Going to the vet

How many times have you gone into the vet’s office and seen dogs that are pulling, lunging, even barking or growling at other dogs? Owner’s struggle to pay the bill, they are trying to get the debit card out while the dog is trying to get at another dog. The owner is apologizing and getting frustrated, but the behavior continues until they are out of the office. Why not “practice” vet visits? I adopted a dog that had to be sedated to have any type of an exam done. I had him for a few days, originally as his foster, noticed some alarming behavior so scheduled a vet visit thru the rescue. I was told he didn’t like the vet, that was an understatement, since he had tried to eat the vet at his last appointment! When we arrived for the appointment and walked in the door, they put 2 muzzles on this dog and still couldn’t get close enough to him to feel comfortable to examine him, so then it was sedation time. I was asked to walk him outside while a technician did a sneak attack behind him with the syringe. After 2 attempts, they were finally able to get the deed done. I was traumatized, so you can only image how the dog felt! Most people aren’t dealing with this extreme, but you get my drift. I decided that day, we would never have another vet visit like that. I made it my mission to change his perspective of a vet visit. I found the closest vet office to my house and I called them to ask if they were ok with me bringing this dog into the lobby, just to get comfortable with being there, they were so happy I was trying to fix this problem they said come in as often as you like. I muzzled him and we went in, found a corner we could keep to ourselves and observe. He was very uncomfortable, panting, licking, didn’t want to lay down. I patiently waited for him to calm himself, I didn’t pet him, I didn’t give him commands, I just let him figure it out. As soon as he made the choice to lay down completely, I gave him a high value treat and we left. I did this 4 or 5 times, each time he would calm faster than the time before. Once he got that down, I allowed him to walk up to a vet tech and take a treat. We worked up to him being off muzzle and allowed to approach vet techs and eventually the vet. Now I take him in for an exam without the muzzle, we sit calmly in the lobby before our appointment, I am able to hold his head while the vet does his thing. If the exam is going to be super invasive, he wears the muzzle and as soon as it’s over, the muzzle comes off and he gets treats. I make my payment while he lays calmly on the floor at my feet, no matter what is going on around us. The point to all of this is that instead of letting him continue to freak out about going to the vet, I took the time to show him what my expectations were and we practiced how to act at the vet. I want to strongly encourage you to work your dog thru issues instead of avoiding them and hoping they will go away on their own.

source https://wwwkcdogtraining.com/going-to-the-vet/