Co-operative care & joyful vet visits

I'm not going to lie; my dogs don't like the vet. There are very few procedures with which they are totally comfortable, and I feel guilty every time they need vaccines, routine exams or medications involving a vet. That being said, I have begun a few simple things with them to reduce their discomfort, and that counts for something and provides a foundation on which we can build comfort with increasingly more invasive procedures. There are also a few different things that YOU can do with your dog to build their comfort with different examinations.

I'm first going to outline a few different things that your dog might be uncomfortable with, and then I will discuss what you can do and train to alleviate a bit of discomfort with these procedures.

"My dog doesn't enjoy the following..."

The weighing scales

I used to attend a vet with Ivy when we lived in Dublin City Centre, and they had the worlds most awkward weighing scales. It was a normal flat weighing scales, but for some reason they had built a box around 3 of the sides, so the dog had to step in uncomfortably, making it easier for vets to pen in the animal to get accurate weight measurements. Horrendous for many reasons, and scary for the dog.
Since then we have switched to a different veterinarian, with a large waiting room, tonnes of space for anxious dogs (and owners) to hide or be hidden, and space to access the surgery rooms without running into another pet. Fab. The weighing scales is still the same flat platform, but without the box, meaning it is easier for the dogs to both step on, stay on, and step off.

Taking your dogs weight shouldn't be a stressful experience, yet many dogs find it uncomfortable to use a scales. This can be down to the stressful environment itself, memories of getting jabbed previously, being in discomfort or pain when visiting the vet, or even the social pressure of being asked (and then forced) onto the scales, even briefly.
The benefits may outweigh the negatives in this scenario, but every little stressor in the vets adds up. With something simple like a weight check, it makes sense to train our dogs for this so that they feel less uncomfortable with at least one regular procedure.

Calm in the vet waiting room

Walking into the vet, and waiting there with your dog can be a nightmare sometimes, especially during busier periods when there may be three or four other dogs in there too. Some dogs find it hard to be in close proximity to other dogs, and throw in feeling unwell on top of that you have a disaster
scenario waiting to happen. Often, people will want to chat and talk about your dog; "What is he in for?" and touching your dog or getting their dog to say hi to yours is likely. This is often the last thing a poorly or anxious dog needs! It could be a great idea to teach a certain 'go-to' behaviour; a behaviour your dog can practice lots and lots in the vet waiting room that gives them something to do and helps keep them calm. This can help lower stress levels of everyone involved!

Ear, eyes and body checks

Whilst the more invasive procedures are often things like vaccines, the dreaded up-the-nose kennel cough, or the thermometer-in-the-bum; being manipulated and handled for examinations can be just as uncomfortable for our dogs. We may assume that our dogs don't mind this part as much; after all they love a cuddle on the sofa! But for us, when the doctor takes our blood pressure, listens to our heart beats or looks in our ears it's a very different feeling than cuddling up on the couch with your best bud. Though simple, these procedures invade our personal space, coming into our bubble and making us feel icky. It's no different for our dogs. Building our dogs confidence with these procedures, increasing comfort and helping them cope can be effective at lowering our dogs overall stress levels at the vet.

"So what we can do is..."

Targets

Targeting is a term used for when we teach an animal to touch or target a part of their body against something. So for example, we can teach our dogs to touch their noses off our hands, or to give the paw, or to go to bed (yes their bed is a target for their body!). There are plenty of other ways that we can use targets, and we will go through some of those here.

Weighing scales: There are two targets that may be most handy in teaching your dog to like the weighing scales. One is a hand target or 'touch', and one is a place to stand, or a floor target. We can use either of these, or a combination of both.

Hand targets is simply teaching our dogs to touch their nose off our hands when cued, and then building on that behaviour and training them to follow our outstretched hands, WITHOUT food as a lure. This means we can hold out our hand and guide our dogs onto the weighing scales without physically lifting them onto it. See our video tutorial here for part 1 and here for part 2.

Training a place target, or a spot your dog should stand, is a bit different. What we want is our dogs four paws on an object, such as a yoga mat, blanket or vet bedding. You could even make a pretend scales out of a large rectangle of wood and use that. If you've taught the hand target above, use that to move your dog onto the object, and once all four paws are on it, say 'yes!' and give a treat. See the video tutorial here. Note that in the video, I use a clicker instead of saying 'yes!'. It is still the same.

Calm in the vet waiting room: Teaching our dogs to lie down on a mat can be a beneficial behaviour, as it gives our dog a behaviour to do, and if taught correctly the mat can be a lovely place to be. Having a specific mat for settling means that you can bring your mat everywhere and use it to station your dog, giving them a spot to be and a signal that says "we're just hanging out on our mats
now!". When at the vet office and waiting for your appointment, you can place the mat down away from other dogs and people, and let your dog hang out on the mat until your name is called. Here is the initial teaching of this behaviour, and then helping your dog learn how to do it for longer duration of time, with distractions, and even if you have to move away from them.

Ear, eyes and body checks: Getting our dogs used to being handling is a vital life skill; we may assume our dogs love being touched and petted but as animals without thumbs, grooming and touching isn't as common or as appreciated as we would like! We can build up our dogs comfort though, by playing a simple game for thirty seconds to a minute at a time. Touch for a treat! Taking treats in one hand and putting that hand behind your back, you briefly and gently touch one of your dogs body parts with your free hand, take your hand away, and make a treat then magically appear from behind your back. Video tutorial here. This teaches your dog that each time a body part is touched, something lovely happens afterwards!

Another option for examinations can be practiced at home. All you need is a tile or glass wall or window (or a helper and a Kong!), something spreadable like cream cheese, yogurt, peanut butter or pate, and a peckish dog. Smear stuff all over the tile or glass pane (or in your Kong), and let your dog start licking at it. Whilst they're licking, begin to touch them (gently!) all over. If they stop licking, immediately take your hands OFF the dog. As soon as they start licking and lapping again, you can begin to re-examine them. This teaches your dog that they can control when exams start and stop.

When they are uncomfortable, they stop licking and you stop touching. When they feel a bit better they continue to lick and lap at the foodstuffs and you can examine. See? It's all about consent. Consent builds confidence and helps reduce your dogs stress levels associated with exams and veterinary procedures.
You can try this in the vets office too with a lined Kong or a wooden spoon dipped in something lovely. Hold it in front of your dog; whilst they eat your vet can proceed with heart rate, body or ear exams. When your dog takes their face away from the Kong, your vet should be instructed to STOP. There is a fantastic video from our friends at AniEd Ireland (www.anied.ie) here about happy vet visits!

From these small tips you can build up to more behaviours aimed at helping your dog at the vets. Chin targets can be another useful one, as seen in action here, or even work with a trainer to help your dog reach consent for blood draws as seen here! Whatever small action you take, you will be making a big difference to your dog. Get in touch for more information should you require it. Happy training!