Debbie Busby

Debbie works with referring vets to resolve complex behaviour problems in horses and dogs. She is a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and is a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist with the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, both of which have the highest entry level qualifications of any animal behaviour organisation in the UK; all full members are academically qualified to at least FHEQ level 6 (honours degree) and knowledge and practical experience are rigorously assessed in the form of detailed case studies. She was only the third equine behaviourist in the UK to qualify to register at the highest level with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist (horses and dogs).

Debbie supervises university students on behaviour courses at master’s level and mentors new behaviourists coming through professional routes. She is a director of the Natural Animal Centre which provides self-guided and taught online courses in animal behaviour, and she practices as a psychotherapist within a Transactional Analysis framework, using this modality to support her animal behaviour clients in implementing the changes that she recommends through her consultations.

Debbie holds a first class BSc (Hons) in Psychology and an MSc with distinction in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. She is now conducting Doctoral research in horse-human relationships in the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, looking into the sustainability of horse riding in the contexts of training methods, welfare and social licence to operate. She has presented on her PhD research methodologies at the Equine Cultures in Transition conference at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala and the Royal Geographical Society International Conference in the UK.

Debbie writes articles and books on all aspects of behaviour and consulting, and presents talks and workshops internationally, both as an animal behaviour specialist and as a supporting expert in the Human Behaviour Change for Animals team, collaborating on psychology-themed projects. Debbie has developed her own communication model for behaviourists, vets and other animal practitioners, based on the principles of Transactional Analysis. She wrote the chapter on Equestrianism in the book Equine Behaviour in Mind, edited by international welfare consultant and behaviourist Suzanne Rogers, and has co-authored a book on equine evolution, behaviour and horse-human relationships, The Horse, A Natural History, published by Princeton University Press. Debbie answers ‘Ask the Experts' questions in Horse and Rider and Your Horse magazines, two of the UK's best-selling equestrian monthly magazines.

Debbie is also a Certified Horse Behaviour Consultant member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and Secretary of the Equine Behaviour and Training Association. Debbie is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and an academic member of the International Society for Equitation Science, she also holds membership of the British Veterinary Behaviour Association, the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-Law), the UK Register of Expert Witnesses and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Debbie’s first experience of horses was being taken to ride the farm horses who lived nearby in rural Cheshire. She learned to ride aged 8 on Badger, a retired pit pony who had spent most of his life working down coal mines, and her first experience of positive reinforcement was being sent out to buy mint imperials by the farrier when she rode to the forge. They were for the pony of course! Later she had an “around school” job caring for and exercising winning harness racing horses, and riding show horses for owners.

As a teenager Debbie competed at riding club and county level, and after studying for BHS exams she evented successfully, later concentrating on dressage and teaching, especially coaching to improve performance. Disliking the traditional “shouting” that some of her early instructors used to do in their lessons, Debbie developed an empathic and encouraging teaching style that helped her clients to achieve their best.

A childhood spent with family dogs and caring for racing greyhounds led Debbie to take in problem rescue dogs to rehabilitate and retrain. This in turn led to requests from other dog owners to help them with their dogs’ behaviour and Debbie went on to study canine behaviour in her Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare Master’s degree. Debbie continues to develop her knowledge and professional practice through CPD with her professional bodies the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians.

As well as resolving any immediate behaviour problems, Debbie is a firm believer in a long-term approach to achieving a great relationship with your four-legged friend. Her aim is to skill you up so that you can be confident about their behaviour for the future, understanding good practice and knowing which resources to rely on for accurate information.

Sometimes there’s no short term quick fix to a behaviour problem, and behaviour that took time to learn also takes time to be replaced by something more acceptable, but there are strategies you can put in place to make life easier while you and your companion are learning together.

As well as working with horses and dogs in the UK, Debbie travels to Spain, Turkey and the Middle East to research equine and canine welfare and to work with horse and dog owners there. Debbie partners with a trail riding company in Wadi Rum, Jordan to provide amazing six day desert rides, crossing the spectacular desert of mountains and sleeping under the stars each night.

Debbie’s intention as a behaviour consultant is to help horses, dogs and their owners to cope with the challenges of multispecies living: the domesticated horse is the same animal that ran wild over plains and steppe; domestication came very late in its history. Sometimes the mismatch between what we expect of our horses, and what they need for physical and psychological health, can be overwhelming, and behavioural problems often follow.

For dogs, the difficulties produced by unsuitable breeding, socialisation problems, busy family lives or being left home alone while owners go out to work can all result in behaviour problems.

Debbie aims to help owners understand and resolve the difficulties their animals are experiencing, and to do this in a way that is psychologically sound and follows the principles of learning theory and ethology.

Subjects of study and CPD for an animal behaviourist include:

ethology (the behavioural repertoire of a species), evolution and domestication;

the theory of learning (including associative learning, habituation, sensitisation, operant and classical conditioning), animal cognition and concepts of consciousness;

physiology of nervous and endocrine systems as they relate to learning, behaviour and welfare;

physiological indicators of welfare;

the interaction between health and behaviour;

welfare considerations in management and clinical practice;

clinical procedures;

animal law.