De-Stressing the Vet Exam

Bella is scared of vet visits. She often needs to be dragged into the consult room and then panics when touched. Using gentle techniques, counter conditioning, desensitisation and added (positive) reinforcement we are helping her overcome her fear and allow handling. Read more here: http://www.dogcharming.com.au/blog/making-vet-visits-fun

Bella is a fearful dog that was afraid to be examined. She is learning her body parts so we can tell her what we are going to do and where we are going to touch her. Bella has learned that she gets to decide when she is comfortable and we can proceed and when we need to stop.

There are few things more nerve-wracking to a dog guardian than bringing a dog with a history of reactivity into a new veterinarian's lobby. Now add in a dog that is in a lot of pain, and it can be a recipe for disaster! ... So we came prepared!

Vet visits are the single most common terrifying experience for dogs and cats. In this long video (10 minutes) I give several tips that you can use in your next visit and some that you'll need to train and practice first. Definitely watch this right away if you have a puppy, kitten, or other young animal.

Here are some ideas of how targeting behaviours can be used to engage your dog for care giving behaviours. This is not a how to video or the only way to teach these behaviours but just sharing some training I have been doing.

Here are some ideas of how targeting behaviours can be used to engage your dog for care giving behaviours. This is not a how to video or the only way to teach these behaviours but just sharing some training I have been doing.

How to acclimate a dog to being examined at the veterinary office.

An important consideration when training our dogs, is to include their general care procedures into our fun, daily sessions. Deenie has a history of stressful behaviors contingent on veterinary care. So, we bring the basic procedures to her home location where she is most relaxed, and build positive associations over time.

This dog is learning to calmly accept procedures that increasingly approximate an injection. We start by just touching or poking the dog with a finger, then graduate to using a blunt pen, a capped...