Animal Behavior Clinic

I feel foolish for not heeding warnings posted here by others. I can only hope to save the next potential fool some serious cash. In my case, $ 655.00. That’s what I paid for 2 hours which covered a diagnosis of fear based aggression and advice on how to better manage my dog. Unfortunately, I have a dog with some issues. My problem with ABC is I wasn’t provided anything to justify the exorbitant fee. I’m fairly certain any licensed vet could’ve diagnosed his behavior in about 5 minutes of information exchange. As far as how to manage him going forward, I think any dog trainer, breed book, internet info, etc. could’ve matched ABC, at a small fraction of the price. Shame on me for not researching better, and shame on ABC for price gouging a caring concerned dog owner.

*****Note *****
After posting this I received a prompt reply from Dr. Pachel that was very kind and helpful. I maintain that his services are well worth the money, if you have the money to spend. I continue to use the advice he initially gave me and build upon that with ideas that I have that follow the same principles.
***** Original Review *****
I have very mixed feelings about my work with Dr. Pachel.
When we adopted our puppy we were told she was 4 months old, but it turns out she was closer to 6. We were told by the shelter that she had learned to bite to get her way by the previous owner and that we would need to assert ourselves as «pack leaders» in order to change her behavior. This more than backfired and, pretty soon, we had what we called «The Gremlin» on our hands.
Our vet had previously mentioned that there was a behavioral specialist at their clinic. We checked into it but it was so far outside of our budget that we continued trying different things until one very awful night we broke down and decided that we had to get help.
We called and set up an appointment. Dr. Pachel was kind enough to allow us to post date a check since we wouldn’t have the money until I got paid again. He came and gave us great advice on how to work with our dog. Within days «The Gremlin» was rarely showing it’s face. We were also able to start obedience training since we had such a good handle on her behavior.
About two months into our original plan things went haywire and we started to see what was either a new issue of aggression, or a new manifestation of the old issue. We contacted Dr. Pachel again because his advice had worked so well previously. I asked up front in the email I sent how much it would be and if they take a certain credit card (as I was in no position to pay cash at this point). The email response was great. It was encouraging and helpful, which I needed because I was at the end of my rope. It didn’t answer the questions of price or acceptance of the card but stated I would be contacted to set up an appointment.
When Dr. Pachel’s assistant contacted me and asked me when would work I let them know that I would make myself available at their earliest convenience. We set up a time and then I realized I had never had an answer about the credit card. I asked if they accepted it, the answer was no. I stated that I couldn’t do the appointment in that case. He said he would contact Dr. Pachel to see if he had any alternatives for me and I never heard back.
I have been told over and over again how important it is to be a good pet owner and I strive to be that. It is just very difficult when the services you are told you need are so far out of your financial reach. Dr. Pachel is great if you have the resources to use his services… but if you don’t it is just heartbreaking. You are faced with the possible fact that you can’t afford to raise your puppy well. I calculated a lot of costs when adopting this pup, and I thought I had considered everything. I was left feeling that I had made an irresponsible decision because I clearly could not afford the help she needed.
The good news is that the place I am taking her for obedience training is reasonably priced and of the same philosophy as Dr. Pachel so I am getting the help I need. Between the initial advice I received from Dr. Pachel and the help I am getting from them, I think we are going to be okay.
I would only recommend using Dr. Pachel if you have the resources to afford the follow up that may be necessary. If you do, he will be a great help. If you don’t, it could be a very upsetting experience when you need more help but can’t afford it.

Dr. Pachel is a very nice doctor, and I’m sure he is well versed in his field. However, his rates are completely ridiculous. He costs $ 220/​hour. His hours are 10am to 2pm Tuesday through Thursday. We had to finagle him to be able to come in at 4pm. I have a job, and I work hard, but I took time off and ponied up the money to come see him.
I went to see him about a canine aggression issue our 2 year old corgi-​westie mix has been manifesting ever since we got her. He failed to diagnose the issue properly (all he needed to do was ask us to leave the room for a few minutes to verify that it wasn’t protective aggression), and we ended up treating her with prozac for several months, when we didn’t need to.
We just recently discovered the protective nature of her aggression on our own. He suggested we come in for a recheck, at the same rate of $ 220/​hour. Despite the situation, he refused to lower his rates. I’m out $ 400+ because of his failure to take extra time to diagnose the situation with our pup.
I would never recommend anyone go to him, and I will not contact him for assistance ever again.

We have two dogs and a new baby. We need some help and guidance-​because it’s gotten a little crazy around here. I was referred by our vet to this behaviourist.
Some more history: awhile back, when adding the second dog, we’d seen a behaviorist (not the one at this clinic) who I thought was awful. We paid a lot of money for a few pieces of advice that we disagreed with. Eg. 1) In order to keep the dogs under control, she recommended kenneling when not directly working with the dog. Obviously completely isolating a dog keeps them out of trouble (duh?!) but that isn’t something we’re willing to do for the majority of our dog’s day. 2) Have vocal cords surgically removed to prevent barking. Now this is just cruel!
SO! When I emailed this vet to set up an appointment. I gave some history on my pets, mentioned the situation above and asked a simple question: what are some of the techniques this vet uses in situations like mine? Wanting to avoid a situation again where I paid quite lot of money, for similar types of advice which we will not take.
The secretary emailed back a terse message citing all sorts of laws and statues and saying that they cannot diagnose over email.
Which is not what I was asking. If I’m going to shell out over 500 bucks for a service, I think it’s reasonable to ask a bit about what the service might involve. I emailed the secretary back to clarify, and he’s failed to write back.
Kind of rude, and not helpful.