available through our companion sites www.HelpingFido.com and www.HelpingKitty.com, where you will find an ever increasing number of products that will help you with whatever pet behavior issue or question you have. If the subject you need isn’t available now, it may be soon, as we are continually adding to our product lines. If you’d like to be notified of new product updates, please provide your name and email in the form below. And if you’d like to make a suggestion for a much needed product, just go to our Most Burning Question page.

Yes, please notify me when new products that can help me understand and change my pet’s behavior become available. To say THANKS for your interest, after entering your name and email you'll be taken to a page where you'll find a FREE audio program  " 7 Separation Anxiety Myths" from us, Dr. Suzanne Hetts and Dr. Dan Estep.

Because we are deeply involved in the product creating process, Drs. Hetts and Estep will generally not be available for individual consultations with pet owners. We are still available to pet professionals for lectures, workshops and seminars, and to discuss general behavioral issues. We will also continue to engage in consultations with the legal profession for expert witness testimony and case analysis. And we will be developing distance learning (telecourses, webinars, webcasts) courses and classes for our professional education site www.BehaviorEducationNetwork.com

If you need help with your pet’s behavior problem, first consult with your veterinarian. The problem may have a medical cause. If your pet doesn’t have a medical problem, your veterinarian may be able to refer you to a competent behavioral professional who can help with the problem.

If you are in the Denver metro area, contact the resources below:

Ms. Christine Shedron, CPDT, Pup-e-ssori, pupessori@comcast.net
www.pupessori.com or (303)233-6520

Ms. Lori Holmberg, MA, ACAAB, CPDT, Animal Expressions, ( 303)400-0740 or (720)327-5335, lori_holmberg@hotmail.com

We have worked with both of these fine people and find them skilled at working with most behavior problems. However, we can’t guarantee they can solve your pet’s specific problem.

Below are links to Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists across the country who offer telephone consultations for pet behavior problems (listed in alphabetical order). You can learn more about these and other professionals at http://www.CertifiedAnimalBehaviorist.com/index.html

Debra Forthman, PhD, CAAB, dforthman@mypetsbehavior.com
www.mypetsbehavior.com
(678) 391-0326

Jill Goldman, Ph.D., CAAB, carletonplace@earthlink.net
Carleton’s Place: Animal Behavior Services
(949) 683-4886

Lori Holmberg, MA, ACAAB, CPDT, lori_holmberg@hotmail.com
Animal Expressions
( 303)400-0740 or (720)327-5335

Melissa Shyan-Norwalt, PhD, CAAB, mshyan@earthlink.net
Companion Animal Problem Solvers,Inc.
http://home.earthlink.net/~companion-animal-problem-solvers/
(317) 496-7502

Nancy Williams, MA, RVT, ACAAB, Nancy@DogsWithIssues.com
www.DogsWithIssues.com
 (410) 374-1556

To find a Colorado veterinarian with a special interest in animal behavior, go to the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association website www.colovma.org. Click on “Find a Veterinarian.” On that page click on “Click here for a more detailed search.” On that page go to “Medical Discipline,” scroll to “Animal Behavior,” highlight it, then click the search button. Note that not all the veterinarians listed offer individual consultations for pet behavior problems.

You should also know that the field of dog training and pet behavior consulting are not regulated by any government entity. Consequently, anyone can use any professional title they choose (however veterinarians can use the term “behavior specialist only if they are board certified). We strongly encourage you to read our article “ Guidelines for Choosing a Dog Trainer or Behavior Consultant” so you are better prepared to find the most qualified person to help you.