Liz, RVN, BSc (Hons), MSc (CAB), ATI-APDT, FABC

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Liz has a wealth of knowledge in canine behaviour. In addition to her Masters degree in Clinical Animal Behaviour (University of Lincoln), Liz is a Registered Veterinary Nurse and graduated from the College of West Anglia with a Bachelors of Science in Veterinary Nursing with Applied Animal Behaviour. Liz is passionate about Professional Development and is currently completing CCAB (Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist) certification.

An experienced Dog Trainer, Liz is certified by both Absolute Dogs (Pro Dog Trainer) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) as a qualified Animal Training Instructor and she loves to share practical training advice with her clients.

Although Liz loves to consult on a huge range of Behaviour struggles, she has a keen interest in noise sensitivity, which is something she has worked on extensively with her own dog, Bailey. Bailey is a 9-year-old Jack Russell Terrier x English Springer Spaniel whose noise triggers used to include everything from thunder through to jet engines. Through tackling Bailey’s noise triggers one-by-one, Liz has successfully improved Bailey’s noise sensitivity, and she loves to share her methods with clients. Through owning Bailey, Liz has developed a passion for terriers: “I will always have a special interest in anything terrier in terms of behaviour. Having owned a terrier for almost a decade now, I really understand what makes them tick. I love all their quirks and think they are amazing. I am always on the lookout for new workshops to try with Bailey - having most recently entered the world of scent work. Bailey mostly enjoys learning tricks. She loves to show off her new skills to anyone she meets! Her most impressive skill to date is emptying a washing machine and bringing the clothes in a basket to be hung up!”

Separation anxiety is also a special interest area for Liz, and she has recently celebrated a fantastic win with a client here at Behavet: “I was working with an older rescue dog who was in his third home and showing signs of separation-related behaviours. He couldn’t be apart from the owner for any length of time. He was also reactive to other dogs on walks no matter how far away they were. After helping the owner implement their bespoke behaviour plan over 5 months, the owner is now able to leave the dog home alone for three (calm and settled) hours and they are even back enjoying walks together, having happy and positive interactions with other dogs that they meet”.

Liz is also one of our resident cat behaviour specialists, having been drawn to working with cats by her own ginger male cat, Frank! 

With Behavet, Liz has worked on feline cases involving aggression when handled (at home and at the vets) as well as cats redirecting onto owners and inappropriate play with their owners too.

Liz is passionate about cat behaviour and says: "Cats have a lot of natural behaviour that they have to fulfill - hunting, play, exploration, grooming. These behaviours can commonly be seen emerging in ways which are not appropriate within the home (hunting feet when passing, rough play, destruction and over grooming etc). Cats are highly intelligent creatures, and respond very well to training. I have found with my own cat, making small adjustments to his life has made living with a cat much easier and now enjoyable. It can be really difficult to know where to start, so seeking bespoke behaviour advice is a really positive step in the right direction."

Dr. Anita, BVSc, MVS, CertVC, Dip CABT

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Anita is a highly experienced Veterinarian, Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Dog trainer. Having completed both a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (University of Queensland) and Master of Veterinary Studies (Murdoch University), Anita has since also completed additional qualifications including Advanced Practitioner of Small Animal Cardiology and the Diploma of Companion Animal Behaviour (COAPE).

Anita has always had a passion for canine behaviour and has supplemented her studies and her work in-practice with professional dog training qualifications: Anita is certified by Absolute Dogs as a Pro Dog Trainer.

Having worked with the Behavet team for a number of years, Anita has had the chance to consult on a wide range of Behaviour struggles. For Anita, the best part of her Behaviour work is “the complicated behaviour cases that also include an element of health/medical struggles.  It's like putting all the pieces of a puzzle together, each playing an important role, to get the result.” Anita also has a real passion for helping owners with struggles arising from multi-dog households. Having three dogs herself, Betty, Pickle and Billie Jean, she has a huge wealth of knowledge to share with her clients, and she loves the challenge of tweaking games and creating new ones, to find a solution that works for each individual dog and each situation.

Anita has had huge success working with hundreds of clients and their dogs. A recent ‘win’ that Anita has had at Behavet was helping the owners of a 2.5 year-old female Spaniel who had become extremely aggressive towards the owner following her first season.  By correcting an on-going hormone imbalance that had not been considered by multiple trainers and behaviourists, Anita and the owners were able to help the dog to revert back to her previous happy and affectionate self – all in only 6 weeks.

When she isn’t consulting with Behavet, Anita spends her time with her multi-breed canine family – Betty (English Bulldog), Pickle (mixed breed, maybe JRT x Dachshund) and Billie Jean (English Bulldog). Each of Anita’s dogs were rescued by Anita, and each of them have had their own struggles to overcome. Through owning her wonderful dogs, Anita has had first-hand experience of living with behaviour struggles such as dog-dog reactivity, high arousal and vocalising, and her continued transformation of these struggles through games-based training is testament to her skills and knowledge – which she is passionate about sharing with her clients!

Dr. Bea, BVetMed, MRCVS, GPCert (Cardio)

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

As well as having a love for dogs (owning five of her own!), Dr. Bea is an experienced Veterinarian.

Bea’s Veterinary journey began at the Royal Veterinary College, where she gained her Bachelors of Veterinary Medicine (RVC London) in 2017. Later, Bea continued to strengthen her practical education and achieved her General Practitioner Certification in Cardiology (Improve International).

In addition to being an experienced Veterinarian, Bea is passionate about reward-based dog training and has completed a number of demanding professional dog training courses, such as Pro Dog Trainer and Pro Dog Trainer (Geek Level) with Absolute Dogs.

Although Bea loves to consult on a huge range of Behaviour struggles, she describes reactivity cases as some of her favourite to consult on: “The best thing for me is giving owners and their reactive dogs the confidence to go out into the world and enjoy their journey together (even if that journey has been bumpier than they expected when they got a dog in the first place!) I understand how lonely and difficult it can be to begin with owning a reactive dog but I think the relationship between a reactive dog and their owner can be so special. I want to be a part of helping owners unlock the relationship that I know they can have with their dogs.”

Bea is able to share practical knowledge of multi-dog management as she has a wealth of knowledge managing her own multi-breed furry family! Bea has five dogs: Bailey the Labrador, Finn the Springer Spaniel, Goose the Bedlington Whippet, Lyra the Wirehaired Vizsla cross and Tali the deerhound. Bea’s dogs have given her ample opportunity to refine her training techniques: “Lyra was growling at people and dogs from when we got her home at 8 weeks old, she couldn't cope with any of the things people do with 'normal' puppies. Through implementing a robust training plan, she's gone from strength to strength and my relationship with her is now so powerful. Last year we managed to do things together that I never thought would be possible; she came to a country show with me, Badminton horse trials, Absolute Dogs film days and agility shows. I couldn't be prouder of her”.

When she isn’t consulting with Behavet, Bea loves to spend time with her dogs doing scent work, agility and trick training. She also loves to spend down time with her dogs, factoring pub lunches into weekend walks!

Dr. Tom, BVSc, BSc, MRCVS 

Behavet Founder and Clinical Director, and Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Tom Mitchell is a best-selling author, a Veterinarian,, a world-renowned concept trainer and Clinical Animal Behaviourist and the founder of Behavet a decade ago! Tom’s innovative behaviour knowledge and teaching is followed by millions of people worldwide.

Tom is on a mission to bring an understanding of canine Behaviour to as many owners as possible. As part of this, he dedicates a large portion of his time coaching Veterinary and Dog Training professionals on the science of dog behaviour and how games and reward-based training can reshape our dogs’ brains even in the most challenging of struggles. Tom offers a number of CPD opportunities through Behavet.

For Tom, the best part about coaching owners is: “delivering results where results might have seemed impossible before. There’s no better feeling than the team working with owners that have been told repeatedly that there is no hope and them going on to achieve that dream that made them get a dog in the first place!”

Tom’s own canine family is truly multi-breed! Tom trains his Standard Poodles, working Cocker Spaniel, Border Collies and Miniature Dachshunds to assist with teaching demonstrations and he loves to spend time with them exploring Dartmoor where he lives. “The skills that our dogs have learned is testament to the fact that games-based training methods are applicable to any breed of dog – no matter the size or starting point.”

Although Tom thrives on transforming Behaviour struggles in all areas, he especially loves to work alongside the growing Behavet team, overseeing and troubleshooting all the cases that the team see each and every month. 

Tom has recently also founded a new teaching programme named 'Help! My Dog' - aimed at equipping owners with scientific behaviour learning to help them to learn more about the root causes of their dogs' behaviour struggles and how they can work to transform them at home. 

Dr. Zoe, BVSc, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

A caring and enthusiastic Veterinarian, Dr. Zoe has a wealth of knowledge through both her Veterinary experience and her dog training qualifications. Having obtained her Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Liverpool (BVSc, MRCVS), Zoe is now working through her Masters of Clinical Animal Behaviour with the University of Edinburgh and has also completed Part 1 of 3: ‘Vet CPD in Companion Animal Behaviour’.

Alongside her Veterinary experience, Zoe has undergone extensive training with Behavet, and also furthered her practical dog training knowledge with professional-level Dog Training qualifications with Absolute Dogs (Pro Dog Trainer and Pro Dog Trainer Geek).

Zoe loves to work on a huge range of Behaviour struggles, but one of her favourite areas to target is: Handling and Consent work! She says “Working with our dogs on handling and consent is a great way of building trust between us and our pets. Really strengthening that relationship that reminds us of why we got a dog in the first place!” Zoe also loves to consult on Reactivity – whether towards Dogs, other animals or Humans – as she finds it so rewarding to help owners to understand why their dogs behave as they do, and see their relationship strengthen as a result!

Zoe’s fur family consists of one dog – Ginny – who is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever! Zoe says: “She is more than enough to handle - name a struggle and she has probably had it, so I have loads of tips and tricks to share with my clients! She has taught me more than I could have ever imagined.. through games-based training, we have transformed her behaviour. We now have calmness in the house and she no longer reacts to the hoover or passing cars. We have the most fun playing games and I love seeing her light up. She has so much drive – the challenge (as I know will resonate with so many owners) is directing it onto the right things!”

When she’s not training or consulting with her clients, Zoe loves to have fun with Ginny by doing trick training. “You never know when it might come in handy! It’s such a good test of mechanics and timing of markers”. So far, the favourite trick that Zoe has taught Ginny is to ‘hug’, and they are also currently working on skateboarding!

Dr. Claire, BVetMed, MRCVS, GPCert (Cardio), CertAVP(CV)

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Claire is a very experienced Veterinarian and an incredibly passionate Behaviourist. She is a wonderfully kind and friendly Clinician and loves to delight her clients!

Dr. Claire is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and achieved her BVetMed degree from the Royal Veterinary College in 2010, graduating with honours. She has a post-graduate certificate in Cardiology that she completed in 2013, and an RCVS certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice that she achieved in 2017. You can be assured that you will be in very safe hands with Claire and that the information she gives you will have both health and behavioural welfare at the centre of your dog's Behaviour Plan!

Claire is very passionate about dogs' struggles with barking, and how that feeds into tolerance of frustration, as well as separation anxiety and struggles with over-arousal. She says “having been through this journey with my own dog, I know how transformational the behaviour plans can be, not just for our patients but also for repairing and strengthening the relationship between dog and owner.” In addition to this, Claire loves to prepare dogs (from a Behavioural point of view) for veterinary exams - having been on the other side of the consult table for years, she has a real love for helping those dogs who are fearful of vets. In addition to her qualifications, Claire is also a certified Pro Dog Trainer and has specific Behavioural expertise, having trained extensively under Dr. Tom Mitchell (Behavet Founder and Clinical Director) and Dr. Anita (Lead Clinical Animal Behaviourist).

Claire has two dogs who sparked her love of Behaviour learning: Charlie is a 10 year old Cockapoo and Teddy a 5 year old rescue Cavapoochon. Charlie struggled with high arousal and was highly reactive on walks, and Charlie was who led Claire to games-based training as it was “a total gamechanger for Charlie’s high arousal!”

Dr. Amber, BVetMed, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

A professional and supportive Clinician, Dr. Amber loves to support and encourage her clients to get the wins that she knows are possible via games-based Behaviour training.
 
In addition to being an experienced Behaviourist, Dr. Amber is a practising Veterinarian who graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2016 (BVetMed) with honours.

Amber has practised Veterinary medicine in mixed practice while travelling the world and brings an international perspective to her work. At present, Amber is working both in Behavioural practice with Behavet and Emergency practice in-clinic, and is therefore brilliantly placed to understand how Behaviour and health concerns can interact. In her Behavioural work, Amber is particularly interested in those cases where the pet has multiple ongoing struggles combined. She absolutely loves a challenge to unpick!

In addition to her expertise in both General Practice and Behaviour, Amber is also perfectly placed to help owners to unlock behaviour transformation, as she is a highly knowledgeable dog trainer, having completed her Pro Dog Trainer and Geek qualifications with Absolute Dogs.

Dr. Amber has a huge wealth of practical hands-on knowledge which she gained from working with her own dog, Kevin. Kevin is a 3 year old Border Collie and Amber says “Kevin challenged us from Day 1…even as an 8 week old puppy! Think of a struggle and he had it: noise reactivity, resource guarding, dog-dog reactivity, chase handling and touch struggles.” Amber managed to work with Kevin and achieve massive transformation through games-based training: “Concept-based training saved our relationship” and they are now even able to start working on Agility.

Amber’s first-hand experience with Kevin helped her to understand just how much behavioural struggles can impact daily life for owners, and make them feel isolated and lacking in hope. Now, she gets most excited about helping owners transform their dogs’ struggles into strengths and live their dream with their dogs.

Outside of work, Amber loves to spend time with on a different type of animal training – she can most often be found plodding around the countryside with her 25 year-old horse, Clown.

Dr. Zuzanna, DVM, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Originally hailing from Poland, Dr. Zuzanna is a wonderful Behaviourist who is energetic and encouraging with her clients. Alongside her Behaviour consulting with Behavet, she also currently works in-practice as a small animal Veterinarian in Sussex.

Dr. Zuzanna is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (MSc Veterinary), having earned her degree at the University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland and gaining additional international experience with the University of Veterinary Sciences in Brno, Czech Republic and University of León, Spain. Following her studies, she worked extensively in practice with horses and small animals.

Further to her practice in Europe, Dr. Zuzanna has also completed a canine dentristy course in the UK. She is also passionate about animal nutrition and is currently undergoing a WSAVA nutrition course. Zuzanna loves to share her knowledge on these additional areas with her clients.

In addition to her professional Veterinary qualifications, Dr. Zuzanna is also passionate about enabling animals to thrive in their environments. In testament to this, she has completed her Fear Free training and is a Fear Free Certified Professional. She is also a capable dog trainer, having completed both Pro Dog Trainer and Pro Dog Trainer Geek training certifications.

Zuzanna’s favourite Behaviour cases centre around anxiety, and she loves to work with owners to meet their pets’ needs and to make them feel more comfortable so that trust can be built. She says: “I love when I can have a birds-eye view on a Behaviour case via reviewing Veterinary History and owner’s updates, so that I can see how different behaviours and health struggles interact together. I feel a huge amount of satisfaction when I can establish a relationship of trust with both the owner and their pet, and be their support whenever they have any doubts”

 Dr. Zuzanna is able to share hands-on training tips with owners, as she worked hard to help her own rescue dog (who sadly passed away last year) to overcome reactivity struggles following a tricky start in life.

Dr. Zuzanna speaks English, Polish and Spanish, and there is opportunity for Zuzanna to provide consultations in either language.

Dr. Lily, BVMS, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Lily is a passionate and dedicated Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Veterinarian. In addition to her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow, Lily is adding to her professional qualifications by working through the VetCPD Companion Animal Behaviour for General Practice, having already completed part 1 of 3. As well as her BVMS and VetCPD qualifications, Lily is also working towards ‘Dogs Trust’ and ‘British Veterinary Behaviour Association’ Dog-Friendly Clinician status.

Lily is a self-professed ‘nerd’ for all things Behaviour! In addition to being a Veterinarian, Lily is a qualified dog trainer – certified for both ‘Pro Dog Trainer’ and ‘Geek’ by Absolute Dogs. Lily says: “I love the variety that comes with behaviour work – dogs never cease to amaze me with the weird and wonderful things they need help with! I particularly love helping dogs with noise sensitivity, which stems from working through these struggles with my own dog, a Border Collie called Fergus. I also LOVE working with dogs with chase struggles because there’s so much room for fun and games with their owners – the higher the energy, the better for me!” One of the things Lily loves most about working with Behavet is seeing the relationship heal between dogs and their owners. Seeing owners get excited about working with their dogs again is the biggest win Lily takes away from any Behaviour consult.

One of Lily’s proudest Behaviour work achievements is her work with a 4-year old Golden Retriever with very strong chase drive. Since working with Dr. Lily, the Golden Retriever has gone from chasing (and attacking) rabbits, to being able to walk to heel off-lead beside her owner, completely ignoring the baby rabbits beside the path. She now values staying near her owner so much more than chasing after things.

Lily is the proud owner of two dogs: a Border Collie (Fergus) and a Labrador (Poppy). “Fergus became scared of sudden loud noises started to struggle with disengagement when he hit adolescence. We’re worked hard on these and now, at just over 2-years-old, he has become a confident and optimistic wee dude. We do agility together and hope to compete one day when he’s a little less chaotic on the course, and when I figure out how to remember the order of the obstacles! Poppy was constantly on the go when she was younger and did not know how to settle at all. Now, at 6-years-old, she absolutely loves her boundary and will chill out all day if you let her. She will do anything for food and loves learning tricks.”

Outside of her work with Behavet, Lily also enjoys consulting with exotic pets and has recently developed an interest in Parrot behaviour! She says: “Parrots are so intelligent and often very misunderstood, so you really feel like you’re making a huge difference when you’re able to help!”

Dr. Natalie, BVetMed MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

A passionate and kind Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Dr. Natalie graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2019 with a Bachelor in Veterinary medicine (BVetMed MRCVS). Prior to this Natalie completed a Bachelor in Bioveterinary science (BSc) and is currently also in the final modules of her Veterinary Behaviourist (VB) Certificate with the ATBC.

She has loved being around animals from a young age, volunteering at animal shelters and charities as well as stables and has supported the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home raising funds by running a half marathon in 2013. Whilst at university in 2018 she also completed a Tough Mudder obstacle course, to raise funds for the university’s Animal Care Trust, alongside some baking!

Having also completed additional dog training courses, such as Pro Dog Trainer Geek with Absolute Dogs, Natalie is also a competent dog trainer. She loves to empower and support her clients to strengthen their bond with their dog to ensure happy relationships founded in trust and understanding. Natalie says ‘there is nothing better than a client leaving a consult feeling uplifted and equipped to transform their dog’s behaviour, especially in cases involving anxiety or reactivity.’

Outside of work, Natalie can be found either playing netball, baking something sweet, usually containing chocolate or training her ‘needy and naughty but nice’ cat Logan whose behaviour due to pain-related medical issues, can be challenging at times but chicken and patience is the key! Currently completing her furry family is Logan’s straightforward sister, Aiya!

Dr.Celyn, VetMB, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Celyn is an experienced small animal Veterinary Surgeon who has worked across North Wales since gaining her VetMB degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Cambridge in 2015.

Alongside following her passion for helping dogs with behavioural struggles she continues to work as a Senior Vet and new graduate mentor in general practice. She particularly enjoys Emergency and Critical Care work and has a keen interest in Exotics.

Not only an experienced Veterinary Behaviourist and Veterinarian, Celyn is also a certified Dog Trainer, having completed her Pro Dog Trainer certification as well as the advanced Pro Dog Trainer Geek level.

Celyn’s journey into the world of Veterinary Behaviour started with working with her own small crossbreed, Eric, who struggles with dog-dog reactivity and recall. Celyn says “I can understand first-hand how frustrating and sometimes even embarrassing it can be to be the owner of a reactive dog, and I hope to help as many other owners as possible to overcome these struggles and transform their walks into the peaceful excursions we all wish for!”

When she is not walking with Eric, Celyn is usually to be found rock-climbing and running in the mountains of Eryri or exploring with Eric and her other dog Skye. She also lives with “the worst behaved cat in the world”, Geoffrey, and Reggie the Royal Python!

Celyn is bilingual and is equally happy conducting consultations in English or Welsh.

Dr.Rachel, BVSc, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Rachel is a super-supportive and passionate Behaviourist, who is also an experienced Veterinarian. She has loved being around animals from a young age!

Dr. Rachel is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and she completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree at the University of Bristol (BVSc). She has a wealth of experience having worked with a wide variety of animals from dogs, cats and horses to even lions, penguins and elephants!

Having also completed additional dog training courses, such as Pro Dog Trainer Geek with Absolute Dogs, Rachel is also a competent dog trainer. She has a passion for learning and she has also furthered her Behavioural knowledge by completing VetCPD Companion Animal Behaviour Parts 1-2 and is due to complete the final part of the course later this year!

Rachel absolutely loves to see her patients thrive and loves working with a variety of behaviour struggles, with a special interest in Dog-Dog Reactivity. She loves seeing her clients’ families achieve happier and healthier relationships - there is no more rewarding feeling! Rachel loves to help owners understand their furry family members and work together to create a strong, meaningful relationship with them.

Rachel’s own canine family includes Meg – her family’s Border Collie – and Comet, who is a 1 year old Rough Cross Border Collie. Comet was rescued by Rachel at the age of 6 weeks old with a broken leg but you wouldn’t be able to tell that was the case now! Meg sparked Rachel’s love of Behaviour work, as Meg had her fair share of Behaviour struggles. Using positive-reinforcement techniques, Rachel has been able to transform Meg’s behaviour to the point where she is more optimistic and able to enjoy her senior years, with much less reactivity!

Outside of work, Rachel can be found working on agility training with Comet and travelling around the country with Comet to explore new places!

Dr.Sabrina, BVSc, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr. Sabrina  is a passionate and  experienced small animal Veterinary Surgeon who has worked across Essex and London since gaining her Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree ( BVSc) at the University of Liverpool in 2014. 

Alongside helping pets with behaviour struggles she continues to work in general practice. She particularly enjoys small animal internal medicine and loves the challenge of helping pets with more complex medical issues. 

Sabrina is also a certified Dog Trainer, having completed her Pro Dog Trainer certification as well as the advanced Pro Dog Trainer Geek level. She has a passion for learning and has undertaken a myriad of behaviour based CPD to extend her knowledge further. In 2022 she completed a diploma in canine reactivity which explored theory of canine communication and reactivity to aid her understanding while working in practice.  

Sabrina’s journey into the world of Veterinary Behaviour was further tested  with her family's rescue Zeus who came with his own behavioural struggles and certainly keeps her on her toes even to this day! When rescued he had struggles with mouthing, disengagement, lead pulling, recall and being a proficient escape artist to name a few!  With positive based training he has been transformed into a much calmer and optimistic fellow. 

 When she is not working or walking Zeus she enjoys yoga, cooking and art (she loves sketching and dabbles in painting). She is also the proud pet parent of "Jefferson", a very spoilt black and white cat, who appeared one day at her practice as a tiny stray kitten. 

Dr.Yolandé, BVSc, MRCVS

Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Dr Yolandé obtained her Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2014 from the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria, South Africa (BVSc).  Prior to her veterinary career, Yolandé completed a degree and postgraduate degrees in Psychology and Social Science; the title of her dissertation for her Master’s Degree: “A pet-friendly workplace policy to enhance the outcomes of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)”, which then already specified the important role of a positive human-animal bond and relationship.

Yolandé is a dedicated dog trainer and has been involved with dog training since 2003.  She has since furthered her practical dog training knowledge and skills by completing Pro Dog Trainer and Pro Dog Trainer Geek from Absolute Dogs.  

Her dog training journey started with her first Border Collie, Jessie - as she realised that she had to understand her dog’s needs to be able to build an intimate relationship based on mutual trust, respect and understanding.  Her behaviour journey started with one of her current Border Collies, Ziva who showed severe dog-dog and human-directed reactivity as a youngster, giving Yolandé first-hand experience in working through her own dog’s reactivity struggles.

“When our dogs struggle with their behaviour, whether it is dog-dog reactivity, human-directed reactivity, separation-related behaviour, noise sensitivity, resource guarding, or pretty much any struggle, it has a significant impact on all involved - not only the dog.  It has far-reaching implications not only for our relationship with our dog(s), but also for our relationships and dynamics with our family members and friends.  It can limit our lives - what we can do, where we can go, who we can invite over to our homes, and so on.  It prevents us from living our dog owning dream.  And this is why I feel so blessed doing what I’m doing, because ultimately we help everyone involved to fulfil their potential and make the most of their lives.”

Yolandé’s family consists of 4 Border Collies - Danté, Ziva, Coal and Kenzie, who keep her humble, flexible (mentally and physically) and on her toes at all times, 4 cats and 8 chickens!  All living in perfect harmony.

When not consulting with Behavet, working in the Veterinary Practice, or doing dog training, Yolandé can be found in the Flyball lanes - she loves competing with her dogs in the ultimate fast, exciting, social and loud sport of Flyball.  She has also started with sheep herding recently with her youngest Border Collie, Kenzie - a completely new and exciting journey for both of them!  And she keeps her dogs ready and fit for sport, physically and mentally, by doing canine yoga.