Interview With Dr. Deborah Jones

I just finished reading the fabulous book, “Cooperative Care: Seven Steps to Stress-Free Husbandry.” In it, Dr. Jones reveals how to condition pets so they feel comfortable and safe during vet visits or during grooming.

We asked Dr. Jones a few questions about chihuahuas in particular, and she graciously answered them in this interview:

Small dogs frequently act out because their small size makes it easy to rob choice from them. They find that sometimes extreme aggression is the only way to have their bodies respected. You touched on this a little bit on your book.

Do you think that a chihuahua might be more relaxed in cooperative care if they’re given more choices throughout the rest of their lives?

Yes!  I think it’s important that we respect their space and their bodies.  It’s easy for us to push past their comfort zones with small dogs when we don’t with larger dogs.  When we regularly pick them up without their agreement we are teaching them that we don’t care what they think or feel; we’re doing what we want to them.  Once we allow them an opportunity to say “no” to things they don’t like or that scare them they can begin to trust us to be safe and take care of them.

Do you have any tips that are particularly useful to small dog owners?

The first thing I teach my small dogs is to cooperate in being picked up.  I make it into a a game I call the elevator game.  I want them to come to me when I reach for them and allow me to lift them.  I do this in a number of small steps to make it easy and to be sure not to overwhelm or scare them. 

I also encourage them to climb and jump up on furniture (not everyone likes to do that but I do).  I want them to learn how to navigate their world and to be able to “escape” to higher ground if they feel the need. 

Chihuahuas are very prone to dental issues. How would you approach a dental care routine that would both give them the care they need and keep them comfortable?

I have had Papillons and currently small Shelties, so I understand small mouth and bad teeth issues!  We use water additives, a gel you can spread on the outside of the teeth, and tiny little infant size toothbrushes.  We start with simply handling the outside of the mouth lightly.  Then lifting the lips.  Then touching the teeth.  And so on in small steps.  It’s a regular daily thing.  We also use VOHC approved dental products. 

I recently read a book by Christine Hunger about her dog who talks with buttons. Have you ever thought of how a dog trained to talk with buttons could use these tools during cooperative care?

I have seen people use these buttons, but don’t have any direct experience with them.  I have lots of questions about how well communication between species might be facilitated, but no real idea if they truly work well or not.  I do like anything that improves interspecies communication though!

Your book does a great job of sharing an overview of cooperative care training. I see you have a class as well. How are the classes different from your book? What benefits do they offer?

I offer a variety of educational resources on cooperative care topics (books, blog posts, videos, webinars, workshops, classes) because people learn best in different modalities.  I’m at heart a writer, so I write a LOT.  But I also know people learn from seeing rather than just from reading.  Classes are typically 6 weeks and I can watch student videos and give direct feedback, which is very valuable.  Some people really want or need that one on one interaction. 

Any tips for dogs with special conditions such as deafness, blindness, or cerebral hypoplasia?

There are trainers who specialize in dogs with different abilities, so I’d definitely seek out a specialist.  While there are almost always ways things can be adapted, it’s best to work with someone with first hand knowledge of the condition.

One of our Facebook followers, Dani and Tiny Tony the dachsunds, asked: “We always get very nervous at the vet, shake and hide what cans momma dos tos make us less scared?  huggles”

There is a LOT that you can do.  I have a free ebook called Prep for the Vet that can help with just that issue!  If you go to my blog www.k9infocus.com/blog and click on any blog post a form will come up for you to subscribe.  If you subscribe you’ll have access to the ebook.  It’s a 10 page resource on how to set your dog up for success with vet visits. 

If you’d like to read our review of her awesome book, you can do so here!

Similar Posts:

• Review of Cooperative Care by Dr. Deborah Jones
• Do Dental Sticks Help With Plaque Reduction?
• Is There Any Home Remedy for Plaque Build Up In Dogs?
• How to Brush Your Chihuahua’s Teeth
• Review of 101 Essential Dog Care Tips