# WHAT happened at the vet :(



## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

So on my mom's referral, I decided to try a different vet. It was Dozer's turn and anyone that can handle Dozer can easily deal with my other pets. 

It was an omen this would not turn out well when the road leading directly to the new vet's (2 minutes from my place) was closed. So I had to go around the long way. I get there and already feel this isn't going to work. I had him weighed and waited in the waiting room. A 65 year old (?) comes in. She is my tech? I ask about his nails and she said if he isn't good for his nails they wouldn't do them. 


What?



Ok, fine. So she asks if he is good for his temperature? Um, I never take his temperature? I don't know? I hold his head and she approaches. Dozer whips his head about (though I still have it) and she says "Ok, we won't do that."


What?


So I said I would like to cancel because if he isn't getting his vitals checked or his nails cut I would go somewhere that would do them. She said to hold on for the vet. 

The vet came in and gave Dozer a cookie and went to check his eyes and he growled. He actually GROWLED at her. I have never seen that from him before. I said we need to cancel and she agreed. 

I am kind of angry. I put off having him seen at my normal vet for this new vet and let his vaccinations lapse (I know natural is the way to go but he HAS to get a Lyme shot where we live). 
I have to arrange a vehicle to transport his giant butt because our truck is out of commission and he is a maniac on road trips. The vehicle I borrowed today will not be available when I need it again. 

I called my normal vet and explained what happened. They were cool about it and are aware that Dozer is a beast and has gone rogue. I have set up another appointment with them this time and now I have to figure out how to get him there and hope they know how to deal with a dog that isn't ok with what they need to do with him. 


But really, if you are a vet, shouldn't you be able to handle an aggressive animal? Not all dogs are super okay with their nails cut or temps taken or whatever. I know with his size and crappy demeanor that he is intimidating. But then how are other dogs taken care of? This is new, this new side of Dozer. I feel responsible for not getting him out and about more but even if I did, I don't think it would change him. He is fine with 'most' people. I never know which person he is not going to be ok with. 

My mother is afraid of him. She met me at the vet so she could see him and they could get used to each other. Dozer was fine with her even sensing her obvious fear. I just feel bad this happened and also that I wasted my time with this vet. 

Anyone else have a jerk for a dog???


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## jenv101 (Oct 13, 2010)

I have a dog who doesn't like strangers and especially so in stressful situations. We are working on getting him used to a new vet right now too - We're on our THIRD meet and greet appointment. Keeping it all positive, the first visit the vet didn't even interact with him we just stood around and chatted in the exam room while I rewarded him and did a few basic commands. The second visit, he allowed the vet to pet him a bit but that was it. I don't know if he will ever feel comfortable enough though, so I am also muzzle training him and he will probably wear the muzzle for any major exams.

We're having our third appointment today, we will see how it goes. I would definitely avoid the vet looking in the dog's eyes on the first visit - that is intimidating in itself to a dog with those sorts of issue.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Yep, I feel your pain as far as the vet goes....Leo who is my rescue doesn't tolerate being poked and prodded. I just took him in a couple weeks ago for a nail trim, rabies shot and blood work...They do a light sedation for him as it is best for all parties involved, especially last time when he bit my vet. 

He gets out often though and goes places with me all the time. He just doesn't like the vet, smell etc. He starts shaking like a leaf as soon as we walk in the office.

Hopefully, over time it will get better, I don't think it will in my case though!


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Dozer may have picked up on your negative emotions on the clinic as soon as you got frustrated that the road going to it was closed down. Maybe that's why he acted up a bit more than he usually would. And yeah, I can understand a clinic not wanting to deal with a bloodthirsty mastiff, but if all he did was growl, jeez. The people at my clinic would have just thrown a muzzle on him and at least attempted to do his nails, they definitely would have taken his temperature. That's quick and easy.

Sorry you had a crappy experience. :/

Yeah, Finnigan can be a jerk at times. He's gotten a lot better and can be around people fine but as soon as some "creepy" person starts staring at him in the face and intimidating him he WILL growl and sometimes do his scary 'houla bark (well actually, now that I think about it he hasn't gotten to the barking stage in quite a while - I guess that's an improvement!). He is NOT good at the vet so he has a big neon organ "MUZZLE" sticker on the front of his file, haha. I'm okay with that. He's never bitten/tried to bite but his body language and the sounds he makes isn't that pretty when the vet is having to examine him so it's better to be safe than sorry. He's never had a muzzle on in his life besides at the vet and it seems to calm him down and he doesn't put up as much of a fight. So yeah, I guess you can say he's a jerk, but I don't mind cuz I kinda am too.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

my vets will ask for a dog to be muzzled, but it depends on how aggressive the dog is.


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

i know this doesn't respond to your question but why do you have to get the lyme vaccine where you live? i live in Connecticut and I don't give it because it doesn't work. Dogs can still get tick borne diseases and you are subjecting them to a vaccine with a high bad reaction rate. i'm not a fan of bacterial vaccines in general, from what I've read, vaccines for viral diseases are more effective


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## 7766 (Sep 20, 2011)

I have been lucky in this area. Bella (my jerk) is actually decent with vets. Granted, I adopted her from my main vet. So I am sure that has a lot to do with it. But I have another vet I use to kennel her and she has never had a problem. I am not sure if it's because they don't have dog anxiety, because she is always weary of new people. But from the first time I used them she has been fine. 

They have never told me about a problem cutting her nails or taking her vitals. She fights me hand over fist, growls and has even snapped at me when I try to cut them.


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## 7766 (Sep 20, 2011)

catahoulamom said:


> Dozer may have picked up on your negative emotions on the clinic as soon as you got frustrated that the road going to it was closed down. Maybe that's why he acted up a bit more than he usually would. And yeah, I can understand a clinic not wanting to deal with a bloodthirsty mastiff, but if all he did was growl, jeez. The people at my clinic would have just thrown a muzzle on him and at least attempted to do his nails, they definitely would have taken his temperature. That's quick and easy.
> 
> Sorry you had a crappy experience. :/
> 
> Yeah, Finnigan can be a jerk at times. He's gotten a lot better and can be around people fine but as soon as some "creepy" person starts staring at him in the face and intimidating him he WILL growl and sometimes do his scary 'houla bark (well actually, now that I think about it he hasn't gotten to the barking stage in quite a while - I guess that's an improvement!). He is NOT good at the vet so he has a big neon organ "MUZZLE" sticker on the front of his file, haha. I'm okay with that. He's never bitten/tried to bite but his body language and the sounds he makes isn't that pretty when the vet is having to examine him so it's better to be safe than sorry. He's never had a muzzle on in his life besides at the vet and it seems to calm him down and he doesn't put up as much of a fight. So yeah, I guess you can say he's a jerk, but I don't mind cuz I kinda am too.


Do your Houla's growl a lot. Stoli, who is really a big baby. I trust him 1000%, but the little but loves to growl . I have always chalked it up to him being mixed with a few "cur" breeds. I was just curios if yours did too. He has never once been remotely aggressive toward anyone. He has never showed his teeth to humans when he growls, but he sounds like he is going to eat me. If I didn't know him, he would scare the crap out of me. I have pushed him to keep growling, and he eventually stops, swallows and licks me. 

Just for clarification, he does not do this when he meets people, he LOVES everybody.

By pushed I don't mean physically, I mean egged him on, or said something like keep growling and see what happens.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I was not frustrated with taking the long way to the vet (5 minutes instead of 2?) I just thought 'Well isn't this my luck?"
I was happy to be going to the vet and get a weight on him finally. I was in good spirits that my mom came to see her grand dog. LOL

Catahoula mom, I know what you mean but I was not angry or giving off any downer vibes...at leat, not until they started saying "we cant do this, we wont be doing that..."

If I could bring him everyday to the vet so he got used to them, I totally would. I live and breathe to make my dogs happy and will do anything I can. BUT...its about the vehicle. He wont fit in my car and my husband's truck is currently a lawn ornament so I have to arrange transport. I can't ask to borrow someone's care a bunch of times to socialize my dog...they would think I was crazy. LOL

I go to a vet practice that runs like a well oiled machine with high volume patient intake. They always make me feel important (making sure i get a app. asap if something is wrong, etc.). I just don't like one of their vets. So I am going to stick with them and just not be seen by a certain vet there. If this happened there, they would have probably muzzled him, taken him to the back maybe for restraint, and gotten the job done. They did mention sedatives on the phone which I am kind of against but I am even MORE against not vetting my dog...so yeah, lesser of two evils I suppose. 

I wish everyone could get what a giant goofy teddy bear Dozer CAN be...when he isn't being a turd. I Guess its hard to see that past his ginormous teeth??


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

It's overly stressful IMHO. If you have the time I would ask if you could bring him in for a treat a few times a week. Have him come in, go in exam room have the vet come in give a treat and leave. Just see if the vet is willing to o that for a while between and prio to appointments. that will make it a fun trip to see a nice person and a more calm situation. As for the vehicle situation that is tough. 

How about an hour + long walk before goingg to the vet and having a pocket full of treats ffor when there?


I as well would use a tick prevention control vs the vaccine. But you are in high area for it so I cannot speak for your area. 

Critter Advocacy
Lyme disease prevention should emphasize early removal of ticks. Ticks must be attached to the dog for 24 hours to transmit the disease. Amitraz (Preventick) collars are more effective than Frontline as Amitraz paralyzes the tick’s mouth parts preventing transmission of disease (11). Amitraz tick collars should be used with extreme caution, as they are toxic if chewed on or swallowed by a dog or children. Frontline takes 24 - 48 hours to kill ticks, allowing for the possibility of disease transmission. This is an important aid in tick control, but will not prevent the transmission of tick born diseases like Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Babesia or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Vaccinating pets against Lyme disease does not provide any protection for the owners.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

My dog mikey always growls at the vet. He growls at everyone.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

It finally sank in to me that Mollie can act up a bit, but only with people or other dogs that maintain eye contact with her. If they don't look at her eyes directly then she's generally fine. Guess its the herding thing in her. 
She's good at the vets, I do have them keep a muzzle on hand, just in case, but our vet is great, he gets down on the ground with her and pats and gives her treats before attempting anything. We haven't needed it so far, but if she ever needs something where it will definately cause pain, more than injections say, then I will get a muzzle on her, just in case. 
She's never tried to bite anyone, but I can tell by her body language that she's desperately trying the flight thing, and it worry's me that if flight doesn't work, in her mind the only course of action after that is fight.

I'd watch Dozer's body language carefully, keeps lots of nice treats, let the vet's pat him first (if Dozer's ok with that) and if anyone is worried, just muzzle him. No biggie. 
He has to go to the vet at some stage, and yes, I would like to think a vet would be prepared to handle him and maybe take a little more time out to try and make friends first. But, no matter how nice the vet is, all of my animals have absolutely hated going there, can't blame them really, it's always painful for them and thats what they associate the smell with.


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## mischiefgrrl (Oct 28, 2010)

That sucks that you had to waste a day and opportunity and not get anything done. 

Any chance there's a vet that does home visits? My friend does that for her Danes.

I had a bad experience with an animal ER and walked out on them. It was when Tanis got attacked. I stopped the bleeding myself in the lobby and decided to wait it out until morning when his vet opened. So glad I did, they took wonderful care of him.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm gonna take the other approach here. I have chows. NO ONE wants to handle them, anywhere, any time, at any vets. It doesn't matter how sweet or not sweet they are, people don't want to go near them and cut their nails or take their temps. So, I have always handled all my own dogs myself, and I let the vets know it. They can put a muzzle on them if it makes them feel better, but the dogs don't need it because I have full control of them. No one else touches them. 

My best advice to you is to spend as much time working with him at home as possible until you personally can do whatever you want to him that a vet would do (nails, ears, etc). Then he won't be so upset when a vet is doing it. I don't think visiting a vet constantly is required. Rocky has been to the vet once in the last 2 years. I'm not taking him up there all the time just to get him used to it so he'll 'be good'. 

Anyone with a guardian breed should have full control of it or there can be trouble eventually. I realize he is huge, but he should be calm with you handling him. The tech can always get his back half (they do with my 90 pound chows) and he should barely notice that if you are handling his front half.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

Chowder...yes! That is what I have been telling everyone. He is a protection breed. It is in his DNA. I had control of his head when the elderly woman went to take his temp. He swung his head around to see where she went (not aggressively, I KNOW what aggressive looks like) and she freaked out and wouldn't do it. I have never seen this kind of behavior in a vet practice. Yes, I know she didn't want to get bit. He would have had to get through my arm though in order to get to her, but whatever. 

They didn't want to muzzle him. When my mother noticed I was starting to get irritated (after they declined to take his temp) she suggested a muzzle. They said they weren't going to muzzle him. 

Isn't there some kind of protocol for aggressive dogs? They need vet care too. Also, what you said about her looking into his eyes DOES seem like a threat to a dog. He was new there. Why didn't the vet get down on his level like MollyWoppy's vet. That takes away most of the 'threat'. You can say "Well, he is a big scary dog, I am not going down to his level." Well, when I met Dozer for the first time, he was a large dog already at 8 months and thats the FIRST thing I did. My husband had this look on his face like "what are you doing?" but that put Dozer's mind to rest as to whether I was friend or foe. 

Why don't vets take behavior classes or something? Being around dogs, it comes naturally to me how to diffuse a potentially dangerous situation (the stories I could tell you from when I worked at the Humane Society!).

My point it, I will never frequent a vet who can't handle a situation like this. I guess that vet can take care of poodles and chihuahuas and pomeranians. She said call her vet practice a SMALL BREED vet hospital. 


Psssshhhht.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

wolfsnap - would it be possible for you to walk to the vet, if they are so close to where you live?
shame on the vets and vet tech who wouldn't even attempt the temperature, surely if the dog is leashed it wouldn't be a problem and they hardly feel the thermometer going in really, it's so quick.
Some dogs just hate vet offices and the smell is generally very antiseptic or maybe it's just the 'fear' of other animals.
Stanley hates going and gets really nervous and they sure do pick up on our feelings too.
I had to back Stanley into a corner, head forced up so he could have his kennel cough spray up the nose, it was quite tricky and took us two attempts as he is a big strong boy (not as big as your Dozer) and really didn't like it.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

wolfsnaps88 said:


> I was not frustrated with taking the long way to the vet (5 minutes instead of 2?) I just thought 'Well isn't this my luck?"
> I was happy to be going to the vet and get a weight on him finally. I was in good spirits that my mom came to see her grand dog. LOL
> 
> Catahoula mom, I know what you mean but I was not angry or giving off any downer vibes...at leat, not until they started saying "we cant do this, we wont be doing that..."


That's cool that your mom met you there.  It's always a plus when someone in my family takes interest in my dogs. I'm lucky that my mom adores my dogs, she claims Finn "saved her life" so he's been on a pedistool (in her eyes) the last couple years LOL. I would have been annoyed too that they didn't even say ok to the muzzle and try again. Hope you didn't have to pay the visit fee, since you didn't get anything done. I mean, yeah you "took up the vets time", but I doubt he was in there for more than a couple minutes. 



nlboz said:


> Do your Houla's growl a lot. Stoli, who is really a big baby. I trust him 1000%, but the little but loves to growl . I have always chalked it up to him being mixed with a few "cur" breeds. I was just curios if yours did too. He has never once been remotely aggressive toward anyone. He has never showed his teeth to humans when he growls, but he sounds like he is going to eat me. If I didn't know him, he would scare the crap out of me. I have pushed him to keep growling, and he eventually stops, swallows and licks me.
> 
> Just for clarification, he does not do this when he meets people, he LOVES everybody.
> 
> By pushed I don't mean physically, I mean egged him on, or said something like keep growling and see what happens.


I've met some super vocal dogs like that before (I know a couple that growl for attention to get pet) but mine aren't big growlers. I mean, if someone is approaching the house Finn, my alpha male, will do a low growl that gets all of the dogs on "guard duty". He doesn't really growl at me or people, well as I stated above he WILL growl at people if they intimidate him but he's never tried to bite. He is quite vocal though. When I get home he gets happy and picks up my shoe and starts walking around with it while whining/making funny noises. Ever since I taught Topher how to "speak" that's all he wants to do. -__- He LOVES to bark when he gets excited, but he'll be quiet if I tell him "that's enough!". That's funny that your 'houla growls like that.


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

One of my standard poodles, Seamus, ADORES going to the vet! I've been known to put him in the car and go to the vets just to weight him to give him a fun day. It's funny, he's had surgery there, lots of tests, he has every right to dislike going there.

I took in in a week ago for kennel cough booster in his nose. We had *4* people holding him, but not sure if it got in his nose, it sort of got sprayed in the general area. lol

He wasn't bothered at all by it, I mean when we were done he just popped up visiting everyone that had been holding him down, tail wagging. He just did NOT want that spray up his nose. 



sozzle said:


> I had to back Stanley into a corner, head forced up so he could have his kennel cough spray up the nose, it was quite tricky and took us two attempts as he is a big strong boy and really didn't like it.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

Sozzle, thank you for suggesting walking to the vet. It seems too dangerous to me because it would be walking the whole way on a very busy road with little place to walk let alone walk with a dog that takes up some room. I would do it if I could just to get him accustomed. It would be longer than a 2 minute drive though.


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

Annie Nalah and Tucker all run right up to the vet. They love the vet, tech and the rest of the staff. BUT, I have to hold them for exams and blood work. If I hold them, they know they can't get away with much. If they Tech holds them, they will squirm, wiggle and try to break free. Tucker has also been known to try and bite.


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

If a dog is giving me the stink eye, growling or showing any kind of negative behaviour when I try to groom it, the muzzle goes on. Don't care what kind of dog it is. We did the same thing at the vet clinics I worked at in the past. No one wants to get a bite. One bite can ruin your career. I've got nerve damage in my left hand from a cat bite and my pinky on my right hand has nerve damage from a snake bite. Had a Bichon been a little better at his aim he would have likely rendered me blind in one eye when he lunged from his owner's arms at my face. As it was he gave me a good mark and broke my glasses. So really I can understand in a way why they didn't seem so fond of handling Dozer if he was acting badly. Saying "they should be used to handling aggressive/problem animals" is not right. No one should have to handle animals that are hard to handle or aggressive, it puts them at risk, their livelyhoods at risk and you at risk of a lawsuit. 

Although I do agree they seemed to be kind of extreme. They could have at least tried to muzzle and restrain him. To me what you described didn't sound like he was out of control just not in the mood and with them acting nervous it probably just set him off more. I'd say just stick with your normal vet if that's been working in the past. Why fix something that isn't broken? If they have to muzzle him oh well, not the end of the world. If they have to lightly sedate then so be it, less stress for the dog and the people. My Lab/Pittie mix was a jerk for the vet as soon as he was brought into the exam room. He had to be muzzled and restrained usually by myself and one of the assistants.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Not all vets know what they are doing. I have one vet who has always been great with my Chows. He is very gentle, never reaches over their heads, never looks them in the eye, and basically knows how to 'ignore' them until they are comfortable with him. And he always let me hold my own dogs and trusts me with them. Unfortunately he is retiring.

I went to one vet that was horrendous. He had three people hold Rocky down, would not let me hold him, called him by the wrong name, and was scared to death of the poor dog. All for a rabies shot. If I wasn't leaving on a trip the next day, we would have been out of there in a flash. So, you get what you get. Same with every profession. Not all teachers, doctors, plumbers, exterminators, or whatever, are top in their class. Sometimes you have to keep checking around until you find one you like (and never let them go!).


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

i Agree with chowder about doing as much at home as you can, that way IF he should growl at you, you can give him a firm "NO" and kick his butt and let him know thats unacceptable behavior.

i suspect it was the vet who caused him to growl,as you said she was obviously nervous of him to begin with and probably kept her distance and gave him "looks" that made HIM feel uncomfortable, hence the reson he wanted to know exactly where she was at when she went behind him.

while Cesar doesnt growl or act aggressivly at all when people are nervous of him and kind of stare a little at him suspiciously he will become so uncomfortable that he WILL jump on them not to bite or to growl or show teeth but jsut kind of like tries to make them stop by jumping up on them then walking away. its his method of taking control, of which i correct whenever he does it and has been doing it less and less and less as ive worked with him.
but i suspect the vets nervousness of him made him not trust her.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

Little Brown Jug, I agree with you and I do not agree with you. 

I have worked in a groom salon and I know what that is all about. The difference here is that you have the power to turn away animals you feel are unfit to be there. So where do severely matted animals or aggressive animals go? They go to the vet. A vet is prepared (I thought!) to handle these situations. You can not expect an owner to take home a matted, aggressive animal and shave it down themselves. Even if they knew what they were doing, they could not possibly do it correctly. And if they knew how to, groomers and vets would have less work. When I worked in a salon, if a dog was going to be a 'problem', we referred them to a vet. 

My point is, that while I do understand what you mean (a dog like Dozer could do a lot of damage!) this vet seemed to have never dealt with a giant breed dog or a dog that was uncooperative. And that is silly to me. A dog is a dog, an unpredictable animal. I thought every vet would have some sort of protocol on how to handle something like this because every animals needs to go to the vet. 

I also wonder had Dozer been a small dog (Dozer....the poodle) would this have happened? Are they....breedist? Did we just experience a hate crime? LOL

Oh well. It happened. I just hope my other vet takes care of him and does a thorough job just like with any other dog.


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

My sis and I both have poodles. One of hers is about 80 lbs, my largest is about 65 lbs. Not all poodles are small...



wolfsnaps88 said:


> I also wonder had Dozer been a small dog (Dozer....the poodle)


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## Savage Destiny (Mar 16, 2011)

Little Brown Jug said:


> If a dog is giving me the stink eye, growling or showing any kind of negative behaviour when I try to groom it, the muzzle goes on. Don't care what kind of dog it is. We did the same thing at the vet clinics I worked at in the past. No one wants to get a bite. One bite can ruin your career. I've got nerve damage in my left hand from a cat bite and my pinky on my right hand has nerve damage from a snake bite. Had a Bichon been a little better at his aim he would have likely rendered me blind in one eye when he lunged from his owner's arms at my face. As it was he gave me a good mark and broke my glasses. So really I can understand in a way why they didn't seem so fond of handling Dozer if he was acting badly. Saying "they should be used to handling aggressive/problem animals" is not right. No one should have to handle animals that are hard to handle or aggressive, it puts them at risk, their livelyhoods at risk and you at risk of a lawsuit.


I disagree, wholeheartedly. Sure, it sucks to deal with "hard to handle" dogs, but that's part of the job. I'm a groomer, and I've been grooming since I was seventeen. The only time I turn away a dog is if it is so bad their behavior puts them at risk of injury, which is pretty rare. It IS our job to handle them, because their owners are bringing them to us because they cannot do it themselves. 

It honestly makes me sad and a little angry that you'd muzzle a dog just for looking at you funny. Part of being a groomer is working with the dogs to make their experience more positive and teach them what is and isn't proper behavior. Slapping a muzzle on them for a stink eye is not enhancing their experience, it's just scaring them more. I've made sure I know enough about body language to tell if a dog is actually thinking about biting, and I wait until they try something to tell them "no bite" and put the muzzle on. That helps them learn that their bad behavior has consequences, so they can have opportunities for improvement every time we groom them. There have been so many dogs that we used to have to muzzle and fight with over brushing, nail trims, etc. that are completely perfect now, because we took the time to work with them. THAT is what EVERY groomer should be doing. Not muzzling, restraining, and scaring the dogs every time they come in for their appointment.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

My dog is also a jerk with strangers and I never know who he will react to, we could be on a walk and he sees someone suspicious and starts barking like a crazy (it's really embarrassing)...at our new vet he seems to love everyone, no issues thus far. But he hated our last vet, he tried to hide from him and kept growling at him. But the vet Avery had an issue with was willing to work with him, he gave him treats and time and was eventually able to get the job done.

In the end I think it's best to know thy dog, for Avery I try to watch for any fearful behavior and try to distract him before it escalates. I don't alway catch him before he goes over the top with his crazy barking fit and once he gets there its hard for me to alway react in an appropriate manner...it's a work in progress though. All of Avery's reactions are grounded in fear, which sometimes makes me feel bad for him because he shouldn't have to live everyday experiencing some form of fear..


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## Tahlz (Sep 15, 2011)

Serenity, my Kelpie x has fear issues and she HATES being touched in a certain way so since I know this, I will have her muzzled before even walking in. I personally think if you own a dog that has shown signs of aggression or you know there could be a possibility they could, the dog should be muzzled. I hate doing it but the fact is, they need to see a vet and a muzzle wont kill them. I am sorry you had to deal with a vet like that though, she could have handled things a tad differently.


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## Deaf Dogs (Apr 10, 2012)

Oliver is extremely fear aggressive, therefor, he will only ever go to the vet for emergencies. There is no way in heck I could ever desensitize him to being examined by a vet, so he doesn't go. No need for routine check-ups to stress him out and make him hate people more.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

here's what i don't get.

when my dogs went to the vet for the first time, i was impressed with the fact that the vet came in and ignored the dog and just spoke to us.

after a few minutes, he would look at the dog, but not straight on and did not use any kind of excited voice.

why do people look at dogs straight on, anyway? that's not how you greet a dog...

this is the reason i stay with my vets. they don't make my dogs nervous by touching them right away. they observe first....and talk to me. then they approach the dog with soft voices and do not stare at them.


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## jenv101 (Oct 13, 2010)

magicre said:


> here's what i don't get.
> 
> when my dogs went to the vet for the first time, i was impressed with the fact that the vet came in and ignored the dog and just spoke to us.
> 
> ...


Exactly! My boy Riley is SO sensitive to eye contact it's not funny. I emphasized this with our new vet and that is why we have been doing meet and greets. Finally yesterday at our third meet and greet, Riley was comfortable enough for the eye contact and he even let the guy pet him. It was a relief to see he is starting to feel comfortable with him.

Muzzle training is also really easy to do at home positively, and by doing that you can avoid them being stressed out about both a muzzle and a vet. We do French Ring so I need my dogs to be able to confidently wear a basket muzzle and not freak out (it's part of the obedience exercises). But now I am finding that it's also very helpful at the vet or any other situation that might require a muzzle. Yesterday he wore his muzzle for a few minutes without fighting it or stressing, while inside the exam room.

It's definitely hard to find a good vet when you have a dog with these sorts of issues! But so worth it if you can!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i did get lucky. they might know squat about nutrition, but they excel in other areas.


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## jenv101 (Oct 13, 2010)

magicre said:


> i did get lucky. they might know squat about nutrition, but they excel in other areas.


Yeah we are on our third vet, mostly due to the Riley-vet relationship issue, but I was also upfront with him on our first meeting about what we feed, vaccinations, etc. He's very easy going and was ok with it, so I'm really hoping he's "The one"


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