HAVE you got a pet with unsociable habits? Reporter Paul Wilkinson finds out more about man's best friend from local animal behaviour consultant, Gill Aitken...

Ever since my lovable pet pooch got to grips with an unsuspecting rabbit, "walkies" has never been the same.

Saffy, the obedient mongrel, began to stalk the local countryside like White Fang where once she'd happily bounced along at my side.

But if your dog chooses to hunt small furry things rather than fetch your muddy stick what can you do? Was Saffy not just answering the call of the wild?

From disobedient dogs to canny cats, unsociable rodents to belligerent budgies - animal behavioural consultant Gill Aitken has the answers.

"An animal's behaviour will only change if it's in its interest to do so," explains Gill, a former veterinary nurse who has worked with animals for most of her life.

"It needs to be more rewarding for a dog to come back to its owner than to chase a rabbit. Dog owners need to be in control. Dogs like proper boundaries and to know where they stand. Reward your dog if she comes back when you call. Have a hierarchy of rewards, with a big reward if she comes back straight away and a small reward if it takes a few calls. Keep her attention and play with her. It will take patience and hard work but will work over time."

Time and time again Gill emphasises the need for patience and hard work when training or re-educating pets.

"There's no quick fix. If a pet has had anti-social habits for many years you can't change them over night. I spend time with owners and their animals and give them advice plus all the tools they will need but owners have to be patient and often it's a lot of hard work."

In fact, much of Gill's work involves retraining the owners!

"An animal's behaviour is never in a vacuum - it's always in relationship to owners, other people or other animals. I train the owners as much as the animals and often that's the hardest bit!"

Gill often finds herself dealing with dogs who are aggressive, suffer from separation anxiety or have house training problems. But with a post-graduate diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling she has the knowledge to deal with all creatures - great and small.

And, with the experience of running an RSPCA animal sanctuary for eight years under her belt, she has faced quite a few challenging cases.

She remembers: "One woman had a dog that was very friendly as a puppy but when he was two years old he got so aggressive that she couldn't even touch him. I visited them twice and four months later I received a card which said the dog was better than ever. It was an extreme case and many owners would not have put up with such an unsociable dog but she very diligently followed the advice and, in the end, it was a different dog. I can always help but it is down to the owners to make it work."

Based in Lancaster, Gill offers professional consultations and training services and her vocation as an animal behaviour counsellor is a labour of love.

"It's immensely rewarding - the best job I've ever had!" she says. "I get to work with animals and people and help make life better for both of them."

For a consultation call Gill on 841525.