Does your pup dislike the vet’s office or grooming appointments? This is a very common fear in our pets, but Dr. Deborah Jones is here to help. In her book, Cooperative Care: Seven Steps to Stress-Free Husbandry, she reveals how to turn these appointments into positive experiences for your pet.
The book is short, the methods are simple, but the results are profound. Dr. Jones teaches you to make a mobile ‘happy place’ for your pup in terms of a dog bed or mat, and builds from there until your pup is happy to be examined by a vet, or even receive shots.
I laughed when I came to the nails and paws section, which told over-eager readers who may have skipped to that section to turn around and go to the beginning. I am working on a groom training course for my blog, and have this exact message in my nails section, because I know all too well that people think the stick that broke the camel’s back is the only stick that matters.
It’s never just the nails. It’s often the combination of being in a strange place, held by a strange person, being set on a table, the table is wobbly, and then the stranger touches their foot and tries to use a strange tool on them. It’s not just one particular problem, it’s a whole stack of issues that they’re reacting to.
At the end of every chapter is a checklist to help you decide if your dog is ready to move on. Each section builds on the last section, so it’s important to check all the boxes before continuing.
Overall, I would recommend this book. I think it could have benefited from slightly more detail. For example, Dr. Jones shares real problems of individual dogs, and her recommendations on what to do. I’d have loved to hear if the suggestions made for the case studies were tried and if they worked.
I also think it would be beneficial to new dog owners to have a list of stress signals to look out for. Some of them were shown through pictures, but there’s a great deal of stress signals dogs use that may not be obvious to humans.
Yawning, asking for belly rubs, and even tail wagging (those little nervous flutters) can all be signs of stress. I imagine it’s difficult to put in book form, however, and this is probably what the classes are for. Dr. Jones also has an abundance of other resources, including a facebook group, videos and a blog, which may help fill in the gaps.
If you have a dog who is nervous about the vet or groomer, or you want to prevent such an occurrence in the first place, give this book a try! It’s a great starting point and a wealth of information on making your dog feel safe at the vets.
Similar Posts:
- Interview With Dr. Deborah Jones
- Review of Dogs by DK
- Rocco: One Year Out
- Review of Dog Shaming by Pascale Lemire
- Why Nail Trims Matter
[…] If you’d like to read our review of her awesome book, you can do so here! […]