How to get a "Free" Puppy!
OK, I'm not going to tell you how to actually get a free puppy, what I am going to share is a little exercise that will save you money at the veterinarian's office. In fact, it might save you more money than what you paid for your pup.
A lot of dogs are absolutely rotten at the vet's office. Seemingly every small dog is a vicious little biter. A lot of dogs are uneasy about being handled for an examination.
First the obvious. If your dog needs to be sedated to be examined, or have blood drawn, or an x-ray -- you will pay through the nose. The drugs that are used for injectable sedation are often expensive, federally regulated and can be tricky to use. Veterinarians charge a lot to administer a non-lethal dose of this stuff to your pet.
Next the not-so-obvious. What you might not know about your bill at the vet's office -- almost every one is "discounted" to some degree or another. Now I have your attention! Cha-ching$ It's true. Almost every bill is missing some of the items that a veterinarian could charge you for. If you are nice, and your dog is sweet it's human nature to let a lot of things slide. If your dog is hell-bent on putting a hole in the veterinarian or the staff, it's human nature to start remembering every little item they are supposed to charge for, and they do.
Your sweet dog needs a 30 second re-check -- no charge. Fifi Tyson needs the same thing, and it requires a vet and a technitian wearing bite resistant gloves and takes 10 minutes to do what should be done in 30 seconds, you will pay for a brief exam.
So what's the secret? How do I train my dog to be nice at the vet's office?
Take your pup, a few nights a week, and hold onto her collar. Don't jerk it. You want to constrain her without yanking her around. You don't say anything. When the dog settles down and is quiet (sitting or standing) let go. Don't say anything, just let go. The reward for being still is being free. Repeat this a few times a night and a few times a week. Your dog will learn to be still when you grasp the collar.
Repeat this with various body parts. You need to make sure your dog's feet can be touched and handled. So start with the elbow or knee. The dog will learn to sit quietly while you hold various parts of the dog. The most important parts are the feet and the tail. Again, you aren't pulling on anything, and you aren't a limp noodle, you just provide a little resistance against the pooch until she is quiet.
Once you have the dog trained, have other folks do the same exersise. Repeat it while you are out with your dog.
Once your dog is very comfortable sitting while being constrained, grasp the collar while someone else opens her mouth breifly. Work up to a full inspection of her mouth and ears.
I would predict that this excersise, done with all young dogs, would clear up 90% of the bad behavior at the vet's office. It will save you huge amounts of money. It's so easy to do, maybe the easiest dog training technique I have ever seen, and it is highly effective and non-coersive. All dogs could benefit, the little ones will benefit the most.
One other tip. If your vet's office is doing you a favor, like squeezing you in so you don't have to go to the emergency hospital, bring coffee or flowers (all vet's offices are full of women) or something. A little goodwill goes a long way.
A lot of dogs are absolutely rotten at the vet's office. Seemingly every small dog is a vicious little biter. A lot of dogs are uneasy about being handled for an examination.
First the obvious. If your dog needs to be sedated to be examined, or have blood drawn, or an x-ray -- you will pay through the nose. The drugs that are used for injectable sedation are often expensive, federally regulated and can be tricky to use. Veterinarians charge a lot to administer a non-lethal dose of this stuff to your pet.
Next the not-so-obvious. What you might not know about your bill at the vet's office -- almost every one is "discounted" to some degree or another. Now I have your attention! Cha-ching$ It's true. Almost every bill is missing some of the items that a veterinarian could charge you for. If you are nice, and your dog is sweet it's human nature to let a lot of things slide. If your dog is hell-bent on putting a hole in the veterinarian or the staff, it's human nature to start remembering every little item they are supposed to charge for, and they do.
Your sweet dog needs a 30 second re-check -- no charge. Fifi Tyson needs the same thing, and it requires a vet and a technitian wearing bite resistant gloves and takes 10 minutes to do what should be done in 30 seconds, you will pay for a brief exam.
So what's the secret? How do I train my dog to be nice at the vet's office?
Take your pup, a few nights a week, and hold onto her collar. Don't jerk it. You want to constrain her without yanking her around. You don't say anything. When the dog settles down and is quiet (sitting or standing) let go. Don't say anything, just let go. The reward for being still is being free. Repeat this a few times a night and a few times a week. Your dog will learn to be still when you grasp the collar.
Repeat this with various body parts. You need to make sure your dog's feet can be touched and handled. So start with the elbow or knee. The dog will learn to sit quietly while you hold various parts of the dog. The most important parts are the feet and the tail. Again, you aren't pulling on anything, and you aren't a limp noodle, you just provide a little resistance against the pooch until she is quiet.
Once you have the dog trained, have other folks do the same exersise. Repeat it while you are out with your dog.
Once your dog is very comfortable sitting while being constrained, grasp the collar while someone else opens her mouth breifly. Work up to a full inspection of her mouth and ears.
I would predict that this excersise, done with all young dogs, would clear up 90% of the bad behavior at the vet's office. It will save you huge amounts of money. It's so easy to do, maybe the easiest dog training technique I have ever seen, and it is highly effective and non-coersive. All dogs could benefit, the little ones will benefit the most.
One other tip. If your vet's office is doing you a favor, like squeezing you in so you don't have to go to the emergency hospital, bring coffee or flowers (all vet's offices are full of women) or something. A little goodwill goes a long way.
WOW. It surprises me to hear that many dogs are difficult for the vet. We have been a "2 dog" family for many years and I have never had one that was hard to deal with at the vets. I guess I've been lucky! My vet bills could have been worse? I'm gonna go hug my dogs again today!
I remember a great perinese at a farm I managed years ago who was retired from the show ring. It became my chore to groom him, drive him to the vet, etc. During the first week of my work there he stole something from the trash and went to bite me good when I reached to get it from him. As an instant gut reaction I dove on top of him and drove him to the floor with his head and shoulders under me, and removed the trash from his slack jaw. We never had a bit of trouble after that. He loved me! First trip to the vet the male vet came in with giant sleeved gloves. I told him he wouldn't need those. He knew the dog and thought other wise. That dog never gave him a bit of trouble with me there(?) He was just a big happy oaf like he was everywhere else. I never did any "training" with him. I don't think he had had a "person" since whomever was hired to travel with him to shows disappeared. Great tips tough, if I ever adopt another pup, I'll be sure to go through your steps just in case!
What is your take on the huge wave of Designer mutts? The price tag on some of them with three breeds or more mixed in is amazing to a girl who grew up in a world where mutts were always free.
Oh and, I'm a big fan of the mutt, the pound puppy kind. There is just something about breaking one out of jail! And I love the shelters that actually list the habit (s) that got the dog locked up in the first place. My border collie / husky was in prison for barking when left alone in an apartment all day. Go figure. He pretty happy in a "two Dog" family.
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I saw a dog yesterday that had to be sedated so it could be gassed and intubated (with the same anesthesia protocol you would get at the hospital). This was so the dog could get it's annual grooming done. They took the opportunity to also clean it's teeth.
I wouldn't call you lucky. I don't think many horse owners are capable of raising a bad dog. It takes a firm hand and quick reactions to train a horse, or a dog. Your instant gut reaction was dead on. Any dog who is over-coddled starts to assume the Alpha position in the family. There is some debate as to whether dogs are biting at the vet's office out of fear or because of dominance. I don't really care why the dog is biting, just that it's unacceptable. Keep in mind that a Pomeranian bite to the hand or wrist could end a veterinarian's career.
Designer mutts are among the breeds most feared by veterinarians. You start with two dogs who aren't worthy of breeding (they would be bred to their own kind if they were). The breeders have carte blanch to do whatever they want as there are no standards to adhere to and "hybrid vigor" will supposedly cover up any problems they have The puppy mills are into designer mutts big time as they just go where the money is. If you breed two sickly ill tempered dogs of the same race or of different, you will have sickly ill tempered pups. Hybrid vigor is great for corn, does very little in dogs. Read Of Peas and Pups if you are interested in canine genetics. It's just as good as the expensive text books I've read, but free, and easier to understand.
On the other hand, a friend of ours is a Cocker breeder, and the breed has fallen in popularity over the decades that she's been breeding them. She has trouble selling Cockers and people calling her all the time for Cock-a-poos. I have a hard time condemning her for making a profit on them that covers the losses she takes on the Cockers.
Husky GSP crosses are worth a lot of money as sled dogs. I might be willing to stud Brutus to a Husky bitch, but I doubt the bitch's owner would do the heath screenings I would want done prior to the mating (hips and doggie VD test).
I'm no fan of the mutt. I understand there are some wonderful dogs out there who are mutts, and the individual pups deserve to be loved. It's just that they are generally produced by folks who don't know better than to keep their girls sequestered for two weeks out of the year and can't afford a spay.
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