Compassionate Behavioral Care for Animals and Their Families
Many pets experience emotional and behavioral challenges that can affect their wellbeing and the relationship they share with their families. Issues such as aggression, separation anxiety, compulsive behaviors, fear responses, and destructive habits can be overwhelming for both pets and owners.
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Veterinary behaviorists are doctors in veterinary medicine who specialize in diagnosing and treating these concerns. By evaluating medical history, environment, learning patterns, and emotional health, we develop treatment plans that address the root causes of behavior problems and help pets live healthier, more balanced lives.
About Our Clinic
Veterinary behaviorists are doctors in veterinary medicine who complete advanced training beyond veterinary school, often including several additional years of specialized education, research, and clinical experience focused on animal behavior.
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At the Veterinary Psychiatric and Behavior Center, we evaluate behavior concerns in a holistic way by assessing the physical, environmental, and emotional factors that may influence your pet’s behavior. This approach allows us to develop thoughtful treatment plans tailored to the individual needs of each pet and family.
Veterinary Behavior Services
We provide behavior consultations for a wide range of species and behavioral concerns. While many clients reach out regarding dogs and cats, our services extend to multiple species and environments.
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Our consultations are designed to carefully evaluate behavior concerns, identify contributing factors, and develop realistic treatment plans that help improve both the pet’s wellbeing and the household environment.
Behavior Consultation
Comprehensive consultations designed to evaluate behavior concerns, identify contributing factors, and develop personalized treatment plans that support long-term behavioral improvement.
Preventative Care
Preventative consultations help identify early behavior concerns and provide guidance to support healthy development, reduce stress, and prevent future behavioral challenges.
Family Planning
Family planning consultations help prepare pets and households for major life changes such as a new baby, new pet, or household transition to ensure a smoother adjustment for everyone.
Continuing Education
Educational programs for veterinary clinics and staff focused on behavior medicine, Fear Free practices, and strategies that support better patient care and reduced stress during visits.
Common Behavior Issues We Help Address
Behavior problems can appear in many different forms, and no two pets are exactly the same. The Veterinary Psychiatric and Behavior Center works with families experiencing a variety of behavior concerns. Some of the most common issues we help address include:
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Aggression toward people familiar or unfamiliar
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Separation anxiety
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Repetitive or compulsive behaviors
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Self-injury
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Thunderstorm or noise phobias
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Fear of fireworks or loud sounds
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Hyperactivity
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Fear of the veterinarian
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Difficulty integrating a new baby or pet
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Leash reactivity
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Inter-dog aggression
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Intra-cat aggression
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Travel anxiety
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Training challenges
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Fearful pets
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Destructive behaviors
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Attention-seeking behaviors
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Cognitive dysfunction
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Generalized anxiety
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Cribbing in horses
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Food rejection
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Hand biting or fear responses
Even if your pet’s behavior is not listed here, that does not mean we cannot help. Many behavior concerns share underlying causes that can be addressed through proper evaluation and treatment.​
Meet Dr. Tucker
Dr. Tucker is a doctor of veterinary medicine and a veterinary behavior resident through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.
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She brings a deep understanding of both medical and behavioral health to her work with animals and their families. Throughout her career, Dr. Tucker has worked in small animal medicine, exotic animal medicine, emergency and critical care, shelter medicine, and wildlife care.
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Her approach focuses on improving the mental health and wellbeing of pets while strengthening the human-animal bond. By developing treatment plans that address each pet’s individual needs, she helps families create meaningful and lasting improvements in their pet’s behavior.
Schedule a Behavior Consultation
Behavior concerns can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to navigate them alone. With the right evaluation and guidance, many behavior challenges can improve significantly over time.
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Our consultations are designed to provide a thorough understanding of your pet’s behavior, identify possible contributing factors, and develop a practical plan for moving forward.
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We offer both in-person and telemedicine consultations depending on your needs and location.
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Behavior consultations are available for a wide range of species, including dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, primates, equine, porcine, and more. If your pet is not a dog or cat, please contact us to request a species-specific questionnaire or to discuss your pet’s needs prior to scheduling.