Dog Tricks For Visits To The Veterinarian

Many dogs do not exhibit their best behavior at the vet?s office, which makes visits there a lot less fun for everyone. Objections to receiving medical care can take the form of unruly behavior, signs of stress like salivating excessively or shaking, and even aggression. The worse your dog's behavior is, the harder it is for the vets and vet techs to examine and treat your dog, which makes the visits even longer, which can make your dog's behavior even worse.

One of the best ways to make visits to the vet better for everyone is to teach your dog to perform certain behaviors that he will need to do while at the office and in the examining room. Training your dog to do the things that he will need to do at the vet's can help avoid the stress of being physically manipulated. For example, teach your dog to step up onto a small platform when asked so that he can perform this same "trick" on the scale at the vet's. So many dogs get pushed and prodded up onto the scale with frustration and anxiety resulting in all parties, and this is largely unnecessary.

Another thing to teach a dog is to go "belly up" for abdominal exams. Many dogs get disoriented if placed in this position, and this discomfort can result in fear, anxiety, aggression, and an exam that is too harried to be useful. If you practice having your dog lie on his back with his legs spread out away from his body, it will become less alarming for your dog to assume this posture for an exam. Once your dog can do this on cue, get him used to being touched on his belly while in this position so that he will not be surprised when the vet touches him after he does this trick. As a biologist who is easily amused, I taught my dog to perform this trick to the cue, "Boy or girl"?

Many dogs react badly at the vet when their paw is grabbed, but this is something that commonly needs to be done in order to draw blood. Some dogs seem to dislike the feeling of a paw being held, others seem to feel off balance if the paw is taken while in a standing position, and still other dogs just don?t like to be touched without warning. Teaching your dog to "shake" in order to get them to present a paw greatly increases the likelihood that this procedure will go more smoothly. A dog who has been taught to shake will not be surprised by having their paw taken, will tend to sit before presenting their paw, and many get used to how it feels during the repetition that is so essential in training any new skill. For maximum effectiveness, work up to holding onto your dog's paw for a long time (up to a minute) when you practice this at home so that when your dog?s paw is held for longer than a moment at the vet's, it will not be the first time he experiences a longer shake than is typical.

I am willing to bet that all small animal veterinarians would be ecstatic if every dog could reliably perform a "down/stay." This would make vaccinations, exams, and anything else that requires the dog to remain still (which includes a lot of treatments!) easier, more effective, and faster. This is a great skill for so many practical purposes in life, and making vet visits better is at the top of the list.

Besides making visits to the vet less objectionable for everyone, training your dog to perform these behaviors on cue shortens the time it takes the vets and vet techs to do what they need to do. This efficiency will leave you more time to discuss any concerns you have about your dog with the veterinarian. Many people resist taking their dogs to the vet even when they know their dog needs medical care, simply because the experience is so dreadful for everyone. Dogs benefit greatly from regular visits to the vet as well as emergency ones, which is why training them specifically to handle this part of their life should be a fundamental part of all dogs' education.

---Karen London

Comments

[dog stairs]

Hi,
One of the best ways to make visits to the vet better for everyone is to teach your dog to perform certain behaviors that he will need to do while at the office and in the examining room.

[annie]

I adopted a 7 month old mixed breed who till yesterday doing very well having no accidents in the house. Yesterday she went into the carpeted family room and deficated and continued up the hall. I cleaned that up and as I was vacumeing later came as I was present and started to stool again. I FIrly said no and took her outside. Ear;ly this morning after being taken out at 0630, I noticed her going to the faily rom downstairs again and saw that she urinated on the carpet in the hall. I need to understand what is causeing this all of a sudden and how to prevent it. I now have a gate at the top of the stairs now., but we spend alot of time in the failyroom and love to have her with us. Just a further frustration, she olny seems to go on the carpet and not the the wood floor, not that I want her going anywhere in the house. HElp

[doghealth123]

In recent years, the current trends in canine immunization and boosters have come under much scrutiny. With new vaccines becoming available with increasing frequency, and with more and more vaccines being given in combination within a single injection, many pet owners and veterinary professionals are becoming concerned over the possibility of over-vaccination, particularly with regard to annual boosters, a problem with potential negative outcomes of its own.