Rick Gunn/Nevada Appeal Animal behaviorist Adrienne Navarro works with Maisy, an 11-week-old Lab. Navarro emphasizes positive re-enforcement while client Holly Kuhlmann, left, looks on. Navarro is helping Maisy adjust to a new home, potty training, living with another dog and children.
Adrienne Navarro, Nevada's only applied animal behaviorist, works with errant pets and their frazzled owners to fix their problems - the pets, that is - and strengthen the human-animal bond.
She earned her master's degree in animal behavior at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., and now she's practicing out of a one-room office in her Carson City home. She started the business, Animal Behavior Consulting, six months ago.
"I love the satisfaction I get, knowing I help owners repair their bond with their pets," she said. "When they come to me, people are often ready to either euthanize or relinquish them to the animal shelter.
"When I can help with a problem, the owner still has their pet and everything's OK," she said. "Sometimes, we can't resolve the issues 100 percent. If not, we can teach pet owners how to manage and control the problem."
Treatment starts with an extensive interview. Navarro observes the animal in the home environment, watches the natural interaction between pet and owner, then offers an initial diagnosis.
She follows up with a detailed treatment plan and phones or e-mails the owner for three months.
She accepts referrals through local veterinarians and, in addition to her practice, she has spoken to various organizations, including the Douglas County Animal Shelter and various veterinary clinics.
Positive reinforcement is the most-often prescribed therapy, but solutions vary from changing diets to a little citronella collar that releases the scent when dogs bark too much.
She limits her practice to dogs and cats and uses only humane techniques, she said.
Before setting up her practice in Carson City, she worked in Maryland as an animal behaviorist for the National Institute of Health and part-time as a consultant for a companion animal behavior business.
She saw a lot of cats back east, but since opening her practice in Carson City six months ago, she's been tackling a lot of dog aggression problems, she said.
"I tell people what's going on with their pets and how to fix the problem," she said. "Sometimes, pets' problems have a lot to do with their owners' behavior."
Navarro's life changed dramatically when she took her first course in animal behavior at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
"When you grow up loving animals, the only thing you want to do is become a veterinarian," she said. "I was headed in that direction, but when I took that animal behavior course, I found another answer."
Navarro was on the dean's list at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and graduated with a degree in the biological sciences in 1995.
She makes her home here with her husband, Dave, who is assistant superintendent at Thunder Canyon Country Club in Washoe Valley. The couple have a son, 22-month-old Kyle.
Fees for this service vary depending on the scope of the problem and travel distance. A price quote will be given before ABC visits your home.
For more information, go to www.AnimalBehaviorConsulting.com, e-mail ABC@AnimalBehaviorConsulting.com or call Navarro at 841-7676.
Contact Susie Vasquez at svasquez@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
Four tips for CAT Box PROBLEMS
1- Have one more litter box than the number of cats you have - some will urinate in one, defecate in the other
2- Depth of litter a problem - some like more, some like less
3- Open versus closed - cats can have preference
4- Rivalry at litter box - best fixed by tip No. 1.
