You’ve selected the DVBP professional you want to work with and made payment. Next we need to learn about you and your animal in preparation for your initial consultation.

Please ensure that the following essential information is received by us a few days before your initial consultation:

1. Complete our online questionnaire on the page For Owners - Behaviour Treatment Plans.
2. Ask your vets to complete the online referral form on the page For Vets – Veterinary Referrals” on our website, they can also attach your animal’s clinical history and any test results or referral reports to this too, or if they would prefer, they can email the information to us on this email address: info@donovanvetbehaviour.com.
3. Please send up to 5 videos of your animal or any interactions, and a video tour/walkthrough of the animal’s house. For guidance on sending images and videos, please click here.

After making payment you will have received an email Order Receipt from no-reply@acuityscheduling.com. Please keep this email safe as it contains the 'Schedule' link and your unique payment code to make your appointment/s.

1. 1. Click the 'Schedule' link within your Order Receipt
   2. Click the 'Book' link on the appointment you want to book
   3. Select the date and time that suits you from the available options.

You'll receive a confirmation email from no-reply@acuityscheduling.com for your booking. Keep the email safe in case you need to reschedule.

Can't find your Order Receipt? Don't worry, please call us and we can resend the email or schedule the bookings over the phone.

If you purchased a Behavioural Beginnings or Comprehensive Care plan, we recommend you go ahead and book the remaining behaviour consultations and canine training sessions included within your plan.

Behavioural Beginnings & Comprehensive Care Options

We recommend you book all the behaviour consultations and canine training sessions straightaway, scheduling the behaviour consultations at least 4 – 6 weeks apart and booking a training session to follow on a week or two after each consultation. We recommend this to maximise the success of the behaviour modification plan. Our need for your weekly updates and our provision of additional support is provided as consultations (and training sessions) within our treatment plans  so we can support you through your treatment plan. Each consultation is there to support you as you work through the plan and is your time to discuss the plan, gain reassurance, maintain motivation and to clarify any points within the BMP so that we can make adjustments to suit your lifestyle and life changes as required. The consultations are not only to measure progress!

We advise that these should be booked 4-6 weeks apart (although they can be more frequent) and the full plan is normally achievable within a 3 month period for Behavioural Beginnings and a 6 month period for the Comprehensive Care option. By spacing the consultations out further you actually reduce the plan’s value and the likelihood of success and in fact, it could restrict progress. Regular updates mean we can help optimise the modification plan and achieve your short and long-term goals.

For example:

Behavioural Beginnings

Initial behaviour consultation (1 of 2)          Duration: 2 hours

Training Session - 1 hour (1 of 1)                  Duration: 1 hour

Final behaviour consultation (2 of 2)       Duration: 30 min

Comprehensive Care

Initial behaviour consultation (1 of 4)           Duration: 2 hours

Training Session - 1 hour (1 of 3)                   Duration: 1 hour

Second behaviour consultation (2 of 4)        Duration: 30 min

Training Session – 30 min (2 of 3)                 Duration: 30 min

Third behaviour consultation (3 of 4)            Duration: 30 min

Training Session - 30 min (3 of 3)                   Duration: 30 min

Final behaviour consultation (4 of 4)             Duration: 1 hour

When redeeming your code it will deduct appointments booked from the balance of your package. If there are no available slots to suit you, please call or email us at info@donovanvetbehaviour.com and we will try to accommodate you.

After making payment you will have received an email Order Receipt from no-reply@acuityscheduling.com. Please keep this email safe as it contains the 'Schedule' link and your unique payment code to make your appointment/s.

1. 1. Click the 'Schedule' link within your Order Receipt
   2. Click the 'Book' link on the appointment you want to book
   3. Select the date and time that suits you from the available options.

You'll receive a confirmation email from no-reply@acuityscheduling.com for each booking. Keep these safe in case you need to reschedule.

Can't find your Order Receipt? Don't worry, please call us and we can resend the email or schedule the bookings over the phone.

The DVBP professional you selected will send you a Zoom link on the morning of the consultation. Please make yourself comfortable with a drink, have pen and paper handy to take any notes and perhaps have treats ready for your animal. If necessary, any veterinary behaviour input for your animal will be discussed with one of our Veterinary Behaviourists.

Please note that consultations and sessions may be recorded. Although the recordings remain the sole property of Donovan Veterinary Behaviour Practice, they are useful for you to refer to what was discussed and suggested. It’s also great if a household member is unable to be present so your animal gets clear and consistent messages from the whole household.

Following your consultation, your behaviourist will email you a summary of what was discussed during your consultation and may also attach relevant guidance in the form of handouts. If you are on our Behavioural Beginnings or Comprehensive Care packages, the summary for your initial consultation will be your full report, including emotional diagnosis and any veterinary considerations or medication (if relevant). You will also receive a link to the consultation recording.

Following the consultation, your behaviourist will email you a summary of what was discussed during your consultation and may also attach relevant guidance in the form of handouts. The summary for your initial consultation will be your full report, including emotional diagnosis and any veterinary considerations or medication. You will also receive a link to the consultation recording. The time taken to prepare a report following the initial consultation varies depending on the case complexity and if any additional information is required. We ask you to allow 7 – 10 days for the full report to be received and the team will be in touch should there be any unscheduled delay.

1. Read through your report or summary and get in touch if you have any questions - it's important that everything makes sense to you!
2. Discuss any recommended medication with your vet as soon as possible.
3. Make a start on the short term changes.
   Some short-term changes we recommend can feel disconnected from the behaviour you initially sought our help to change. Often we need to make changes to their environment, routine and activities in order to help make them feel safer, calmer and more confident before we start to directly address the behaviour of concern. For example, for a separation-related issue, before we can start to teach them to be comfortable with being left on their own, we may need to put other changes in place first, such as providing them with a safe space, giving more appropriate mental stimulation and establishing a more predictable daily routine.
4. Keep notes/a brief diary and take videos to help track progress and to send to us as weekly updates.
5. Book any remaining consultations within your package (spaced 4-6 weeks apart to maintain momentum and ensure regular one-to-one contact with your behaviourist), and if applicable, book your canine training sessions in between.
   Please do ensure you keep your behaviourist updated weekly so that they can adjust the plan as needed to suit you and your animal and to ensure they provide you with quality one-to-one support.

Please send us weekly updates via email to info@donovanvetbehaviour.com and videos for review via Whatsapp 07877319545

What to include in your update:

• What your focus has been that week and how you and your animal are progressing with training.
• Highlight any wins and what's going well.
• Share if there's anything we could adjust in the plan to better suit you and your animal.
• A brief diary can help with collating the above information and is a great way to share your progress with your behaviourist as part of your weekly updates. Guidance and diary templates for you to download and customise are available.
• Any videos of training or to highlight any changes in your animal's behaviour.
• Any questions you might have.

Of course, we love to hear your successes, but it is really important that you also share with us anything that isn’t quite going to plan. If a technique we have suggested isn’t working for you or your animal, or you’re doubting if you’re doing it right, do tell us so we can help in a timely manner. Your behaviourist will endeavour to respond via email within 5 working days. Don’t leave it until the next consultation - we want to help you succeed at every step of the way!

Nothing to report? It may feel that way. At times, you can feel like there's been no change or that you’ve gone back a few steps, this is exactly when we need to hear from you. The updates are not there to pressure you or cause anxiety to reach a perceived stage. Keeping us informed means we can progress together as a team for your animal - you're not doing this on your own. Regular communication is key so together we can be proactive in maintaining a routine and keep up momentum. We know life can be demanding so we want to be with you to prevent possible roadblocks before they happen.

Too much to report? The DVBP staff are truly a wonderful and helpful team. It can be tempting to WhatsApp them with all your questions as they arise. To protect our staff and their time so they can offer you the best support, we ask that you collate your non-urgent queries or observations and send them as an update once a week. The working days vary for the team members so the DVBP admin team will prioritise your message and ensure the right team member receives your information when they are available.

We recommend booking the training sessions to follow on a week or two after each consultation. By then you’ll have had a chance to review the behaviour modification plan and identify where you’ll want training support if it’s new to you or if it’s a training aspect that is difficult. The training gives you the confidence to know you’re doing it right for your dog and suited to their pace - setting you both up to succeed! Everyone has different level of training experience and every dog is different too, so Giulia can tailor her guidance for you through while providing continuity with the plan. You’re welcome to feedback throughout especially if you want feedback on any aspect you’re working on between sessions too. Giulia loves to get progress updates!

The DVBP canine trainer will send you a Zoom link on the morning of the session. Please make yourself comfortable with a drink, have pen and paper handy to take any notes and perhaps have treats ready for your dog.

Please note that consultations and sessions may be recorded. Although the recordings remain the sole property of Donovan Veterinary Behaviour Practice, they are useful for you to refer to what was discussed and suggested. It’s also great if a household member is unable to be present so your animal gets clear and consistent messages from the whole household.

We know life doesn’t always go to plan. If you need to reschedule any of your consultations, use the ‘Change/Cancel Appointment’ link within the Appointment Confirmation email you received from no-reply@acuityscheduling.com for that booking. We appreciate it if you can give us as much notice as possible.

Are you rescheduling for the right reasons? At times, you can feel like there's been no change or that you’ve gone back a few steps, this is exactly when we need to hear from you. Regular communication is key so together we can be proactive in maintaining a routine and keep up momentum. We know life can be demanding so we want to be with you to prevent possible roadblocks before they happen. Spacing the consultations out further can actually reduce the plan’s value and the likelihood of success and in fact, it could restrict progress. Regular updates mean we can help optimise the modification plan and achieve your short and long-term goals. Keep in touch!

We advise on what we are aware of, including veterinary clinical notes, your behaviour history and the videos you send us. It is your duty as a responsible owner to ensure that we are kept informed of any incidents or significant developments prior to or between consultations. This is especially important when there is a risk of danger to your dog, people or other animals.

If you have an emergency with your animal, please contact the veterinary practice that your animal is registered with or their out of hours practice provider.