A Bad Veterinary Experience
Many dogs can be fearful before even getting to a veterinary clinic and because they don’t try to bite or struggle, everyone thinks they are okay. The problem is that with each visit your dog is likely to get worse, because each visit is frightening for them from start to finish. If something that they perceive to be really bad happens to them, they react. For example; a dog who usually behaves, but stands trembling in fear, frozen, or with feet planted, can easily switch from being frozen or wanting to hide in fear, to feeling that they need to defend themselves by growling or biting for the first time.
Some dogs are able to take things like having blood drawn or being restrained for X-rays in stride; the fearful dog however, may blow these experiences out of proportion.
So my dog had a bad experience at the vet. Now what? Can I fix it? Yes; you can fix it. Depending on what the experience was, you can do things to train the dog to associate the animal hospital with good things. You want to get help when you do this. The best person to help is somebody who is a positive trainer or behaviourist who understands the principles of behaviour modification and can guide you through it, so you can do it efficiently and positively.
The goal is to associate the clinic and handling with good things. The person you work with should be somebody who can list all the signs of fear and anxiety in a dog for you so that you know how to recognize them. They should be able to use a number of different types of reward-based techniques, versus the, “show who’s boss” approach.
I don’t recommend using a choke chain or a pinch collar; this indicates a desire to give corrections. Choke chains and pinch collars are sort of a vague punishment of something you didn’t like; the information they send to the dog is not very good. They work by causing pain or fear of pain. The problem; fear of veterinary experiences is already fear-based and we definitely don’t want to inflict more pain or fear; making things worse for the dog and you. Head halters can be unpleasant to a dog too, because the dog can’t move their head where they want. However, they at least guide them into position, so you can more precisely give the dog information about what you want him to do.
You also want to avoid any trainer who says, “We don’t use food!” Food is a strong motivator for dogs. The food is being used to create a positive emotional state. You can use other things, too, but you don’t want to take away one of your strongest motivators! The person who helps you needs to understand that your goal is to change the emotional state of the dog from scared to calm, comfortable, relaxed, and happy.
I recommend that people bring their pets to the hospital hungry; withhold the previous meal and bring it along with tastier treats to the visit. Treats should be bite-sized so that the dog can consume a single treat in 1 to 2 seconds. Giving 5 to 15 small treats in rapid succession is better than giving one large treat. The sequence of treats can be used to extend the period of time in which the dog is in a positive emotional state. In general, soft treats such as tiny pieces of hot dog, diced chicken, or chopped Natural Balance food roll work better than dry treats, although many dogs are fans of freeze dried liver or Liver Biscotti. Even consider using canned spray cheese or peanut butter spread thin on a spoon. A positive veterinary experience is more important than having a balanced diet on one particular day.
Source information from; Sophia Yin, DVM, MS, visit her website at askdryin.com. Low Stress Handling, Restraint, and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats can be ordered directly from askdryin.com, in either book form (comes with a DVD) or in a digital format that can be downloaded at a discounted price. For the digital version, see askdryin.com/elearning.
March 2010
Bottom line: It is your responsibility as a pet owner to take your pet to the vet often when they are puppies. In reality, if they only go to the vet once a year for checkups where they get touched, poked and prodded and the smells are overwhelming for them, it makes this new location very scary. Remember to take treats, weigh the dog, visit the office assistant, and offer a reward for good behaviour and do it often. Leave with a happy voice and a positive experience. Lori