Tips for vet visit stress reduction

The dog tries to pull away before he even gets to the door. Once inside, he skitters into the waiting room, paws scrambling on the slippery floor, eyes wide and focused on getting back outside. He’s shivering, panting and his front paw lifts as he waits, scanning around.

Is this what your dog does at the vet office? Your heart breaks, but this is for his own good, so you both just suffer through.

You can actually help your dog with that stress. When his brain is engaged in doing something active, his overall anxiety level will go down. Here are some ideas.

What to bring

• Crazy good treats — your dog should have tested them before so you know he likes them and he won’t just associate them with the vet.

• Interactive toys (washable) — may work better than treats, because your dog will be less hungry when stressed. Be careful with tug on a slippery floor.

• A rug — the floor is slippery, hard, and cold. They provide you with a chair. It’s only fair that the dog has something comfy too.

• A helper — someone else can join you to help protect and distract the dog.

Training

If you have trained your dog with positive reinforcement, you can run through his repertoire of sit, down, spin, go to your rug, etc. He is stressed and in a new location, so don’t expect him to be perfect. Your dog will probably respond better to hand signals. Humans are chatty but dogs understand visual cues more easily than verbal ones. Treat every time he responds to your cues, even if it’s not perfect.

‘Hide and Seek’

When the seeking circuit of the brain is engaged, you’ll see that tail start to lift up and the dog will be less stressed. Have him find treats or anything he has been trained to find. The floor is probably not the ideal place to slurp a treat off of, so you can hide treats in a little bowl or even on top of a piece of paper.

Petting

Chances are you are just making things worse by touching your dog. It’s not that he or she doesn’t want your attention. It’s just that when humans are stressed at the vet, they pet using a quick pat-pat-pat motion, which is pretty nerve-wracking for dogs. Imagine being at the dentist and your husband won’t stop patting your head.

On the other hand, something like TTouch or a really calm, slow massage of your dog with relaxed breathing may help. Use the five-second rule for petting. That means the dog first initiates the contact by nuzzling, leaning, etc. Pet for no more than five seconds and wait for him or her to ask for more. When your dog has a little more control over his situation, he’s going to feel better.

Protect your dog

Most dogs aren’t really up for a social call with other dogs or people at the vet. Watch your dog’s body language and protect him by sitting in an area where other dogs won’t run up to him. Ask people to lock their extendable leashes or call their dogs back.

In and out

If it’s not distracting for other people, let your dog leave if he or she wants to. They can wait in the car instead of the waiting room. You can also let them go out, sniff a bit, come back in, get a treat, go back out and repeat.

Positive reinforcement

My final tip to reduce stress is to train for cooperation using positive reinforcement. Did you know that dogs can even be taught to move into position for a jugular blood draw, holding their chin to your hand so the neck is in position for the needle? If that sounds too difficult, start smaller by teaching your dog to get onto the scale on his own.

There are many more ways to help your pet during the visit and in advance. I give more ideas in my “Vet Visit Stress Tips” video. You can watch it as a free sample of my new online school, the Animal Building Blocks Academy (online at animalbuildingblocks.com). I designed the academy to teach families and their pets about topics that are missing in most regular dog training classes. I hope to see you there!