1 to 1s - an insight in to how they work

What to expect from a 1 to 1

As you can imagine, every consultation I do is different, but I think it is good to have a bit of an understanding as to how they work so that you can relax.

Typically we will have had a conversation on the phone first so that we can establish the headlines of the issues you are facing and decide what appointment is the most appropriate. There are a few options:

• I come to you.
• You come to me.
• We meet at an agreed location.

 

Before we meet

I might ask you to keep a diary, do some short videos and send to me or have for me when I arrive, a vet check to ensure we have a clean bill of health, a lot of incidents, and so on. On occasion I might send through some videos for you to look at prior to our appointment.

I come to you

We will decide on details for my arrival. Everything from where I park to how your dog might behave when I come in can be discussed beforehand. Sometimes I might ask for your dog to be in another space when I come in, or on lead, or behind a kiddy gate. This may simply be so that I can get in without being mugged.

You come to me

You will be sent details about where to come and what to bring. You drive in and park up, your dog stays in the car until you see me and we will decide on protocols for getting your dog out. We will discuss the fencing and gates so that you can risk assess whether you feel comfortable letting your dog off lead or on a long line.

An agreed location

This is where a home visit is not appropriate, and you are not able or is it not suitable for you to come to me. For example we might meet at a private field and the same sorts of protocols will apply as when you come to me.

The consultation

My consultations tend to be relaxed, we have a few laughs, we chat a lot, and at some point you are likely to say "that's commonsense" or "that's so obvious now you say it". Don't worry, I won't be offended. Simple is best, and simple will be more likely to get done.

• I encourage you to take any notes on the day, and we can also record any videos of training as appropriate which are for your personal use only and must not be posted on social media without permission.
• The structure of the consultation will depend on what we are working on. However, generally we will look at where you are now, where you want to be, and how to get there.
• After the consultation I will send you through a short report, any relevant links to information that I feel might be useful, and thoughts on next steps. That could be support sessions to help you reach your goal, workshops, or I may give you details of classes or other pet professionals who can help you.
• At any point after the consultation you want to have a quick check in to discuss next steps, you can do that by booking in a short call.
• Join my Client Support Group on Facebook.

1 to 1s can be a really great way of honing down on your specific challenges and can be great for dogs or people who don’t like classes.