About Talk to the Paw Certified Dog Behavior Consultant-Private In-home behavior modification plans for anxiety and related issues.

Talk to the Paw is a behavior consultancy rather than an obedience school, and the distinction runs through everything it publishes. The whole practice is in-home: "Dog Training and Behavior Consulting in the Privacy of your Home".

Who runs it

"Kathi O'Malley is a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and Trainer based in Middle Tennessee." The memberships are listed specifically: she is "recognized as an Associate Certified and Founding Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants", and "She is also a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the Pet Professional Guild and Licensed Member of Family Paws Parent Education." Continuing education is described as conferences, seminars and more recently webinars.

What she takes on

The services page is a plain list: "I offer in home private or semi-private visits for a variety of Behavior Problems, including Aggression, Separation Anxiety, House Soiling, Anxiety, Phobias, Sibling Rivalry, Basic Manners, Puppy Training and Honing Leadership and Communications Skills!" The home page splits the same ground three ways – foundational manners for puppies and adults, "Specialized Modification for Complex Behaviors" covering "growling, biting, or leash reactivity", and confidence work for dogs with "environmental phobias", separation anxiety, and dogs the page describes as frequently shut down and defensive.

Method

Stated as "the most up-to-date, force-free, and science-based training methods", and framed around the owner rather than the dog: "the best path to achieving a successful relationship with your dog is to teach you, your dog's guardian, how to accurately read and understand canine body language." Her analogy for training is raising "a youngster within a family or social group".

Prices

All published. An initial two-hour consultation called the "First Fetch" at $240 is required before anything else. After that, "Individual sessions: $120 per hour", or packages – "3-session package: $340, to be completed within 3 months", "6-session package: $660, to be completed within 6 months", "8-session package: $840, to be completed within 8 months".

Coverage

"I offer private dog training in Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill, Columbia, TN, and the surrounding neighborhoods". Outside that area she will either refer to a colleague or add "a service fee of $25 each way".

The name

The site simply calls the practice Talk to the Paw.