Dog Behaviourist cost

JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
A delicate subject...

Private messages welcome

I’ve had a conversation with hubby about booking sessions with the new dog trainer and the inevitable “how much will it cost?” question came up.

Hubby’s saying that Homer is just the way he is and that this man won’t be able to help any more that what I know already (thanks to all of you) I on the other hand had no sleep last night as Homer was up scratching.

Now I haven’t had a final price from this trainer, he’s Greek so a price is a suggestion and there’s an element of what can I do for you - paraphrasing the conversation. I’ve sent him an email to ask about price more directly, waiting for reply.

Prices across the country, i’m sure will vary along with the reputation of the behaviourist. So just would like to know general figures to compare.
 
Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
In Melbourne, the training prices depend on whether it's a private trainer, private club or not-for-profit club.

I'm part of a not-for-profit club so the fees are much lower (roughly $50-60 for the year, regardless of what we take part in). The private clubs are usually $500-$700 per 6-8 week course.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
I had two behavioural consultations with my dogs in the UK. The first was - um - "disappointing", so I won't name names. The second was really good but she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know; I pretty much knew that would be the case when I booked her; I was after a sanity check and some peace of mind more than anything. Both consults in the south east of England cost me around £200-£250 from memory, for a couple of hours. The first one I heard nothing more from afterwards. The second gave me a very thorough report after about a week, and the offer of some free "social" walks as she was local to where I was staying. I didn't take her up on that because I moved to Cornwall a couple of days later.

For me, the first was definitely not value for money. I didn't get on board with a lot of what he was saying. The second ... well, I think it would have been absolutely brilliant if I didn't know what I know. I would wholeheartedly recommend them (Dog Communication) to anyone. The value for money will depend on how much you already know, but that's true of anyone. For me, I found it very valuable to have someone say "this is perfectly normal" that Willow and Shadow wanted to kill Luna, and to be put at ease that it would all sort itself out in the wash, that I was going about it in the right way.

For extreme anxiety cases like Homer and Willow - hmm. I think if I were bringing in a behaviourist, it would need to be someone who specialised in that and who had been specialising in it for a very long time. I would say the same of real aggression; not the "my puppy is aggressive" just for being a puppy, or normal reactivity such as Shadow has, but if I had a truly aggressive dog, I'd only employ someone who specialised in that area, in the same way that I would choose a specialist for any specific medical condition. I know it would cost a butt-load more than a non-specialising behaviourist, but I think you have a high chance that they wouldn't be able to tell you anything you don't already know, seeing as how long you've been working on this.

What I would suggest that will work out cheaper is grabbing a gold spot the next time Amy Cook's noise sensitivity class runs on FDSA (Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - BH160: Sound Advice: Conquering Noise Sensitivity) - it starts 1st December and maybe contacting her about private online lessons: Private Lessons | Play Way Dogs
I loved her way of dealing with fear and it's made some real difference with Willow so far.
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
Here are his prices: One to one puppy and dog training Prices are about £70 per hour for a block of up to 6 hour sessions​
Behaviour rates are +-£100 per session with a minimum of 3 sessions plus initial assessment.
For London I think this is possibly reasonable for one to one in any field.
He’ll do training session prices for us.
Now to convince Hubby.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
To be honest, for London I'd say it's very, very cheap for behavioural consults and that would put me off. I'm not saying he's not any good of course but I would be questioning why he's so cheap. I'd rather pay more for someone I knew could give me what I needed. It's a lot of money if you don't get anything out of it.
 
M

MaccieD

The behavioural consults do seem on the cheaper side for London. People I know charge between £150 and £200 per session but depending upon qualification £250 would not be unusual in the London area. Training 121 sessions range from around £70 upwards and can vary depending upon whether booked as a 'one off' session or as a block of 3 or more.

What professional bodies does this trainer/behaviourist belong to? For serious noise issues/true aggression I would be looking at
full APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors) membership or Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB) or Animal Behaviour Training Council (ABTC) Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist. A good behaviourist will also ask for a vet referral for serious cases and will send a report to your vet following your session/s with details of their advice, behaviour modification programmes initiated etc.
 
Cath

Cath

MLF Sales Coordinator
Our vet has their own behaviourist it cost £250 for the first visit, 2 hours. Then you go every week to a trained nurse who works with the behaviourist, that last as long as you want/need it. You don't pay for that, so the £250 doesn't seem that bad.
 
Shamas mom

Shamas mom

Location
Canada
I'm in Ontario, CA and the behaviorist that I'm considering is $100 for the first session, and $50 per session thereafter. She's currently out East training dogs for a movie. The only thing is, I'm not sure she does home visits, and Shamas' problems are in the area.

I was quoted around $300 for an on-site assessment and multi- week training plan by someone else. Can't recall if it was a three or a six week plan. This was back when Shamas was aggressive to all dogs around here, and friendly at Petsmart. He's doing very well now. I'm holding the first trainer as a possibility-she runs growly dog programs and uses trained calming dogs and private sessions if need be. She also agreed with me in my refusal to apply a prong collar and a muzzle for fear aggression, as was suggested by one trainer.
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
Beanwood said:
@JES72, would your insurance cover an accredited clinical canine behaviourist? Just a thought.....
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not - that would be the case wouldn’t it. I need to change insurers today anyway as we’ve just got the renewal and it’s gone up again. . I’m not sure if a new policy would cover behaviour as it’s an existing condition.
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
Its a bit tricky putting a price on services.
I do some tutoring as a dyslexic specialist teacher alongside my full time teaching role. I found it so hard to put a price on it as It's my time but not my sole income that I need to make a living out of.
 
M

MaccieD

JES72 said:
Its a bit tricky putting a price on services.
I do some tutoring as a dyslexic specialist teacher alongside my full time teaching role. I found it so hard to put a price on it as It's my time but not my sole income that I need to make a living out of.
Click to expand...
But that doesn't mean you reduce your rate. For some people it may be their only income,so it's not really fair to offer a lower rate because you don't need the income as much and potentially deprive them of business. The rate for the 'job' is what others in an area are charging and being paid. Yes, it can vary upon location, qualifications and experience but people, in general, will only pay 'x' amount of money for services. If they consider it too expensive they go elsewhere.
I have potential clients who decide not to use my services because 'I'm too expensive'; my rates are the same as other trainers in the area and less than some. I know of one trainer who offers an hour of 121 training for £25 or 30 minutes for £15. We don't know how she can afford those prices and pay all her running costs.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
A low price can also make people believe the product you're offering isn't of a high standard, as I myself have inferred from the price you gave. We have this issue with the Ski School where I am in the winter. The hourly rate people pay is far less than most other resorts, far less even than the price of a lesson in an indoor centre in the UK. It's madness. On the one hand it makes it more accessible to more people, but on the other it can make people believe it's a lower value product that's being sold.
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
A few years ago I did some tutoring but charged less than half what I do now. I now have full dyslexia tutoring qualifications but had similar experience and knowledge then, but I didn’t put in the same amount of effort that I do now.

It’s the long term cost too. For the tutoring, it’s every week for the whole school year or more, which adds up to a lot per month or per year, shorter programs of a few hours either as a block or over a period of time one would be prepared to pay more for.

I’ll be coming to Andora for ski lessons. ?
 
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