Dynamic Dog Assessments
Is your dog dealing with multiple behavior challenges that seem tough to untangle?
​
Have you been putting in the work, but your dog’s behavior still isn’t improving the way you’d hoped?
​
Do you have a gut feeling that pain could be behind your dog’s behavior—but nothing obvious is showing up?
​
Already working with great trainers and want even deeper insight into what’s going on with your dog?
Dynamic Dog Assessment for Pain-Related Behavior Challenges
Unexplained behavior issues? Pain might be the missing piece.
​
At JW Dog Training, we offer Dynamic Dog Assessments to uncover whether pain or physical discomfort may be contributing to your dog’s behavior problems—such as reactivity, aggression, fear, or anxiety. Research suggests that up to 80% of behavior cases involve some form of undiagnosed pain. By evaluating your dog’s posture, gait, movement, and daily life, we help identify whether underlying discomfort is influencing behavior.
What Is a Dynamic Dog Assessment?
A Dynamic Dog Assessment is a comprehensive, virtual evaluation of your dog’s emotional and physical well-being. Conducted by our credentialed Dynamic Dog Practitioner, Kat Heckert, this service helps bridge the gap between training and veterinary care.
​
While our practitioner does not diagnose or treat, they are trained to identify subtle signs of pain that often go unnoticed—even by seasoned dog guardians. Many dogs with pain still run, play, and act “normally.” But small posture shifts, behavioral changes, or compensatory movements can reveal important clues.
Signs Your Dog May Benefit from a Dynamic Dog Assessment
-
Challenging behavior that doesn’t improve with training alone
-
Sudden fearfulness or anxiety
-
Unusual posture or gait changes
-
Reluctance to be touched or groomed
-
Stiffness or changes in movement
-
Regressions in behavior without a clear cause
What’s Included in a Dynamic Dog Assessment?
1. Deep Dive Consultation (90 minutes, virtual)
We’ll discuss your dog’s behavior, daily routine, medical and training history, sleep, nutrition, and more. These conversations help us build a full picture of your dog’s emotional and physical environment.
2. Photo & Video Review
You’ll gather short video clips and photos of your dog walking, moving, and engaging in everyday activities. This helps us assess gait, posture, and movement patterns.
3. Comprehensive Report for Your Vet
We’ll compile your dog’s history and our observations into a clear, professional report—highlighting any concerns that may warrant a medical evaluation. This process typically takes about a week.
4. Follow-Up Consultation (30 minutes)
We’ll meet virtually to walk you through the report, answer questions, and recommend next steps. We’ll also send the report directly to your vet—and can even attend your vet visit virtually at no extra charge.
5. Continued Behavior Support (Optional)
If medical issues are ruled out or being treated, you’ll have the option to begin one of our customized behavior modification coaching packages with one of our certified trainers.
Why This Matters
Pain-related behavior is often overlooked, but it’s treatable when identified. Our goal is to help you get answers so your dog can feel better and respond better to training.
​
Book Your Virtual Dynamic Dog Assessment Today
If you’ve tried training and aren’t seeing results—or if something just feels “off” with your dog—let’s take a closer look.
​
​
"Kat brings her amazing experience from beyond “just” training to guide the process. For us that included immediately flagging that there might be an underlying pain issue based 100% on my description of what I saw, what we’ve tried before, what worked and what didn’t seem to make any difference. She worked behind the scenes to analyze and summarize what she was seeing in the other photos/videos in a way that made sense to me as dog mom but also to my primary vet and the orthopedic vet we ended up being referred to. Turns out that despite appearing like a super happy, fun loving dog, X-rays show my crazy little man has painful issues in both knees and his lower back which, according to the ortho specialist, is probably contributing to his reactivity."
— Katie & Brooks
DYNAMIC DOG ASSESSMENT
Work with our Dynamic Dog Practitioner Kat Heckert to evaluate if pain or discomfort could possibly be contributing to your dog's behavior.
-
90-minute virtual consultation to do a deep dive into your dog's history and behavior.
-
Step-by-step instructions about how to gather photo and video data.
-
Comprehensive report of the findings to send to your veterinarian.
-
30-minute follow-up to discuss findings and next-steps.
-
Investment: $450