" Dr Katrina Ward assisted me and my Labrador Merlin have a quality of life. Merlin suffered severe separation anxiety. Dr Ward prescribed medication and gave us a managment plan to wean him slowly to get used to being away from me. Merlin did extremely well. I am now a Delta Accredited Instructor/Assessor. I recommend all clients that need more than training to seek Dr Ward's assistance. Not only that...Dr Ward was extremely instrumental in sadly rehoming my dog Merlin due to me needing a Lion's hearing dog (which I now have, called Fez, and he is doing better than hearing dog trainers expected!) Fex and 6 other hearing dogs have come from the Hobart Dog's Home. Fez was trained with my goats and cat. Merlin is now happy living with a brother Bailey (a black Labrador), getting 10 km walks a day from their fit and dog loving owners. I saw Merlin for his seventh birthday he was so happy lean and fit. I cannot recommend Dr Ward enough."

" I found the class really great. I learnt a lot about why a puppy does something and how to deal with unwanted behaviour. Also, the reward system works great and I have found it to be an excellent way to train my puppy."

"We engaged Katrina for behavioural assessments of our two dogs. She has a prfoessional and approachable manner, and a very obvious rapport with animals. We found her extremely communicative and reliable in relation to appointments. The assessments she performed on our dogs were extensive and methodical, and the results were tabled in a very thorough report provided to us at completion. We found Katrina's prices very fair considering her level of education and expertise, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend her services to any dog owner."

"Dear Katrina, Thank you so much for all your advice and support with my cat. She really was the “Cat from Hell” and now is quite tolerable. My one regret is that I didn’t contact you sooner. It isn’t overstating to say you’ve saved my sanity and her life."

"Lily came from NSW RSPCA a very nervous, noisy little dog. We tried to calm her down, reassure her, give treats, but nothing worked. She barked at everyone and everything. Katrina was our dog whisperer and she had all the answers and a special something. She helped us transform our Lily. We now have a very friendly, sweet little bundle of love that we can take anywhere. She’s happy, and so are we. Thank you Katrina."

“I first consulted Katrina when my chocolate Labrador puppy became aggressive towards my older dog over food. Hermione has some neurological damage from birth and as she also finds eating and drinking tricky she became anxious and aggressive whenever her food bowl was around. Shortly afterwards, Hermione also began compulsively swallowing rocks when outside and as her condition deteriorated she also became aggressive towards her humans at feed time. We were at our wits end and feared we would not be able to keep our beloved girl. Katrina was instrumental in finding the right medication to manage the situation and in helping us to formulate a plan that would allow us to feed Hermione safely, manage the rock swallowing, and permit Hermione to live a happy and healthy life. Over the past three years we have needed to modify this plan several times to account for quirks in Hermione’s behaviour and I could not have done this without Katrina’s assistance. She is empathetic and non-judgemental in her approach and her consultations and reports are thorough and, above all, workable for the average family. It is reassuring to know that I can always touch base with Katrina if I have concerns and I recommend her unreservedly to anyone who is struggling with behavioural issues relating to a family pet.”

“My miniature poodle puppy was very frightened and anxious. I spoke with my vet who referred us to Dr. Katrina Ward. I was able to speak to Katrina and voice my concerns and she made a time to visit us in our home environment. From this first contact I felt so confident with Katrina and her ability to see Maisie's problems. Katrina gave me the skills, knowledge and a plan to help manage Maisie's insecurities as well as a folder with many hints and tips. I was able to keep in touch with Katrina by phone and email over the next few months until I felt Maisie had become more settled. I now have a very happy, relaxed and friendly little dog. My sincere thanks go to Katrina for her professionalism, care, compassion and understanding.”

“Thank you, you have helped beyond belief. I had my old german shepherd attacking my younger shepherd. The advice you gave has been priceless and is something I can use in the future in our animal refuge. It is comforting to know there is someone I can turn to when I need advice concerning any of the precious animals at my refuge. Heartfelt thanks.”

Katrina Ward came highly recommended to us through a close friend. Our 16 year old best friend Pepper dog had been presenting behavioural & anxiety symptoms. Katrina came to do a home visit. It was a good opportunity for her to observe Pepper in her own environment & get a general picture of how we were trying to manage her symptoms. In a short period of time Pepper started to respond to the excellent suggestions & strategies we put in place under Katrina's guidance, which in turn gave our pet more quality of life. Her professional care enabled us to take a 6 week overseas holiday, confident that our pet would cope without her family. A warm & compassionate veterinarian became not only a friend to our beloved pet, but also to us.”

“Dr. Ward was my mentor whilst I was studying for examinations in veterinary behaviour. Not only was she extremely patient and supportive; her knowledge of veterinary behaviour is exceptional. I wouldn't have passed without her!”

"Katrina has diagnosed and treated our rescued dog over the last 4 years who has a chronic anxiety problem .Due to her treatment he is now more relaxed , able to be trained, and a happier dog. Katrina is professional in her manner and has always had our dogs best interests at heart. Also we have been very appreciative of the professional support she has given us as we manage the problems and "issues" our dog has had during this time."

“You will find some details about the inaugural Polite Pet’s Month in this newsletter. This is a great initiative to help spread the word that behavioural medicine is critical to patient, client and broader community wellbeing. It is wonderful to see the educational opportunities both within veterinary practices and for clients. In the long run good behavioural education is likely to enhance the bond between pets and owners and improve the acceptance of the value of pets among the non-pet owning members of the community. Many thanks to Dr Andrew O’Shea, Dr Terry Theakstone and Dr Katrina Ward for all the hard work they have put in to making this event happen. I am certain it will go from strength to strength in the coming years.”

"Hi Katrina, I have recommended your puppy classes to many of my friends! Keep up the good work! Regards, "

“Katrina Ward was the primary author of “Reward Based Training – A Guide for Dog Trainers”. Documents such as this help promote good behavioural education and forge bonds with associations that share common interests with AVBIG. These relationships are critical in giving AVBIG a profile and a voice in the wider animal behaviour community.”

“It was really beneficial having Katrina attend the meeting. Not only did she clearly articulate the AVAs report and reasons behind it but was able to talk about Tasmanian case studies first hand, the Tasmanian experience and her inability to access dog bite incidence records (mainly because they are not kept) all of which supported our call for mandatory reporting and the importance of record keeping and everything else outlined in the DD Policy. Her knowledge, expertise and Tasmanian experience carried much weight in our discussions.”