For the past 18 months one of our Registered Veterinary Nurses, Laura Holderness has been studying for her Animal Behaviour certificate. It has been fab to put her new found knowledge to good use, for the benefit of our patients.
Helping make vet visits a positive experience for dogs
Many dogs love to come and see us – we make a big effort to encourage a positive relationship revolving around treats, positive reinforcement and cuddles! However we are well aware that some dogs do not feel so positive about coming in to see us.
If your dog is frightened to come to see us, we encourage you to make frequent visits for your dog to be weighed and/or generally made a fuss of in the waiting room or consulting room, without any injections. Our nursing team run free puppy and socialisation clinics for this purpose, led by Laura Holderness. It is also helpful to get your dog used to being ‘examined’ at home from an early age, including checks of teeth, ears and feet, with plenty of rewards for good behaviour.
Helping owners whose dogs have behavioural issues
For dogs with behavioural issues, a vet visit is often advised at the outset to check for any physical problems. Laura Holderness now also runs ‘behavioural first aid’ clinics at our surgeries to provide initial help to dog owners with issues such as separation anxiety, confrontational behaviour, and sound fear-anxiety. The cost of the appointment and follow up report is £20.
Beyond this, we can refer patients for further behavioural intervention. We are pleased to be able to work closely with Andrew Hale, a local dog behaviourist (Train Positive). We have chosen to work with Andrew, as like us, he believes in using modern, gentle and force free methods. He offers help and advice for all dog behavioural issues including anxiety, phobias and aggression.
Laura has also written a series of helpful behaviour articles, with more to follow in time:
Dog and cat behavioural responses – an important read for any owner
Introducing a new baby to your dog
If we can be of help please give us a call on 01803 606059 (Torquay) or 843836 (Paignton), email us on info@greenbayvets.co.uk or WhatsApp us via the icon on our website.