Helpful Handling
For fearful, anxious or over-excited dogs
Helpful Handling
If your dog is anxious at the vets, we can help them cope and feel calmer
Taking your puppy to the vets or the groomers for pleasant social visits can be very helpful for setting them up with positive associations for the future. The environments can be stressful as there is so much sensory processing going on for the animal that it can be overwhelming. Some animals, just like us, are more resilient than others and will be able to cope better than a fearful animal that is in pain or discomfort.
Has your pet developed a fear about routine handling?
- Nail trimming
- Ear cleaning
- Putting their harness on
- Grooming
- Touching a certain part of their body
Are they due to have surgery or a blood test?
- The sound and sensation of electric clippers
- Being gently restrained
- Standing still
- A stranger touching them – men and women
- Walking away from you
Helpful Handling – What we cover
What will my dog learn?
If your dog is anxious at home and worries about new people and places, help them cope at home and feel calmer, build confidence and minimise the stress when they do need to have something done which is unavoidable. It is easy to put off a challenge that we don’t want to do but if we can help our pets feel more positive we will get much better results being proactive, going slow and steady giving our pets the space and time to learn new responses.
Reward based training techniques are used, giving the pets freedom of choice to move away especially if they already have a negative association with something specific being done. We can’t always avoid restraint at the surgery or groomers but we can build up positive experiences at home that will be very beneficial elsewhere.
Changing emotional responses takes time, is very worthwhile and less distressing for everybody concerned over the long term.