Morgantown, WV, area residents

Amy Estep provides consultations in the Morgantown, WV community. Amy works in collaboration with Dr. Megan Maxwell, the only Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist providing services in West Virginia. The following services are available to families living within 50 miles of Morgantown, WV.

 

Read testimonials from clients who have worked with Amy

Please note: Amy Estep is on maternity leave and is not scheduling any new clients between April 25 and September 15, 2015. Please contact Lindsay Parenti to arrange behavioral consultation or training services for your pet during this time.

Behavioral Assessment/Behavior Therapy and Training

If you are the proud but concerned (or just confused) owner of a dog, cat, or bird who is experiencing a behavioral problem or needs individualized training, Amy offers one-on-one counseling, behavior therapy, and obedience training. Her job is to teach you how best to work with your pet to ensure that he or she is a behaviorally healthy and happy member of your family for many years to come. Individualized assessment and treatment allows Amy to fine-tailor her suggestions to meet the specific needs of your pet and your family. 

Common problems brought to Amy include aggression toward people or animals, fearful behavior, separation anxiety, housetraining difficulties, excessive barking, jumping, mouthing, resource guarding, inappropriate leash walking, general reactivity, thunderstorm phobias, and many more. 

To address any behavior problems you are observing in your pet, the Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Package described here will be best suited. 

Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Package: $375.00 (+ travel fee*)

  • Functional Behavioral Assessment in your home (lasting 1-2 hours)
  • Written behavioral treatment/training plan 
  • Three subsequent training/behavior therapy sessions in your home within two months of assessment (lasting 1 hour each)
  • One follow-up phone call at four months from assessment 

*A travel fee of $0.50 per driving mile roundtrip is added for each in-home session. Payment can be made by cash or check and is due in full at the first session

Introductory Intervention Package

In order to be able to reach more pets in need, Amy is now offering an Introductory Treatment Package. The Introductory package is for those who are unable to make the financial or time commitment required for the Full package, but are still interested in some initial behavioral guidance for their pets exhibiting minor problem behaviors or training needs. The Introductory package includes an initial home visit lasting 1-2 hours, and two follow-up sessions (one in the home and one by telephone). 

Please note:

Behavior change is a process that can take many months to a year or more. If you have a dog exhibiting aggressive behaviors, or if you know that you do better with someone coaching you across time, then I strongly suggest signing up for the Full Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Package above. However, if the Intro package best suits your circumstances, then Amy can at least help get you started on the right training path! 

Introductory Intervention Package: $200.00 (+ travel fee*)

  • Functional Behavioral Assessment in your home (lasting 1-2 hours)
  • Written behavioral treatment/training plan 
  • One subsequent training/behavior therapy session in your home 2 weeks following the assessment
  • One follow-up phone call 2 months following the assessment 

*A travel fee of $0.50 per driving mile roundtrip is added for each in-home session. Payment can be made by cash or check and is due in full at the first session

Services typically can be scheduled within 2 weeks of your initial contact.

Basic Obedience Training

In some cases, owners are interested simply in teaching their dog to respond more reliably to some basic obedience commands, and Amy can assist with this as well. Have you recently acquired a new puppy or adopted an adult dog? Or have you been living with one for some time, but are now seeking additional assistance with basic training? Whether your canine companion is a pretty well-adjusted pooch simply in need of some fine-tuning, or a real wild child bringing you to the brink of a breakdown, rest assured! We can set up a private series of basic obedience and training lessons that will bring your pup fully into the family fold.

Basic obedience is taught using positive reinforcement in the form of praise, petting, treats, toys, and other naturally occurring rewards. Using strategies that include luring, prompting, and shaping, we arrange training in such a way that your dog will learn rapidly and have a blast at the same time. Our goal is to keep your dog's tail wagging all the way to graduation!

Lessons are provided in the context of a 5-session program that is individualized to the needs of your puppy or adult dog. We will meet 5 times in your home (or in the community, if necessary for the generalization or refinement of your dog's skills) to introduce and practice the basic obedience elements below. Each session lasts 1 hour. 

During the course of our structured 5-week program, we will teach your dog the following skills:

  • Sit
  • Down
  • Stay
  • Come
  • Drop It
  • Leave It
  • Watch Me

We also will place a strong emphasis on the value of regular socialization, and you will be provided with a socialization plan to implement over the course of the program. If you are experiencing behavioral problems or would like an individually tailored behavior plan to address any issues other than above, you should sign up for a Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Package instead of or in addition to the basic obedience series. 

Basic Obedience Package price: $350.00 (+ travel fee*) 

  • Five in-home sessions of structured basic obedience exercises (lasting 1 hour each)

* A travel fee of $0.50 per driving mile roundtrip is added for each in-home session. Payment can be made by cash or check and is due in full at the first session. 

Services typically can be scheduled within 2 weeks of your initial contact.

Follow-Up Sessions

If you would like additional coaching from Amy after completing either the basic obedience or behavioral assessment and intervention package, you can arrange for follow-up sessions individually or in sets of several sessions. The cost for these follow-up sessions is $60.00 per hour.