Animal Behaviourists in Telford and Shropshire, including one-to-one dog training. Get support from accredited dog trainers and Clinical Animal Behaviourists.

Second Nature Behaviour’s animal behaviourists in Telford support pets and their caregivers across Shropshire and the wider West Midlands. We provide evidence-based clinical behavioural care for dogs, cats, and parrots, working with issues such as anxiety, aggression, fear, and reactivity — problems that affect daily life whether you’re navigating busy Telford streets or the quieter villages and countryside beyond.

Labrador puppy walking on a lead

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Book a free 15-minute phone call with one of our team to discuss how we can support you.

What we offer in Shropshire: One-to-one dog training and pet behaviour consultations

One-to-One Dog Training Personalised, reward-based training sessions in Shropshire — at home, in your local park, or wherever you and your dog need help. Loose-lead walking, recall, manners around visitors, calmer behaviour on walks, settling at home.

Clinical Behaviour Consultations For dogs, cats and parrots with established behaviour problems — fear, anxiety, aggression, reactivity, compulsive behaviour, toileting issues, feather plucking. These are home-visit consultations of 1.5–3 hours, followed by a written behaviour modification plan and follow-up support. Vet referral required (your vet can complete our quick online form). As a clinical animal Behaviourist team covering Shropshire, we work exclusively on veterinary referral. Most consultations take place in the home, where behaviour problems actually live, but follow-up sessions can move out into familiar local environments such as Apley Woods, Telford Town Park, the Ironbridge Gorge, or the Wrekin when that supports the plan.

If you’re not sure which one you need, book a free 15-minute discovery call and we’ll point you the right way.

Find out more about our animal behaviour and dog training services

For more information about our different types of services, have a look at our services table.

Common Pet Behaviour Problems We Support With

Dogs

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Our dog behaviour experts support owners with problems such as:

Cats

A cartoon image of a person petting a ginger cat

Our cat behaviourists provide expert advice and support with cat behaviour concerns, including:

Parrots

A cartoon image of a green parrot sitting on a person's shoulder

Our parrot behaviourists provide advice and support with behaviour concerns, including:

How to Access Our Services

For one-to-one dog training: Book a free discovery call so we can talk through what you’re hoping to work on. We’ll then arrange your first training session at a time and place that suits you.

For clinical behaviour consultations: We work exclusively on written veterinary referral. This isn’t bureaucracy — it’s so we can rule out any medical contribution to your pet’s behaviour, work alongside your vet, and (in many cases) help you claim through your pet insurance. Here’s how it works:

1. Vet referral

Request that your vet completes our quick, online referral form here.

2. Booking

Online or by giving us a call on 0121 299 0188

3. History form

Give us some background about your pet, their environment, routines and your relationship

4. Consultation

Let’s get started on the plan to dealing with your pet’s behaviour towards people

Book a Behaviour Consultation

Get help from one of our animal behaviour experts

Areas Covered

Our animal behaviourists in Telford also see clients in Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Newport, Wellington, and across into Wolverhampton — and we collaborate with rescue organisations and pet professionals throughout the county to support the wider Shropshire pet community.

Please note that if you are more than 20 miles from our Telford Hub, an additional £2/mile charge applies for the return journey.

For cats and parrots specifically, we also offer virtual consultations worldwide — distance doesn’t have to be a barrier to specialist support.

If you’re closer to one of our other hubs, you may prefer to be seen by the team there:

Contact us

In emergencies please call your normal vets local to you.

Second Nature Behaviour
Church Eaton Road,
Moreton, Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire TF10 9DX
Phone: 01952 44 22 77
Email: telford@secondnature.bio

Monday09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday09:00 - 17:00
Thursday09:00 - 17:00
Friday09:00 - 17:00
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

  • Animal Behaviourists in Telford

Book a behaviour consultation

get expert help now

Ozzy & Bev

Dog

I would happily recommend you to any owner with a dog-reactive dog.  Your set-up with stooge dogs is excellent.  I was very pleased to find you. You gave good advice for Ozzy’s situation and you supplied some very comprehensive written material to back it up. Many thanks, Bev  

Goldie & Lucy

Dog
Thank you so much for all your support with Goldie! The advice and training Zoe gave us has transformed our walks and made life much less stressful! To think that only a few months ago he used to lunge, bark, growl and basically go for anything he saw, and now whenever he sees anything he

Bailey, Andrew & Denise

Dog
We found Zoe and her team to be extremely professional and knowledgeable, taking the time to listen to our concerns and offer practical and helpful advice. We have employed Second Nature Behaviour for our pet boxer dog, Bailey, on a couple of occasions due to some behavioural issues he was experiencing. Zoe visited us at

Jessie, Charlotte & Dan

Dog
It was so lovely to meet you guys! Thank you so much for your help, you have such a kind attitude and have plenty of time for people! We have been practising the exercise you taught us and hey presto!! Jessie seems to be accepting dogs in a closer environment than ever before – speak

Blossom

Would recommend the Second Nature team until I’m blue in the face! We’ve been working hard to build confidence in my reactive whippet X Italian Greyhound. We’re starting to see some really amazing progress with the clear and sensible suggestions made by Keely and I can’t thank her and the rest of the team enough.

Beth Smith

Keely at Thoughts for Paws has been wonderful with my nervous dog. Being a rescue, she can be scared in certain situations and Keely has helped her, and me through the process of making her feel more comfortable and confident within herself. Would highly recommend!

Ellie Cox

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Second nature was reccomended to me by a friend to get some guidance for my noise phobic Husky. The help and guidence i recieved was unmatched. I felt suported through out the whole process and my dog has improved massively. I now understand the steps i need to take to help him feel better and

Blossom Stanyon Jones

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Would recommend the Second Nature team until I’m blue in the face! We’ve been working hard to build confidence in my reactive whippet X Italian Greyhound. We’re starting to see some really amazing progress with the clear and sensible suggestions made by Keely and I can’t thank her and the rest of the team enough.

Nicki Davis

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Second Nature Behaviour provides an excellent service for a very reasonable price. As a vet, I have referred many of my patients to Zoe for behavioural and psychological issues and have worked alongside her in managing patients with medical intervention. Zoe has worked absolute miracles on cats and dogs and given pet owners chance to

Richard Yarnell

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We were referred to Zoe by our vets as one of our greyhounds was proving difficult to settle and was reactive to other dogs, seemed to have some sort of sleep terrors and was generally proving difficult to adjust into our household. Zoe’s clear methods and easy style of communication quickly put us at ease,

André Sousa

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If you’re looking for someone to sort out your pet’s behaviour, that you know it’s weird and don’t have a clue why he’s acting like he is, then contact Zoe. Zoe has been amazing and gone the extra mile with us. From diagnosing our newfie with anxiety to putting in practice an action plan but

Kadioula Duggan

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We went into our first visit with Zoe feeling anxious and afraid that we may end up having to find a new home for one of our beloved frenchies if they didn’t stop their aggressive behaviour towards each other. Fast forward 6 months and our dogs are happier (and better behaved!) than ever and we

Dawn Myatt

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Really enjoyed the training with Zoe. She has showed us how to deal with our dog Benji’s problems & we now have the tools to carry on with his training. Would definitley recommend second nature & would use again in the future.

Mark Whitmore

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The Second Nature Behaviour team has been absolutely brilliant in helping us with the long term behavioural problems one of our rescue dogs experiences. Keely has provided not only home visits and on line support but has carried out specific training with issues when we are away in our touring caravan. We would not hesitate

Meet your local Clinical Animal Behaviourist in Telford

Keely Needham

Keely Needham

Senior Behaviourist

Keely graduated from Harper Adams University in 2021 with a first class honours degree in Clinical Animal Behaviour and Welfare. She is a Certificated Member of the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians, and has independent CCAB accreditation in dogs.

Keely has a wealth of experience working with dogs of all breeds and backgrounds and has a passion for understanding the complex needs of troubled dogs and enhancing the bonds with their care-givers and owners.

Find out more about Keely here.

FAQ

Have a more general question?  Check out our general FAQ.

Prefer to chat things through a bit more?

Contact Us

Give us a buzz by email or phone
0121 299 0188.

How do I book an appointment?

Contact us for a no obligation chat. After you have been referred by your veterinary surgeon, you can phone us on 0121 299 0188 to discuss the details and costs, or book online here. You can access the referral form here, or your vet can make the referral online here.

How should I go about arranging a vet referral for my dog?

We will send you a referral form to give to your vet. Ask them to look at your dog and fill the form in. You should send this to us prior to the consultation, together with any clinical records that your vet may think are relevant. Alternatively, your vet may like to email, fax (0844 358 3201), or post their records directly to us. Note that they can also fill in their referral online. If you have already spoken to your vet, then this may be sufficient, but please double-check with them. Different vets have different ways of doing things. Some vets charge an extra fee for a referral.

What kind of guarantees can you offer me? What if your suggestions don't work?

We cannot guarantee a ‘cure’ or work miracles, but if between us we can diagnose what is going on, and if you are prepared to work hard, dramatic improvement is not unusual.  The treatment plan is designed to be fluid.  If what we initially suggest doesn’t seem to have much effect, then we will reassess and make some other suggestions about what to do. 

How quickly will we see results? How long will it take to solve the problem?

There is no quick fix to any kind of behaviour problem. The treatment plan advised may produce results very quickly, but often it will take time, effort and commitment from all of the family to produce the improved behaviour. Always remember that your pet’s current problems may have developed over a long period of time, so it may take a particularly long time to improve. It really varies from individual to individual. However, support from us is ongoing, as you need it. Following your consultation, further advice is available by phone and email as you progress, or face-to-face if you require it. Progress is often faster with greater follow-up behaviour support within your own environment.

Why must I seek referral from my vet? I'm sure my dog is perfectly healthy - what's the point?

A strong link between the veterinary surgeon and the animal behaviourist is essential in all cases. In order to rule out any physiological causes for the problem behaviour and in accordance with the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians‘ Code of Conduct, we only work on veterinary referral. Behavioural symptoms are often intertwined with some medical conditions. To provide a truly holistic solution to your problem, your vet needs to be involved at all stages of the process. The behaviourist will work closely with your vet, who often provides ongoing support from their end for various elements of the behaviour plan. 

How does the vet referral process work? What do you need from them? Do I have to pay more? My vet just said to give you a call - is that enough?

We will send you a referral form to give to your vet. Ask them to look at your pet and fill the form in. You should send this to us prior to the consultation, together with any clinical records that your vet may think are relevant. Alternatively, your vet may like to email, fax (0844 358 3201), or post their records directly to us. Note that they can also fill in their referral online. If you have already spoken to your vet, then this may be sufficient, but please double-check with them. Different vets have different ways of doing things. Some vets charge an extra fee for a referral.

Are you covered by insurance?

Second Nature Behaviour and our employees are fully covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

How do I know if I need to book a 1-2-1 training session or behaviour consultation?

Dog behaviour problems are usually caused by an underlying negative emotion, such as fear, anxiety or frustration. On the other hand, dog training problems are usually caused by dogs not understanding what’s being requested of them, or they may not be motivated enough to perform the behaviour requested. Examples of dog behaviour problems include lunging and barking at triggers on walks, aggression towards people or other animals, appearing fearful of certain noises etc. Examples of dog training problems include pulling on the lead, not coming back when called and jumping up at people. If you’re unsure what type of service you need, get in touch.