Feeling Pawsitive Veterinary Behavioral Solutions

Behavioral health plans are built on three pillars: environmental management and safety, medical evaluation with targeted medication when appropriate, and behavior modification training.

The training side covers desensitization and counter-conditioning for triggers like strangers, other animals, loud noises, and vet visits; cooperative care and handling for nail trims, ear cleaning, brushing, and medication; muzzle, head halter, and harness acclimation; relaxation and impulse-control protocols for high-arousal or anxious dogs; and replacement behaviors that give a dog something to do instead of reacting.

Every new patient also receives a foundational video series on reading body language, settling cues, and delivering cues clearly. Hands-on sessions are led by the practice’s licensed veterinary technicians and certified trainers and are tailored to each dog’s treatment plan.

Common concerns handled here include separation anxiety, storm and firework phobias, reactivity and aggression, resource guarding, house soiling, compulsive behaviors such as tail chasing and licking, and hyperactivity.

Pricing Summary

The practice does not publish a rate sheet; fees are quoted for your pet’s plan and are due at the time services are rendered. Financing is available through Cherry, CareCredit, Scratchpay, the All Pet Card, and PayPal Pay Later, with several interest-free short-term options. Some pet insurance policies reimburse behavioral consultations and treatment when the concern is not pre-existing, so it is worth checking your plan before the first visit.

Policies

No referral from your regular veterinarian is required, though the team asks that you send your pet’s records ahead of the appointment and recommends bloodwork from within the last three months so the evaluation is complete.

Appointment requests submitted online are not confirmed until a team member reaches you by phone, usually within two business days. Clinic days rotate by location: Greenville and Asheville see patients in-clinic on Mondays, all three locations on Wednesdays (Hickory the first Wednesday of the month only), with Tuesday and Thursday reserved for prescription pickups in Greenville. The practice is closed Fridays through Sundays.

Feeling Pawsitive Veterinary Behavioral Solutions is a veterinary behavior practice with clinics in Asheville, NC, Greenville, SC, and Hickory, NC, serving dog families in those cities and the surrounding areas. The practice works with dogs whose behavior is driven by fear, anxiety, frustration, over-arousal, or pain rather than defiance. The team treats behavior as communication, so the first question is always what is causing it, not just how to stop it.

Care is led by Dr. Adele Hilliard, founder and lead veterinarian at the Greenville practice, who earned her veterinary degree from the University of Georgia in 2014 and is a resident of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Dr. Jill Bradshaw leads the practice’s North Carolina clinics and holds a DVM from NC State along with a Master’s in Clinical Animal Behavior from the University of Edinburgh. Hands-on behavior modification sessions are run by the practice’s licensed veterinary technicians and certified trainers, including April Kormanec, RVT, KPA-CTP, a Karen Pryor Academy graduate certified in Low-Stress Handling.

Training here is reward-based and deliberately kept below a dog’s threshold. Plans draw on desensitization and counter-conditioning, cooperative care and handling, muzzle and safety-gear acclimation, relaxation and impulse-control protocols, and replacement behaviors such as going to a safe mat instead of reacting. The practice does not use fear, force, or pain, and treats growling, freezing, or walking away as useful information rather than something to punish.

Because this is a veterinary clinic, a plan can also address the medical side of behavior. Pain, underlying conditions, sleep, and neurochemistry all affect a dog’s ability to learn, and behavior medication is used alongside training when it helps a dog get calm enough to make progress. Medication is never the whole plan and is not prescribed lightly.

Every new patient gets access to a foundational video series covering body language, settling cues, and clear communication, followed by a written plan that is adjusted as the dog progresses. Pets are seen at three locations: the Greenville, SC clinic on West Stone Avenue and the Asheville and Hickory, NC clinics, each serving its own city and the surrounding areas.

Accomplishments

The practice describes itself as the only veterinary behavior clinic in South Carolina and one of a handful across North Carolina, with more than 450 pets helped and a combined 50-plus years of veterinary experience between its two lead veterinarians.

Dr. Adele Hilliard holds a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia (2014), has worked in general practice, shelter medicine, and veterinary education, and is a resident of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Dr. Jill Bradshaw earned her DVM from North Carolina State University in 1993, co-owned a veterinary clinic in Forest City for nearly two decades, completed a Master’s in Clinical Animal Behavior at the University of Edinburgh in 2024, and is also an ACVB resident.

April Kormanec, RVT, is a Registered Veterinary Technician with over 15 years in the field, certified in Low-Stress Handling, a scholarship graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy, and currently pursuing her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Behavior. The team works in a Fear Free framework, and each clinic is set up as a low-stress space with calming scents and gentle white noise.

How to Get Started!

Call (864) 991-8024 or use the Schedule a Consultation form on the practice website to request a visit. A team member will call you back to confirm the appointment, usually within two business days, and no referral from your regular veterinarian is needed. Have your pet’s veterinary records and recent bloodwork ready to send ahead of the first appointment.

Their Training Philosophy

My training philosophy is centered on positive reinforcement, understanding the individual animal, and helping them feel safe enough to learn. Behavior is communication, so rather than focusing only on stopping an unwanted behavior, I want to understand what is driving it: fear, anxiety, frustration, over-arousal, pain, unmet needs, or simply not knowing what to do instead.

I focus heavily on management and prevention while teaching practical skills that give both the animal and their family more successful options. I use reward-based training, desensitization and counter-conditioning, enrichment, predictable routines, and choice whenever possible. I also believe in respecting an animal’s communication and working below their threshold rather than forcing them through situations that are overwhelming. Growling, avoidance, freezing, or moving away are valuable information, not behaviors I want to punish.

My veterinary background also shapes the way I approach behavior. Training does not exist separately from physical and emotional health. Pain, medical conditions, medications, sleep, environment, and stress can all affect an animal’s ability to learn and cope. For patients with significant fear, anxiety, or aggression, medication and training can work together: medication can help lower the intensity of the emotional response so the animal has a better opportunity to learn.

I encourage families to focus on small, successful repetitions rather than rushing toward the end goal. Sometimes progress is a dog choosing to look away from a trigger, recovering more quickly after barking, voluntarily approaching a piece of equipment, or simply deciding to walk away instead of reacting. Those “easy wins” matter because they gradually build confidence and new emotional responses.

Ultimately, my goal is not to create a perfectly obedient animal. I want to help animals feel safer and more confident, give their families realistic tools they can use in everyday life, and improve the relationship between the animal and the people caring for them.

A Tough Case They Solved

Cannot discuss cases due to confidentiality and protecting client’s needs. I am happy to discuss training cases and successes with someone without giving important information out.

What New Clients Can Expect

Clients can expect an individualized, positive-reinforcement approach that focuses on both behavior and the emotions behind it. We aren’t looking for a quick fix or simply trying to stop unwanted behavior. We want to understand why the behavior is happening and give both the animal and their family practical tools to make everyday life easier.

Training may look a little different from traditional obedience training. Depending on the patient, we may work on management and environmental changes, enrichment, confidence building, cooperative care, relaxation skills, leash work, or changing emotional responses to specific triggers. For animals experiencing fear, anxiety, reactivity, or aggression, sometimes the first step is simply helping them feel safe enough to learn.

Clients can expect:

Positive reinforcement: We teach and reinforce the behaviors we want rather than relying on fear, pain, intimidation, or punishment.

Individualized plans: Every animal and household is different. Training recommendations are based on that patient’s needs, environment, medical history, and family.

Management is part of training: Gates, distance, visual barriers, safe spaces, and avoiding certain situations aren’t failures. They prevent unwanted behaviors from being repeatedly practiced while we build new skills.

Small, achievable steps: We don’t rush animals through situations that overwhelm them. We work at a level where they can remain comfortable enough to learn and build from there.

Attention to body language: We teach families how to recognize subtle signs of stress, fear, frustration, and relaxation so they can respond before their animal becomes overwhelmed.

Practical skills for real life: Training should make daily life better. We focus on skills families can actually use at home, on walks, during veterinary care, with visitors, or wherever their challenges occur.

Collaboration with the veterinary team: Behavior and physical health are closely connected. When appropriate, training works alongside the veterinarian’s medical and medication plan rather than separately from it.

Homework and ongoing adjustments: Clients leave with specific things to practice, but the plan isn’t set in stone. We adjust based on what the animal tells us and what is realistic for the family.

Most importantly, clients should expect us to meet their animal where they are. Progress isn’t always a straight line, and success doesn’t necessarily mean creating a dog or cat who never reacts or feels worried. Sometimes success is recovering faster, choosing to walk away, feeling comfortable enough to eat or play, voluntarily participating in care, or simply having more good days than difficult ones.

Our goal is to help families better understand their animals while building safety, confidence, communication, and quality of life for everyone involved.