Pet Behaviour Service is based in Cornwall, UK, and was founded by veterinary surgeon and behaviour expert, Dr Uwe Gerecke, MRCVS.

"I believe that behaviour issues seen in dogs and cats do not need to be a struggle for the owners. In the majority of cases, they have developed based on a series of misunderstandings or misconceptions between human and animal living together, and can be solved!

"Pet dogs and pet cats do not live in their natural habitat. The environment they live in was created by humans and the growing-up pets need a lot of help to learn understand it. However, both dogs and cats only have a certain portfolio of species-specific signals available to communicate, which in some areas does not match that of their human counterparts. This can lead to confusion and insecurity of the pets, and in turn to helplessness and frustration of the owners.

"Once such misunderstandings get in the way of animals and humans living together harmoniously, problem behaviours may develop. Pets can easily get stuck in behavioural patterns which then show in the form of aggression, anxiety, phobias, obsessions, inappropriate urination, territorial, possessive, dominance or protective issues, etc.

"It is my job to find out the reasons for adverse behaviours, and to show you how they can be changed!"

Uwe Gerecke, DrMedVet, MRCVS, graduated from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Germany, in 1991. He is the author of the pioneering reference report "Companion Animal Behavioural Products" (Informa, London). Published in 2007, this report was specially written for the global animal health industry.