Visiting your Veterinarian
How many times have you taken your dog to the Veterinarian? Think about it, did follow a vaccination schedule when he was a puppy? If so, then your dog visited the veterinarian most in his first year; the other condition you and your dog may visit the veterinarian is if you dog has medical problems. Why wait until your dog has a problem to visit your veterinarian? What is the excuse, time, money, convenience, or do you have fears? All of these excuses can make your life harder over time by giving in to them. So here are some reasons to take action instead of allowing excuses to run your life:
 Time: All you need is 5 minutes. If you are driving by just stop during business hours. Let the receptionist pour affection on your dog and give them a bit of a treat for being so good. Maybe even weigh your dog on their scale; this helps to keep records up to date and creates a real relationship with your veterinary office.
Money: You don’t have to spend a dime; in fact, it may save you money in the long run. Your dog will be familiar with the facility, friendly with the staff and this goes a long way when your dog has medical problems.
Convenience: How convenient is training, walking, interacting and caring in any form? This is not about convenience; it is about developing social skills, confidence and a long lasting relationship between you, your dog and his doctor.
Fear: If you do take the time and make the effort to visit, both you and your dog will have positive experiences with your veterinarian. We forget how influential we are over our dogs and when we are anxious, nervous or fearful we teach our dog to be the very same way. By visiting you teach your dog he doesn’t need to be afraid.
Whether you are the owner, veterinarian or veterinary employee; no one likes to have a fearful animal on the end of a lead. Dog’s personalities change when they come from a protected home and then find themselves in a strange place with very different people. You will see a dog you have never met in a veterinary office; your little meek and mild FiFi becomes Spike the biting terror. When you don’t take the time or make the effort to teach your dog trust and confidence in you; your dog believes he is fighting for his life. He wants to defend his life with you. That puts the veterinarian and his staff at risk and in a position to protect themselves and your pet.
So how about helping your dog, the veterinarian and yourself by taking time to simply stop into your veterinary office and visit for a moment. When you walk into that office with confidence, self security, and enthusiasm you are telling your dog he can trust you. In all training we teach the dog to look to us for approach, therefore, our approach is critical. So teach your dog to trust you and his doctor; teach your dog he is going to have a good experience when he visits his veterinarian.
Happy visiting and give your dog a treat from us at South Bay Canine Community.
Stephanie L. Brown, Ph.D.
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