3 Ways to Build Confidence for Your Next Vet Visit
The vet is most often times a moment of uncertainty for your dog. Other people are touching them, there are many different and new noises around, lots of other animals and all the new smells. But the reason why your dog acts differently at the vet, is often times related back to how you feel as the owner.
When you are uncertain or unconfident, your dog will feel the need to protect you, to step up as the leader.
So how can you avoid this from happening? By creating confidence for yourself and with your dog outside of the vet appointment. The vet facility is already uncertain for your dog, so don’t try out new things there, instead practice at home where your dog is confident and calm.
Here are 3 strategies to hopefully make your next vet visit go smoother:
1. Check in with your own emotions:
Beware of your own emotions when you walk through the door. Are you feeling anxious for your dog? Are you unsure of what might happen? When you feel these emotions, your dog feels them too. So acknowledge them and remind yourself that everything will go as it needs to.
2. Build confidence with your dog:
Once you have acknowledged and released your own emotions, let your dog know that they are safe and that you have stepped up as the leader. Build their confidence by playing games that they already know and are great at, making the rest background noise. Our favourite game is ‘the Magic of Choice'!
3. Accept the situation:
This may just be the hardest one… accept the situation and take the appointment as it goes. You cannot control your dog, or the people around it, so let it be and take it one step at a time. The appointment may not run perfect, but you have done the best you could do to prepare.
Lastly, remind yourself that vet appointments are only once a year and you can practice building confidence with your dog leading up to the next one!
Interested in learning more training techniques through inspiration rather than control? Check out our Dog Mastery program, where we dive into the BTS of your dog’s behaviours and how to work with the situation when it comes!
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