Health is a top priority to most pet parents, as it should be! A trip to the vet is usually one of the first things you do after bringing a puppy home. Preparing your puppy for a lifelong happy relationship with their veterinarian is an important aspect of raising your puppy.
Your dog will never understand the importance of going to the doctor. What they will remember is the painful shots, the scary person holding them uncomfortably tight, and the strange smells and noises of a cold office. Pet owners have an opportunity at their first appointment to make sure their puppy has a positive experience with their vet and continues to have a happy relationship with veterinarians and groomers thereafter.
Where do I start?
To prepare for your first grooming or veterinary appointment, start with preventative exercises at home. The goal is that your puppy has a positive association with the same handling your vet or groomer will do.
- For every touch or brush that you do with the puppy, you should offer them a treat.
- Some handling requires your puppy to be held in a position for a long duration. When introducing the puppy to this, give a treat every couple seconds you hold them.
- Feed regardless or whether the puppy backs away.
Common Issues
My puppy squirms so much I can’t feed fast enough to keep him still!
Solution: Switch to a paste treat, like peanut butter. Offer licks for a couple of seconds at a time before taking the treat spoon away and then giving it back on the next touch.
I find it difficult to treat and brush at the same time.
Solution: For now, use a second person. One person focuses on treating and the other on brushing. If your puppy is biting the brush or showing aversion to being brushed. Make sure to increase your rate of feeding and keep the brush strokes very light.
My puppy is constantly trying to bite my hand or avoid my reach:
Solution: A little mouthiness is normal, especially if you have a puppy who frequently play bites. However, excessive mouthing and attempts to get your hand away, require more practice. Excessive avoidance of handling is an early indicator for touch sensitivity. Contact a qualified behavior consultant to prevent behaviors from intensifying as the puppy grows older.
Going to the Vet or Groomer
So you’ve just learned how to build a positive association with puppy body handling. Now, let’s apply it in the actual veterinary visit. When you go to the vet, bring lots of tasty treats. Ask the vet if you can treat your puppy as they are handling them. Follow the same guidelines above, treating your puppy when something is particularly hard, like standing still for their ear inspection. Watch for any avoidance or signs the puppy is uncomfortable, such as backing away, whale eyes, or avoiding the vet or technician. In these situations, feed faster! Maybe even bring something high-value that the puppy never gets like chicken or lunch meat. Over time, the puppy will love going to the vet where they get all these tasty treats. You won’t see as much fearful behavior, and when that happens, you can also lessen the number of treats they get.
All that being said, don’t forget to socialize your puppy! They’ll be a lot happier at the vet if they already love meeting new people. Socializing a puppy means for the puppy to make positive associations in new environments with new people, new dogs, new sounds, and new smells. The socialization period is between 3-12 weeks old, sometimes extending to 16 weeks. When you go to these new environments, remember again to bring some kibble or treats to feed your puppy anytime they look nervous. You can also start practicing basic obedience like sit-stay or how to follow a leash. How great would you look if your puppy can already hold a sit stay for the vet as they examine them! We recommend going to 3-5 new places per week and seeing 30-40 new people each week to prepare for the vet or groomer. Find more information on how to safely socialize your puppy in our blog, “Puppy Socialization: What, Why, When, and How“.
Ready to go to the vet? We hope so! Just remember to keep the experience fun with lots of treats and praise. As with all new puppy experiences, take it slow and keep consistent in your training. If you see any escalations in aggressive or fearful behavior, reach out to a licensed trainer as soon as possible. We have a team ready to help!
