Creating a Care Station
Taking steps to make nail care, other grooming processes and medical care more of a cooperative process will go a long way towards supporting your “trust bank” with your pooch.
Think of a trust bank like a savings account, we are (hopefully) continually taking steps that make deposits into this account to build a safe and trusting relationship between the human caregiver and your pet. When we do things like use aversives, do a surprise procedure, or something where your pet is clearly stressed, these will act as withdrawals from your trust account. See “Choice and Control Make for Happy Participation”.
Step 1: Establish a Care Station
Make a predictable spot for your pet so they know that is where care procedures take place. Choose a bath mat or towel, something that you can take out and place somewhere for your dog to sit or lay on for the care procedure. If you have a small size dog, consider a spot that will make it easy for you to do the things you want to do, for example, I trim our dogs nails with them laying on the sofa with their paws sort of draped over the front. I can then sit in front of them and easily access their nails at a comfortable level for me. By using a chosen mat, you can move your Care Station, for example, put it on the couch if you want your dog up higher, or put it on the floor if that is a better spot for your procedure. If you’ve developed a clear pattern that the Care Station is where stuff happens and if you’ve practiced some vet care procedures on the mat, you may also bring it to the vet’s office so your dog finds the situation more predictable.
Initially just bring out the mat and offer treats on it to encourage your dog to come over and check out the spot. The goal is to never lure your dog to their care station; they should make the choice on their own to come over to the Care Station.
When your pet starts to realize that good things happen at the Care Station, you can go sit or stand by the Care Station and your dog will decide on their own to come over; treat them as soon as they arrive at the Care Station for making the choice to come check things out. It’s also important that they can leave the Care Station when they want to AND if they leave, still toss or give a treat to them so they are not punished for leaving.
Step 2: Introducing Equipment
The next step is to bring out any equipment you want to use, e.g. nail trimmers (my preferred ones are Miller’s Forge brand), brush, ear cleaning supplies, whatever.
Go to the Care Station and wait for your dog to arrive, treat when they do. Then set out your supplies near you but at this step you are just letting your dog get used to seeing the tools, not using them. Continue to treat your dog while the tools are out. Then put your tools away and you can release your dog from the station using a release cue if you use one or a Find It cue and toss some treats off the station. Some dogs find a closing routine useful, e.g. after you finish with whatever procedure you need to do, have a loaded snuffle mat that can be set out to close out the session. Remember dogs are creatures of habit so if you incorporate a closing routine, be consistent and always end your care session (even at the vets) with the same process.
Step 3: Moving Forward
As you start to introduce the actual procedure, e.g. a nail trim, there are some things to keep in mind. We want to operate in a way that gives your dog agency in the process. In other words, we are going to look for signs that your dog is not comfortable with the process and STOP if you see signs of discomfort. Often a dog who is not thrilled with the process will lip-lick, yawn, move their paw away, their face and or body gets tense, or get up from the station to create distance. Our job is to listen to their communication ideally their whispers rather than their shouts (baring teeth, growls, or air snaps). We are avoiding scenarios where your dog needs to shout to get their needs met.
The sooner you listen to your dog’s communication, e.g. a lip lick and immediately stop the process, the better your dog will be about the overall process. By establishing a predictable routine and listening to your dog, you are well on your way to creating an environment where your dog chooses to cooperate in a procedure.
Cheers,
Tracy
