Behaviour Support for your pet - where to start

Seeking behaviour support for your pet is vital when faced with emotional difficulties - in fact it is as important as any medical condition.  Prevention and early intervention is paramount to help behaviours escalating.  Please contact us if you have any concerns, and visit our individual advice pages for Dogs, Cats, Rabbits and Guinea Pigs.

Does your dog find vet visits stressful?

At Millennium Veterinary Practice, we understand that some dogs can find a visit to the vets a challenging experience. That’s why we’ve introduced Confidence Consults — specially designed sessions to help anxious or nervous dogs feel more relaxed, comfortable, and confident in a clinical setting.

Who are Confidence Consults for?

Confidence Consults are ideal for dogs who:

• Are young puppies just beginning to explore the world
• Have had a negative experience at the vet in the past
• Find being examined or handled stressful
• Display reactive behaviour when visiting the practice
• Are due for an upcoming procedure, such as vaccinations, nail clips, or neutering

These sessions are tailored to suit your dog’s individual needs, helping to create a positive and stress-free experience.

What to Expect

Each Confidence Consult includes a series of five structured, gentle sessions with one of our experienced veterinary nurses. Every dog is different, and we adapt the pace and content of the sessions accordingly.

We begin with low-pressure introductions, gradually building trust and familiarity with the practice environment, staff, and equipment. Over time, your dog can become more at ease with handling and routine procedures.

We recommend bringing your dog’s favourite treats, toy, or blanket to help make each visit as positive as possible — especially if they have any dietary sensitivities.

How Often Are the Sessions?

To begin with, we usually suggest weekly or fortnightly visits. As your dog’s confidence improves, sessions can be spaced out, and we’re happy to offer occasional top-up visits as needed throughout the year.

Additional Support

If your dog requires more in-depth behavioural support, we can recommend trusted local behaviourists and trainers. We also promote positive muzzle training and can guide you through the process, helping make it a calm and confidence-building experience for your dog.

Anxiety Management

For dogs who experience more significant stress, we’re happy to discuss appropriate supplements or medications to support their wellbeing.

Book a Confidence Consult

If you think your dog would benefit from this service, please get in touch.

Call us on 01376 325511
Email: reception@millenniumvets.co.uk
Visit us at Millennium Veterinary Practice

We’re here to support you and your dog — every step of the way.

Referral to a registered behaviourist

If we have recommended you seek further help for your pet's behaviour, which requires more than experienced trainer support, please follow the guidance below.

We only refer to practitioners registered under the Animal Behaviour and Training Council either directly or through an approved affiliated organisation, e.g. Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors. 

Behaviourist's are grouped under several different categories, e.g. Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine, Veterinary Behaviourist; Clinical Animal Behaviourist or Accredited Animal Behaviourist. All follow a strict code of conduct and require patients to be referred to them via veterinary referral.

A recent veterinary examination is needed to ensure your pet is clinically well.  For example if your pet has or is experiencing pain, this can affect their behaviour and will require treatment.  There are many other conditions that could affect your pet's behaviour - like us, their emotional health is closely related to their physical health and vice versa.

You can search the Animal Behaviour and Training Council for a registered practitioner, or contact the following local Clinical Animal Behaviourists below.  We recommend you make initial contact to briefly discuss your pet's needs, expectations, fees and how their service works / what it includes.  While these practitioners are not employees of our practice, we work closely with them.

Please refer to their websites for their services, which unless noted below cover all aspects of behaviour issues.

Note: Remote assessments / support from one of these Behaviourists, should be considered.  In fact it may be in the best interest of your pet, depending on their behavioural condition, to have this done remotely.  Usually the role of the behaviourist is to observe and not force interaction with the pet, therefore remote support can actually be preferable in some cases and can be conducted very successfully over a video call.  This can sometimes allow you to speed up the date of your assessment appointment and ongoing support.

There is no quick fix to behaviour issues and requires time and patience from the owner/s.  This is why prevention and early intervention as mentioned above is important.  It is also important to establish your expectations against the advice given by your behaviourist.  In many situations, where difficult behaviours are already established, we are looking at improvement of behaviour and enhancing your pet's emotional welfare.  It is not always possible to fully resolve difficult behaviour, but emphasis that with the right professional support / time and patience, you will see results.   Nutraceutical calming supplements, pheromone products and calming sprays can be useful in helping to support your pet.  In some cases behaviour medication is required, often in the short term to give your pet the 'head space' to allow behaviour and training progress.  Please follow the guidance of our vets in this situation as behavioural medication must be prescribed by a vet. 

 

Clinical Animal Behaviourist, local practitioners:

• Jane Williams, Essex - www.athenae.co.uk
• Dawn Turner, Essex - www.dawnturner4pets.co.uk
• Lauren Watts, Essex - www.dogmummindset.com (mainly separation anxiety cases)
• Debbie Emmerson, Essex - Pet Behaviour Clinic: petbehaviourclinic@writtle.ac.uk
• Debra Bryan, Positive Pet Behaviour - www.positivepetbehaviour.co.uk

Veterinary Specialists in Behavioural Medicine:

There are currently 10 Veterinary Surgeons in the UK who specialise in Behaviour.  Please visit the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon's website for a full list of these registered practitioners, click here.

 

Veterinary Behaviourist:

• Royal Veterinary College, Potters Bar: Animal Behaviour Department, click here.
• Behavioural Referrals, Chester: click here.
• Behavet, Devon: click here.
• Life on Four Legs, Hertfordshire: click here.

We recommend you check your pet's insurance policy for any available cover towards treatment of behaviour and referral to one of the above practitioners.

Please contact us if you are concerned in anyway about your pet's emotional health and behaviour.  Let's start a conversation and help you and your pet.