COOPERATION IN CARE
WHAT IS COOPERATION IN CARE?
Cooperation in care is exactly what it sounds like. If you gain cooperation from your pet, they actively participate in necessary care like eye drops, injections, ear cleaning and nail trims. It is less stressful for everyone and eliminates our having to fight our pets. We can force most of our pets to get them to do what we want, but should we? Have you ever felt like a monster while you are pulling your cowering dog from behind the couch after he saw you pick up the nail clippers?
Even something simple like taking a pill can be cooperative or forced through manhandling.
Getting their nails trimmed or going to the vet can be an ordeal for us and our pets, but it does not have to be that way. Most animals are willing to partner with us, if we take the time to explain to them what it is we want. Of course, our pets do not use the same language we do, so we have to explain what we want in a way they understand.
Cooperation training is fun and rewarding for pets AND their people.
COOPERATION IN THE VETERINARY SETTING
Have you ever thought of what a typical veterinary visit looks like through your pet's eyes? There is a car ride, then they enter a new building with new smells and sounds. If they had a previous experience they found scary, then those smells and sounds have that association. Once in a room, the door opens and a stranger walks inside. Sometimes they are restrained and sometimes uncomfortable things happen. They may look to you for help, but their safety net is not functioning. Maybe they struggle, maybe they freeze, maybe they are a little afraid, maybe they are terrified. Sometimes they are led away from you. Sometimes, they have to negotiate a slippery surface. Think how much better this could be for them! Cooperation in care includes "for fun" veterinary visits for patients who are a bit wary or completely inexperienced (like puppies or kittens). Victory visits are included in training for pets who are aggressive or afraid in the veterinary setting.
