Providing behavior and training support to those that need it most
Access to Behavior Consulting was founded to fill in the gaps in access to high-quality behavior and training support for caregivers and animal rescue organizations
One publication found that dogs are often returned, within 3 months after adoption, due to behavior concerns like fear or separation-related behavior. Other analysis noted that 37% of returns due to behavior were not for safety concerns but for nuisance behaviors.
Organizations are often encouraged to network with certified trainers in their community but, currently in the United States, there are no licensing or education requirements to be a practicing dog trainer. While there are certifying organizations, in a study of 100 highly-rated dog trainers across the United States, only 20% were certified.
Despite behavior being a primary reason for adoption returns, only about 2% of shelters offer free or low-cost behavior services for their community members.
Shelters often do not have the financial resources to fully staff behavior departments focusing on the animals in their care, nor have the bandwidth to troubleshoot for adopted or foster animals that are at risk of being returned.
Our Hope
Make behavior and training support more accessible for those that need it most
Services are priced and designed to make them accessible both in their practical application and financially.
To make the most impact, behavior support needs to be easily applied and economically-feasible for anyone and any organization.
See how we can help you
References
Hawes, S. M., Kerrigan, J. M., Hupe, T., & Morris, K. N. (2020). Factors informing the return of adopted dogs and cats to an animal shelter. Animals, 10(9), 1573.
Kalman, H. & Gates, A. (2023). Data Insight on Reducing Returns: Help Adopters Let Dogs be Dogs and Cats be Cats. Human Animal Support Services. https://www.humananimalsupportservices.org/uncategorized/reducing-returns/
Johnson, A. C., & Wynne, C. D. (2024). Training Methods Used by Dog Guardians in the United States: Prevalence, Sources of Information, and Reasons for Use. Animals, 14(9), 1310.
Powell, L., Duffy, D. L., Kruger, K. A., Watson, B., & Serpell, J. A. (2021). Relinquishing Owners Underestimate Their Dog's Behavioral Problems: Deception or Lack of Knowledge?. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 734973.
Powell, L., Lee, B., Reinhard, C. L., Morris, M., Satriale, D., Serpell, J., & Watson, B. (2022). Returning a shelter dog: the role of owner expectations and dog behavior. Animals, 12(9), 1053.
Reider, L. M. (2015). Adopter support: Using postadoption programs to maximize adoption success. In. E. Weiss, H. Mohan-Gibbons & S. Zawistowski (Eds.) Animal behavior for shelter veterinarians and staff. Wiley.