Dog Behaviorist

[yourmother]

What are the costs for a dog behaviorist?  My dog needs help with his aggression/anxiety.  I just reached out to a vet that specializes in this and she charges $195/hour for the initial consultation that takes 1.5 - 3 hours.  

I met with another trainer this week and the package he wants me to buy is a 4 pack training session for $700+.  

I just reached out to two other folks and one of them is *only* $85/hour.  That trainer has very high reviews on Thumbtack.


Does these prices sound normal?  I'm in DFW.

[lightbulbsun]

Those sound normal to me. I've worked with a few behaviorists/trainers, and they charge anywhere from $90-$200/hour. I had a 1.5 hour initial consult with a dog once that was $375.

[cuadrado]

Ours was $1100 for 3 home visits (4 hours total) for 2 dogs + lifetime support afterwards.

[mustardseed2007]

We are currently doing a board to train in Houston that is 1800, life time support after, opportunity to board (for a fee but they only board their students). It's two ladies who train out of their home and they came highly recommended by some of my neighbors.

I was working with a dog behaviorist company, and they were 150 dollars per hour in my home, but then we escalated with the board to train.

Another place I have looked at that is a popular company in our area is 175 for 1 lesson, 600 for 4 lessons and that's at their facility. To come to your home is 225 for one, 800 for 4.

ETA: These are 1 on 1 lessons. 

[yourmother]

Goodness graciousness. These prices are insane (to me).

[RoxMonster]

It's been 8 years since we had a dog behaviorist come to our home, but I'm pretty sure she charged $70/session and each session was an hour at our home. She came every other Sunday for about 3 months right after we brought Rox home from the shelter.

[gottadobe]

Apr 20, 2021 16:03:25 GMT -5 yourmother said:

What are the costs for a dog behaviorist?  My dog needs help with his aggression/anxiety.  I just reached out to a vet that specializes in this and she charges $195/hour for the initial consultation that takes 1.5 - 3 hours.  

I met with another trainer this week and the package he wants me to buy is a 4 pack training session for $700+.  

I just reached out to two other folks and one of them is *only* $85/hour.  That trainer has very high reviews on Thumbtack.


Does these prices sound normal?  I'm in DFW.

In DFW you want Karen Deeds @ Canine Connection - full stop.
They have some pricing on their website.

[amberlyrose]

We are doing board and train for 4 weeks with our dog right now for the same thing. It's about $3200 with lifetime support.

[raleighnc]

A veterinary behaviorist (DVM plus residency and board certification in animal behavior) would be my choice for anything with aggression. A regular vet can try to treat the anxiety, but they generally aren't comfortable with either the higher doses of anti-anxiety meds or multiple medications. But it's a place to start. Ten years ago, the behavioral medicine department at NC State was $500 for the initial consult, which lasted about four hours. Follow-ups were $100. I think we had two follow-ups the first year and then just had annual visits once she was stable. She had severe anxiety and OCD and did not know how to interact with our other dogs, so she provoked them.

A certified behaviorist (non-DVM) can also be helpful, but for severe anxiety/aggression, meds are often required for the dog to be able to learn the behavioral modifications. Otherwise, it's like trying to teach someone in the midst of a panic attack.

[yourmother]

Apr 20, 2021 19:20:16 GMT -5 gottadobe said:

Apr 20, 2021 16:03:25 GMT -5 yourmother said:

What are the costs for a dog behaviorist?  My dog needs help with his aggression/anxiety.  I just reached out to a vet that specializes in this and she charges $195/hour for the initial consultation that takes 1.5 - 3 hours.  

I met with another trainer this week and the package he wants me to buy is a 4 pack training session for $700+.  

I just reached out to two other folks and one of them is *only* $85/hour.  That trainer has very high reviews on Thumbtack.


Does these prices sound normal?  I'm in DFW.

In DFW you want Karen Deeds @ Canine Connection - full stop.
They have some pricing on their website.

I’ll take all the recommendations I can get! Thank you!

[yourmother]

Apr 20, 2021 19:47:21 GMT -5 raleighnc said:

A veterinary behaviorist (DVM plus residency and board certification in animal behavior) would be my choice for anything with aggression. A regular vet can try to treat the anxiety, but they generally aren't comfortable with either the higher doses of anti-anxiety meds or multiple medications. But it's a place to start. Ten years ago, the behavioral medicine department at NC State was $500 for the initial consult, which lasted about four hours. Follow-ups were $100. I think we had two follow-ups the first year and then just had annual visits once she was stable. She had severe anxiety and OCD and did not know how to interact with our other dogs, so she provoked them.

A certified behaviorist (non-DVM) can also be helpful, but for severe anxiety/aggression, meds are often required for the dog to be able to learn the behavioral modifications. Otherwise, it's like trying to teach someone in the midst of a panic attack.

This is a very helpful perspective. I will take a second look at the Vet that medicates.

[jaycee]

We are working with a dog trainer for $80/hour in my home.