When he receives your referral David will telephone to make an appointment to see you and your pet, often in your own home. The consultation will last from one to two hours and will cover all aspects of your pet’s problem. This will be followed by a written behaviour modification programme for you to implement. It is rare for there to be more than one visit, and unlimited follow-up telephone and email contact are included.

The total cost is £95 for consultations within a fifteen mile radius of his Carlisle base with an additional 45p per mile when travelling beyond that. As David is Full Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors your Pet Insurance may well cover this, but policies vary so please check with your insurance company.

There is widespread concern within the profession that unqualified people setting themselves up as an animal behaviourist may have serious consequences for pet welfare. In the light of that, in 2002, the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB), the United Kingdom’s leading professional society for the study of animal behaviour, set up a certification scheme for animal behaviourists after consultation with the British Psychological Society, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, the UK Registry of Canine Behaviourists, the International Society for Applied Ethology, the Companion Animal Behaviour Therapy Study Group, the Kennel Club and other organizations concerned with dog training.

The outcome is an independent Certification of the highest standard, administered by the Accreditation Committee of ASAB, as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist, and those certified are entitled to use the initials CCAB.

Certification constitutes recognition by ASAB that the behaviourist meets the educational, experiential and ethical standards required by the society and that by consulting with a CCAB clients can be assured that the behaviourist is suitably qualified, has experience of treating behaviour problems and adheres to a code of conduct.

Many organisations provide “qualifications” in dog training and behaviour through attending their own courses, or “accreditation” through paying a membership fee. The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour is the only independent organisation to demand evidence of academic education to degree level, at least three years applied experience and ongoing continued professional development.

During that time he trained dogs from seven stone German Shepherds to one-stone-wringing-wet Cocker Spaniels, including general-purpose police dogs (the ones with the teeth), drugs, weapons and cash detection, explosives search and firearms support dogs. He has competed in police dog trials and participated in police dog displays, and introduced breeding and puppy rearing programmes.

He was the first police dog instructor to be awarded Southampton University’s postgraduate diploma in companion animal behaviour counselling, with distinction, in 2002, and also the first to be accepted as a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, currently serving as Chair. He is certified as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist by the independent Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour and has a unique blend of practical experience and theoretical knowledge of canine behaviour.

Now retired from the police service, he takes behaviour cases and puppy-training classes only on veterinary referral. He has presented educational study days for the Companion Animal Behaviour Therapy Study Group and the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and has lectured at the Wood Green Animal Shelter, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and to BSc animal behaviour students at Myerscough College. His dog behaviour articles have appeared in publications as diverse as Woman’s Own, the Daily Telegraph and Your Dog magazine.

David appears as an expert legal witness in canine behaviour and advised the Scottish Parliamentary Cross Party Group for Animal Welfare on the negative implications of training dogs with the use of electric shock collars, on behalf of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He presented the APBC’s response to the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government consultations into the use of electronic training devices.

David’s particular interest is in inherited predatory motor patterns and the lengths to which pets will go to find a way to express them, usually despite their owners’ best efforts.

Problems can be complicated in their origins and any sudden onset of, or a sudden increase in, problem behaviour should be investigated by a veterinary surgeon. If you would like to consult David about your pet’s behaviour, please ask your veterinary surgeon for a referral .

But why should you know what makes a dog tick? Who taught you? Where did you learn? You don’t study it at school. There must be a secret to it…

For years dog trainers have tried to persuade us, the dog owning public, that there is something special about the ability to train dogs. They invoke some special method, mysticism or secret that makes them better than anyone else. Well, allow me to let you in to a secret: there are no “secrets”.

Scientists have conducted a tremendous amount of research into canine behaviour, and dog trainers have an accumulation of trial and error principles that have worked for them in the past, but the two rarely meet. The science is often hidden in obscure journals, and difficult to read. The trainers may have done it before, but don’t know why it works and what to do if it doesn’t.

I’ve combined twenty-six years of practical experience at the top levels of professional dog training with a post-graduate diploma, with distinction, in companion animal behaviour counselling from the University of Southampton, an internationally recognised centre of excellence for animal studies. I’m also independently certified as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Pet behaviour counselling is a growing service offered to owners with problem pets, and goes beyond the normal remit of trainers. It covers problems such as: separation distress, aggression; phobias; anxiety; in fact, almost anything considered to be a problem by the owner. If you have a pet with a problem behaviour that you would like improved, please continue to the pet behaviour referrals page.