About DogSense
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About Claire
Claire started her behaviour and training career in 2001 by studying Companion Animal Behaviour through the Technikon of Pretoria. In 2003 she finished the 3 year Tellington Ttouch™ course and qualified as a certified practitioner for companion animals.
By the end of 2004 she completed an 18 month internship at a behaviour centre in Cape Town. After working there as an associate consultant for a short while, she opened her own practise in Durbanville.
Claire is now a diplomat of the UK based Centre of Applied Pet Ethology after she completed the advance diploma in Companion Animal  Behaviour and Training in 2008 and became one of only four behaviourists in South Africa that holds this qualification. She is also a member of COAPE’s Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers, which strives to uphold professionalism in the industry.
DogSense is well respected and referred to by local veterinarians as Claire works in close collaboration with your vet to provide you and your dog the most comprehensive service.
Canine behaviour is a dynamic field and at DogSense we spend considerable time pursuing ongoing education and professional development by keeping current on all industry literature.
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Clicker Training
 Clicker training is a fun, interactive way of teaching your dog obedience and have him loving it at the same time! It promotes a two way communication between you and your dog as your understanding of how your dog learns improves. Clicker training is non-confrontational, motivational and mentally stimulating to your dog (and yourself!). It can even be used to teach tricks and modify unwanted behaviours. To read more on how it works and to find out about the multiple benefits of clicker training click the ‘download’ button.
Puppy Socialisation
 Puppy socialisation courses are for puppies between 8 to 16 weeks of age. It is during this time that their brain absorbs information from the environment as sponges absorb water – quickly, in large amounts and retains it. It is at this point that you start shaping your dog’s adult behaviour. Puppy classes should not be optional – it is an absolute necessity for every dog’s future well-being. Dogs live in our world and are far removed from their original function – if not taught how to behave and adapt they will fill the gaps themselves and it is often these behaviours that we find unacceptable. Putting in some effort now will save you a lot of time, money, frustration and possible heartache later on due to euthanasia for behaviour problems that could have been prevented (or modified) during puppy hood. Puppy courses are now also available for puppies (aged 4 -6 months) that have missed the cutt-off time of 16 weeks.
Behaviour Modification Consultations
 A behaviour modification consultation is a one on one session with you and your dog/s to change unwanted or unacceptable behaviour in your companion. In this session a complete history is taken of your dog’s behaviour, temperament, medical background, previous experiences and the interaction between the dog and household is observed. From this history-taking, an assessment is made to formulate a treatment program.
Tellington Touch™
 The Tellington Ttouch™ Method (ttouch™ for short) is a tactile method to enhance or minimize certain behaviours in your dog (or any other animal) that is interfering with his/her sense of wellbeing or is damaging your relationship. Ttouch consists basically of three components: the physical touch , the confidence course with leading exercises and the body wrap . This method can help for behaviours ranging from noise phobia, lack of confidence, carsickness, mouthiness to more complex behaviours such as separation anxiety and dog-dog/human aggression and much more.
Positive Punishment – why not to use it.
 Positive punishment is the addition of a negative action/experience (force, fear or pain) towards the dog. We do know that according to scientific literature that using positive punishment works. But the home environment is not a constantly supervised and controlled environment such as a laboratory. It is therefor very difficult to apply positive punishment correctly and consistently.
There are so many criteria and rules that need to be followed when implementing positive punishment, that it is difficult to adhere to them all in a household set up – far more rules than for implementing positive reinforcement! If you forget a criteria when using positive reinforcement, the consequence is not as dire as if you were to forget a criteria when using positive punishment!! Read more in the ‘download’ to find out some of the negative consequences of using positive punishment.
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