Activdogs is now Steven Symonds — Dog Behaviour & Training. A name that better reflects the work I do.
Activdogs is now Steven Symonds — Dog Behaviour & Training. A name that better reflects the work I do.
A Behaviour Consultation is the normal starting point when your dog’s behaviour is causing concern, affecting everyday life or creating a safety issue.
The purpose is not to force your dog through the problem on the day. It is to build a proper picture of the behaviour and give you a clear way forward.
In-home assessment · £195
90–120 minutes
Usually in your home.
Detailed written report
Normally sent within seven working days.
Simple starter Training Plan
A small number of practical exercises to begin, where appropriate.
Clear next-step recommendation
You are not automatically committed to further sessions.
Behaviour problems rarely make sense in isolation. I want to understand the history, the environment, your dog’s emotional state, previous learning, routine, arousal, relationships and anything else that may be contributing.
That gives us a more useful starting point than trying to suppress the visible behaviour or testing how much the dog will tolerate.
You will complete a behaviour questionnaire before the appointment. This gives me the background I need — your dog’s history, routine, health, previous training and the situations in which the behaviour occurs.
I read this before I arrive, so the consultation time can be used properly rather than starting from scratch.
The meeting is normally around 90–120 minutes and usually takes place in your home.
We will talk through the behaviour in detail and I will observe your dog in the environment they know. I will not deliberately recreate a bite risk, provoke a reaction or put your dog under unnecessary pressure simply to ‘see what happens’.
We look at the behaviour itself, but also at the wider picture: emotional state, learning history, environment, routine, arousal, relationships, breed tendencies and anything else that may be relevant.
I will write a detailed report, normally within seven working days. It will explain my assessment in plain language, set out immediate management where needed, and give you a clear recommendation for what happens next.
The next step is then a simple Training Plan to get started. This gives you a small number of practical foundation exercises, chosen to support the wider recommendations, so you have something useful to begin working on rather than simply waiting for the next appointment.
For some cases, the report, management changes and starter plan may be enough to begin making useful progress independently. For more complex behaviour, I may recommend Practical Behaviour Sessions so that we can work through the exercises together.
I will normally include a short starter Training Plan so that you have something constructive to begin practising straight away. This is deliberately not a complete behaviour-modification programme. It gives you a small number of useful foundation exercises — chosen to support the wider recommendations and to give us a common starting point if we do go on to work together.
In some cases, the most useful first step may be management, decompression or veterinary investigation rather than conventional training. The plan is therefore adapted to what the assessment shows.
• Review of your pre-consultation information.
• In-home Behaviour Consultation, normally 90–120 minutes.
• Behavioural assessment and formulation.
• Immediate management and safety recommendations where appropriate.
• A detailed written report.
• A simple starter Training Plan to help you begin, where appropriate.
• Clear recommendations for the next stage of work.
• Travel within my core service area.
Where an additional mileage charge applies, this will be shown before your booking is confirmed.
The consultation is the assessment stage. It does not include an unlimited programme of follow-up advice by email or a series of practical training sessions.
If you need help implementing the recommendations, that is what the Practical Behaviour Programme is for.
You are not expected to book further sessions simply because you have had a consultation.
Choose a date and time that works for you
Start by selecting one of the available dates below, then choose a suitable appointment time. Follow the next steps to complete your booking.