Behaviour Rehab
What Behaviour Rehab works on
Behaviour Rehab is the one program we plan and price after a full assessment, and its published curriculum is six short lines. Each of those lines means something specific for a dog that barks at the window, lunges on the sidewalk, hides from guests or growls when cornered, and each has an honest limit, because a five-to-six-week program works on a dog's behaviour, not on who the dog is.
Last reviewed September 29, 2026
Line by line
Each curriculum item, translated into owner terms.
A full behaviour assessment means the dog's history, triggers and body language are read before any plan is written, so the work aims at the likely cause rather than the loudest symptom. Reactivity work at the dog's pace means distance and intensity are set by what the dog can manage, not by a calendar. Anxiety rehabilitation and fear-based behaviour work are for the dog that paces, shrinks, freezes or snaps, and in our approach that begins with management and never with punishing a growl.
Confidence building aims to give a worried dog things it can succeed at, from a sit it already knows to a new surface underfoot, with the goal of making novelty easier to meet; how far any individual dog goes with that is not something we promise, before or after the assessment. Structured socialization is calm, supervised exposure to other dogs and people at a distance the dog can handle, which is a different thing from a busy off-leash park.
- Assessment before any plan
- Distance set by the dog
- Management first, exposure second
- Two free follow-up sessions
What it is not
Where the curriculum stops and the assessment starts.
Behaviour Rehab does not work on a personality transplant. The aim is a watchful, sensitive dog with better skills and an owner who understands it, not a different dog. It does not work on a promised outcome either; the honest description is what the program works on, never what it will achieve. And it does not treat a medical cause. Pain, illness or a sudden change in temperament are questions for your vet, and we suggest asking them before or alongside any training.
The assessment is what turns the list into a plan for a particular dog, which is why the price is a range, $4,850 to $5,760 plus GST, set afterwards rather than quoted up front. Dogs with a bite history are assessed the same way and accepted on the strength of that assessment. In-depth owner education is included so the why of the plan is explained to you, not just the what, and two free follow-up sessions are included.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What does Behaviour Rehab work on?
Anxiety, fear, reactivity, aggression and confidence issues. The published curriculum is a full behaviour assessment, reactivity work at the dog's pace, anxiety rehabilitation, fear-based behaviour work, confidence building and structured socialization. We deliver it over five to six weeks with two free follow-up sessions and in-depth owner education.
What is dog behaviour rehabilitation?
We use the term for training aimed at the likely reasons behind a behaviour rather than the behaviour alone: the fear that may sit under a lunge, the anxiety that may drive pacing, the lack of confidence that may show as hiding. It often runs alongside skill-building rather than instead of it, since many dogs have both an emotional side and a gap in skills. At Northline K9 it is a five-to-six-week board and train, customized after assessment.
Which dogs is the Behaviour Rehab program for?
Dogs whose trouble looks like anxiety, fear, reactivity or aggression, often with some skills missing too: the dog that barks at the window, lunges on the sidewalk, hides from guests or growls when cornered. Dogs with a bite history are accepted after the full assessment. We recommend the program at the consultation, and a smaller one when it is enough.
Does Behaviour Rehab work on aggression?
Yes, aggression is in the published scope alongside anxiety, fear and reactivity, and we accept dogs with bite histories after a full assessment. The assessment relies on the full history, including what happened before each incident, so we ask for it. The assessment, not the label, decides the plan and the pace.
Keep reading
Start with the assessment.
Book a consultation and bring the history. We will tell you honestly whether Behaviour Rehab or something smaller fits your dog.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs