Fear of the Vet
By Scotty Valadao – Canine Behaviour Consultant (ABC of SA™) : TTouch Practitioner
www.fods.co.za
Going to the vet can be a very stressful time, not just for the dog but for the owner as well, which will just add to the stress that the dog is experiencing. A fear such as this should not be taken likely, as the chances are that the bahaviour will escalate. This could lead to the dog being fearful of going in the car, becoming fearful of people in general, fear of being touched in some cases, fear of medication being given, and even escalate into aggression.
The most extreme cases of fear of the vet are normally shown from dogs that are only taken out in the car when going to the vet for the yearly shots or for a medical concern. As above, all fears tend to escalate, and the quicker you help your dog to cope with its perceived fear, in a positive manner and at a pace the dog can cope with - the better.
Before you start the exercises below to desensitize your dog to going to the vet, a very important factor is your own behaviour. If you pander to your dog's fear, or show that you are concerned about the visit, the dog will immediately pick this up and react accordingly. Act in a happy manner, laugh or sing in the car - be very blase about the whole experience and your dog will immediately feel easier. Be aware that you do not hold onto the lead in a vice like grip - the dog will feel this as well. Hold the lead securely but in a relaxed manner. In TTouch we use what is called the Balance Lead, where all the tension is taken off the neck. Anybody with a dog with fear issues really should consider learning TTouch as it can have such an amazing result in reducing stress.
The easiest way to solve this is just take the dog out in the car for regular rides at least a few times a week. You can go around the corner to the local park and let the dog have a sniff around or even do the same at your local supermarket. Immediately the stress levels in this case will be reduced, and the dog will start to change its perception of being in the car a rewarding one, rather than the end result always being a visit to the vet.
Repeat the above until the dog is completely happy with being in the car and looking forward to the reward at the end of the car journey.
Once the dog is happy with travelling in the car, then start taking the dog to the vet, but not inside. Let it sniff around outside on the grassed area that most vets have nowadays, at the same time praising the dog and offering treats. What we are doing, is slowly but surely lowering the dogs stress levels to this environment.
Tell your vet what you are doing and I am sure that you will get full co-operation, especially if the dog is difficult at the vet when being examined. When the dog is happy with sniffing and smelling around outside the vet, your next step will be to phone the vet before you leave and tell the receptionist what you will be doing. After smelling around outside, walk the dog in, offer some treats and let it smell around, and the majority of receptionists will come over and do the same. Repeat this as often as necessary, even going around the block and then coming back and repeating the same exercise. Gary Player once said ‘the more I practice the luckier I get’, so you get the idea of how often this needs to be done!
Your next step is if the dog is scared of the weighing scale, to offer treats until the dog is happily sitting or standing on it. Yes, we are gradually eliminating all the 'triggers' associated with the vet that lead to stress!
When the above has all been successfully achieved, if the vet has a spare exam room, ask if you can walk in with the dog and then walk out again. Repeat until the dog is comfortable with the surroundings. Remember to close the door in this exercise, as the door will be closed during the vet exam. The majority of vets I work with will happily take this exercise a step further and get involved with the rehabilitation work by letting the dog walk into the room, patting the dog etc, so do ask your vet if he can co-operate with you on this point.
The most extreme cases of fear of the vet are normally shown from dogs that are only taken out in the car when going to the vet for the yearly shots or for a medical concern. As above, all fears tend to escalate, and the quicker you help your dog to cope with its perceived fear, in a positive manner and at a pace the dog can cope with - the better.
Before you start the exercises below to desensitize your dog to going to the vet, a very important factor is your own behaviour. If you pander to your dog's fear, or show that you are concerned about the visit, the dog will immediately pick this up and react accordingly. Act in a happy manner, laugh or sing in the car - be very blase about the whole experience and your dog will immediately feel easier. Be aware that you do not hold onto the lead in a vice like grip - the dog will feel this as well. Hold the lead securely but in a relaxed manner. In TTouch we use what is called the Balance Lead, where all the tension is taken off the neck. Anybody with a dog with fear issues really should consider learning TTouch as it can have such an amazing result in reducing stress.
The easiest way to solve this is just take the dog out in the car for regular rides at least a few times a week. You can go around the corner to the local park and let the dog have a sniff around or even do the same at your local supermarket. Immediately the stress levels in this case will be reduced, and the dog will start to change its perception of being in the car a rewarding one, rather than the end result always being a visit to the vet.
Repeat the above until the dog is completely happy with being in the car and looking forward to the reward at the end of the car journey.
Once the dog is happy with travelling in the car, then start taking the dog to the vet, but not inside. Let it sniff around outside on the grassed area that most vets have nowadays, at the same time praising the dog and offering treats. What we are doing, is slowly but surely lowering the dogs stress levels to this environment.
Tell your vet what you are doing and I am sure that you will get full co-operation, especially if the dog is difficult at the vet when being examined. When the dog is happy with sniffing and smelling around outside the vet, your next step will be to phone the vet before you leave and tell the receptionist what you will be doing. After smelling around outside, walk the dog in, offer some treats and let it smell around, and the majority of receptionists will come over and do the same. Repeat this as often as necessary, even going around the block and then coming back and repeating the same exercise. Gary Player once said ‘the more I practice the luckier I get’, so you get the idea of how often this needs to be done!
Your next step is if the dog is scared of the weighing scale, to offer treats until the dog is happily sitting or standing on it. Yes, we are gradually eliminating all the 'triggers' associated with the vet that lead to stress!
When the above has all been successfully achieved, if the vet has a spare exam room, ask if you can walk in with the dog and then walk out again. Repeat until the dog is comfortable with the surroundings. Remember to close the door in this exercise, as the door will be closed during the vet exam. The majority of vets I work with will happily take this exercise a step further and get involved with the rehabilitation work by letting the dog walk into the room, patting the dog etc, so do ask your vet if he can co-operate with you on this point.
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The more the exercises above are practised, the happier and easier it will be for your dog when a vet visit is necessary. I have found that some dogs with fear of vets, are much happier being on the floor during a vet exam, so ask your vet if this is possible. If not, then consider adding a final phase of getting your dog used to being lifted up onto the table.
Additional tools that can be used are the use of a muzzle if you have a dog that may become reactive (click here for Muzzle article). I would suggest that you ensure the dog is happy at the vet using the exercises above and only bring in the desensitizing to the muzzle after this has been achieved - then repeat the exercises with the muzzle on the dog. |
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Another tool that has a great impact is the use of TTouch. Simply doing a bit of TTouch before going to the vet, containing the dog with a balance lead and the use of the Wrap in this situation, will greatly reduce the dogs stress levels.
Additionally make sure that your own body language is relaxed. Our dogs pick up on whether we are feeling stressed immediately and will react accordingly. Breathe evenly and even whistle or sing, which will relax both of you. Picture in your mind the outcome you do expect – dog walking happily into the vet – and stop labelling your dog as being ‘fearful/aggressive at the vet’.
If the above is done on a regular basis, working at a pace with which a dog is comfortable, in no time at all you will have a dog that can cope with going to the vet. Good Luck!
Additionally make sure that your own body language is relaxed. Our dogs pick up on whether we are feeling stressed immediately and will react accordingly. Breathe evenly and even whistle or sing, which will relax both of you. Picture in your mind the outcome you do expect – dog walking happily into the vet – and stop labelling your dog as being ‘fearful/aggressive at the vet’.
If the above is done on a regular basis, working at a pace with which a dog is comfortable, in no time at all you will have a dog that can cope with going to the vet. Good Luck!
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