Dog aggression may stem from the fact that many dogs have a phobia of vet visits. The smells, the presence of many strangers, and general noises and sounds, like other dogs barking, can be very upsetting and stressful for your dog.
Classic Condition, or Associative Learning, is often the cause behind negative or reactive behaviours at the vet. That is, the dog learns to associate the environment at the vet with negative or unpleasant encounters. Examinations by the vet can be daunting and painful for the dog. Remember, every time you’ve taken your dog to the vet, it’s been for something he sees as unpleasant, and he quickly learns to associate the two.
A passive dog at the vet, unlike the ones we talk about in this article.
What Can We Do to Help Alleviate Dog Aggression?
It is crucial to get your puppy used to being touched, particularly in sensitive areas like around and in the mouth, the ears, between the paws, the tail, etc., from the moment you acquire him, as this is what they will encounter during a veterinary examination.
One way to do this is to smear some peanut butter, cheese spread or something equally as tasty on the fingers of one hand and let the puppy lick at the yummy treat while you touch his teeth and rub his gums.
Continuing in the same manner, while the puppy focuses on licking your fingers, you can use your other hand to touch different areas of his body gently. Let everyone in the family participate (obviously, young children will need adult supervision) so the puppy can become accustomed to being touched by multiple individuals.
Socialising to Build Confidence
Taking your puppy to a reputable training school or day care centre for socialising classes, where he can interact with other dogs and people too. Socialising your puppy will help build his confidence and enable him to cope better with fear or stressful situations. Fear of the unknown can often trigger a reactive response from him. Try to take your dog with you to as many different places as possible.
Avoiding Car Trip Anxiety and Dog Aggression
Introducing him to various environments is also an excellent way to build confidence, and the car ride is equally important. Far too often, the only time the dog goes in the car is when he goes to the vet. Again, Classic Conditioning comes into play, and the dog starts to associate the vehicle with the trip to the vet. His fear and stress levels begin to rise the moment he is in the car and keep on rising throughout the journey.
Staying Calm at the Vet
Once at the vet and the examination starts, it’s the final trigger (the straw that broke the camel’s back), and in fear, the aggressive behaviour shows. Try to remain calm when you are at the vet. Dogs can be very receptive to their owner’s feelings, and if they sense you are nervous, they will also become anxious.
Remember, your vet is used to dealing with all manner of dogs and their different behaviours, so there is no need for you to feel embarrassed. Often, the owner’s nervousness or embarrassment leads them to handle the dog inappropriately, i.e., holding the dog too forcefully or over-restraining them, which further exacerbates the dog’s already reactive behaviour.
Practice Happy Vet Visits
A good idea is to ask your veterinarian if he would allow you to have some happy, enjoyable dummy visits to the practice. Here, the dog goes to the vet and is allowed to walk around and sniff in the reception. The staff can give him tasty treats, and if the vet isn’t too busy, this will help change the dog’s perception of the vet visit from one of fear and distrust to being an enjoyable and rewarding experience.