Dynamic Dog Assessment
How we act is fundamentally connected to how we feel
What are the missing pieces?
If you’ve been doing all you can to help your dog with over the top behaviors or barking at every noise or shutting down in fear without seeing much progress, you’re not alone. It’s not because you’ve done something wrong, but because an underlying factor may not have been considered. A behavior, movement, and pain assessment will help fill in those missing pieces vital to understanding your dog and helping them feel better.
Pain may be the missing piece of the puzzle
Many common “problem” behaviors (up to 80% of them!) may actually have underlying pain or medical issues. Have you seen these things in your dog?
Sensitivities to noises, such as barking, attempting to hide, or inappropriate pottying
Jumping, mouthing, barking, or hyper behaviors
Stalling or stopping on walks, “stubbornness”
Excessive pulling on leash
Body handling sensitivity, such as aversions to nail trims
Restlessness or an inability to settle
Aggression or resource guarding
Fear or avoidance of people, other dogs, or even the car
“Picky” eating
Chewing on or consuming non-food items
A dog with stiff joints may bark when someone gets too close. A dog with GI issues may chew on a lot of inappropriate things. A dog with muscle aches may be extra reactive, even while still trying to participate in favorite activities. Similarly, while we may power through a headache to do something we love, we’d probably enjoy it a heck of a lot more (and be more pleasant to be around!) without that headache.
Often these conditions in our dogs can be extremely difficult to spot. Our dogs can’t just tell us what’s bothering them. You may have even brought your dog to the vet and gotten an “all clear,” but something still feels off or you’re still struggling. That’s no one’s fault; we just need to dig deeper. As a Dynamic Dog Practitioner, I’m here to help!
A Dynamic Dog assessment looks at all aspects of your dog’s day-to-day life and overall health and well-being to identify potential discomfort and impact on behavior. While I do not diagnose or treat, I am trained to identify subtle signs of pain that frequently go unnoticed. Seemingly small factors can reveal important clues! Since the process involves close observation without my needing to physically handle your dog, it saves them the stress of worrying about being touched, having to travel in the car, or deal with overwhelming environments. The process is both thorough and efficient, empowering you to take the next steps to improve your dog’s mental and physical health.
Dynamic Dog Assessment Process
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Step 1: All About Your Dog
We start with a 60-90 minute virtual consultation where I learn as much about your dog as I possibly can. We’ll talk about everything from their daily routine to behavior history to sleep schedules to little quirks. No observation is too small in helping us build a more complete picture of your dog.
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Step 2: Data Gathering
I’ll provide you guidelines for sending me lots (seriously, lots!) of photo and video evidence of your dog’s posture, gait, and daily activities to build my analysis. I’ll provide you with specific instructions for staged set-ups so we can get just the right angle. I’ll also ask you to observe and record your dog in their daily activities.
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Step 3: Analysis & Report
I’ll spend several hours studying all the information you’ve shared to focus in on areas that might suggest discomfort or concerns that may warrant medical evaluation. I’ll distill that information into a clear, detailed report with a full gait, movement, and functional analysis. I’ll then share that report with your dog’s veterinary care team to provide valuable information to support their assessment and treatment plan.
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Step 4: Debrief & Next Steps
We’ll have another 60-minute conversation where I’ll break down the report in plain language. I’ll continue to liaise with your dog’s care team while we work on a behavior plan together to make sure you have a clear path forward and all the support you and your dog need.
Dynamic Dog Assessment
The Dynamic Dog Assessment is a comprehensive analysis of your dog’s behavioral and physical health. It analyzes your dog’s mobility, daily activities, and posture to identify places where pain or discomfort may be affecting behavior.
What’s included:
A 60-90-minute virtual meeting for a deep-dive into your dog’s behavior and health history
3+ hours of observation and analysis
A comprehensive written report with photo and video evidence of your dog’s gait, posture, and functional movement
A 60-minute follow-up session to discuss findings and create a training plan and next steps to address health and behavior needs
Continued support and feedback via e-mail
Additional one-hour follow-up sessions: $115
Investment: $425 (payment plan possible)
Frequently Asked Questions
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In addition to my training as a canine behavior consultant, I am a certified Dynamic Dog Practitioner.
Dynamic Dog is an industry-leading one-of-a-kind organization based in the UK that provides dog behavior professionals with gait and movement analysis in addition to intensive education about the overlap between pain and behavior. Admission is on an interview-only basis and graduates must complete a rigorous 6-month training program with multiple case-studies to graduate the program.
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Nope! The entire process is virtual, so geography is no constraint!
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From initial consultation to follow-session, the process takes about two-three weeks. In between our two conversations, you’ll spend a few hours gathering photos and videos of your dog to send me. I’ll then spend about a week to complete the report to share with your care team.
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Nope! Your veterinary care team is responsible for medical evaluation and treatment. My job is to help document and analyze evidence to share with them. Since dogs can behave very differently at the vet for a lot of reasons, my analysis provides vital information the vet may not be able to see otherwise. If you feel like there’s a missing piece, this assessment can also help you advocate for your dog for further evaluation.
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I promise I will provide very detailed guidelines and tips to set you up for success! If you are in my service area (Milwaukee County), I can help with the formal gait analysis. Other things, like footage of daily activities, will need to be done by you, but aren’t quite as tricky. Adding on this service is $150.
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I want to be sure you and your dog get the help you need. In addition to connecting with your dog’s veterinary care team, I provide continued e-mail support and lifetime access to your report and additional resources. Additional follow-up sessions to address behaviors can be booked anytime.