What is a Pet Advisor?

What Happens When I Hire a Consultant?

When you begin working with a pet advisor, there is a typical process that you may have to follow. 

Interview

Your advisor will collect a history of your dog’s life, a description of their current living situation, their behavior, eating habits, or anything else that pertains to the reason why you have asked them to work with you. 

Consultation/Observation
The advisor will want to see the dog in real life in order to come up with a plan. He or she will come to your home to see your pup in his or her natural environment and observe the both of you.

Plan
Certified pet advisors will create a plan for you and your pup to follow. That may be behavior modification or a change in their diet and exercise routine.

Implementation
The consultant will teach you, the pet parent, some basic skills to help you teach your dog certain behaviors. They may also give you the guidelines for your dog’s physical exercise and a dietary plan.

Are Pet Advisors Vets?
The short answer is no. They do not practice veterinary medicine unless they also happen to be vets. Many pet advisors do have a veterinary background or have many friends that are vets because they work in the same space. 

Vets do learn a little about animal behaviors and nutrition and maintain relationships with consultants. Vets may choose to take on any behavioral or nutritional cases themselves, although because there is not an extensive amount of animal behavior taught in veterinary school, they may decide to refer to you to a professional consultant.

Education
Pet advisors need education to be successful. They need to know about the normal behaviors and diets of dogs and understand abnormal behaviors and nutrition. Their education can come from a variety of sources, including undergraduate and graduate studies in related disciplines, online courses, or classes through humane societies and other animal education organizations. There is no single course of study for pet advisors. Because of this, you should also be careful who you are dealing with. It’s recommended to ask for their resume and follow up with their references so that you know you are working with the right person for your dog’s situation. 

Also, make sure that you understand their certification. This includes making sure it came from an accredited organization and understanding what they had to do in order to achieve it. 

How Can Pet Advisors Improve Your Dog’s Life?
Pet Advisors can serve as your support system. Let’s face it; raising a pup isn’t always easy. Because of this, you’ll need to take the knowledge of your vet and maybe pet advisors into account. 

Behavioral pet consultants can make your life and your dog’s life better by teaching them how to behave. This will allow you to have company over more easily, take your dog into the public, and have fun together without the stress of not knowing what your dog will do next. 

Nutritional pet advisors will help your dog stay physically healthy, something all pet parents want for their pups. Whether they need a change in diet or require additional exercise, they will support you and help you learn how to take care of your dog when you need them. 

Remember, there are so many pet advisors out there that are skilled, but there are also those who aren’t certified by an accredited organization. Make sure to understand who you are dealing with so that they can help p enrich your pup’s life.