Care for our pets, including grooming and veterinary care, is such an important aspect of our pets’ lives. But grooming and veterinary visits can be stressful for many pets, as well as for their caregivers. More than a third of dog guardians and over half of cat guardians say their animals “hate” going to the vet, and thus they are less likely to visit their veterinarian.
Classical counter-conditioning, which involves pairing something the animal likes (usually food) with a fear inducing stimulus, has been used to change dogs’ emotional response towards veterinary and grooming care. But we can do more than that!
Linlin Cao will show you her favorite pattern games and how to incorporate them into your dog’s grooming and veterinary care routines. Utilizing the predictability of pattern games, cooperative care can become a fun and predictable routine for your dog. No surprises and no tricks! Most importantly, you can give your dog a voice in the process and thus cooperative care can truly become a two-way communication.
