My border collie Adélie has been dealing with some gastroenterologic and orthopedic health issues recently that require increased medical care. While we had gotten into a comfortable rhythm of cooperative care such as daily tooth brushing and regular nail trims, as well as reducing fear for routine vet visits, Adélie’s change in health meant additional medical exams and treatments, which are stressful for her. Fortunately, the training I have done with cooperative care allowed Adélie to overcome many of the new stresses involved with her medical care.
WHAT IS COOPERATIVE CARE
Cooperative care is the application of husbandry techniques that involve the voluntary cooperation of the animal in their own care. It includes training the animal to position their body in particular ways, training them to accept treatments, and finding approaches that are easier and gentler for them. Originating from zoos and aquariums, the practice has more recently spread to the world of companion animals.
I first learned about cooperative care through friends in dog rescue. When I adopted Adélie as a puppy, I was committed to practicing cooperative care with her. I was assisted by my local veterinary clinic, Parkway Veterinary Hospital, that has staff who are Fear Free certified and knowledgeable about cooperative care and low stress handling, and am now, myself, a certified Fear Free dog trainer and offers specialized classes in cooperative care.
COOPERATIVE CARE IN ACTION
We faced many new challenges as we worked with her medical team. One challenge included giving medication without food. No cheese or pill pockets were allowed, only a couple pieces of kibble. Fortunately I had previously trained her to take empty gelatin capsules using methods from cooperative care, so she was easily able to take the medication as prescribed without additional stress.
Another challenge included rehab evaluation and treatments that required Adélie to lie on her side. Adélie hates being handled by people she doesn’t know well. Rather than use restraints or hold her into position I was able to rely on another commonly taught cooperative care behavior: a cued side lay. This allowed her medical providers to be able to evaluate her for musculoskeletal issues, and it allowed them to provide shockwave and laser treatments to help her heal. Being able to perform a well known behavior and have control over her own body helped Adelie feel more comfortable with these treatments.
While we were dealing with these medical issues, Adélie snuck an “emotional support stick” into the house, and it cut her gums while she was chewing it. This situation could have resulted in a trip to the vet and putting her under anesthesia to clean the wound. Because of the training I’ve done to make Adélie comfortable with oral exams and teeth brushing, she was comfortable with me inspecting her gums to assess the level of injury and cleaning out the wound with the toothbrush and paste at home. That cooperative care work saved us time, money, and the additional stress a vet trip would have brought.
In all of these scenarios, the time and dedication spent on training these cooperative care behaviors made each situation much easier on Adélie, allowing me to reduce her overall stress level while also saving time and money. I highly recommend pet owners be proactive in training behaviors you might need down the road. The dogs enjoy the training and it gives you something fun to do with your best friend. But I also recognize that life is busy and training takes time. We can’t prepare for everything and are likely to encounter scenarios we haven’t yet trained for. With cooperative care I’ve found that every bit helps: even foundational cooperative care training such as a training one or two body placement cues, comfort wearing a muzzle, trust that you will listen to them, and familiarity with different kinds of restraint all makes a huge difference in their comfort with unplanned scenarios and ability to learn new skills as needed. And if you have time for additional training, you may find yourself saving even more time, money, and stress in the future should the unfortunate need arise.
A LASTING IMPACT
I’ve been so positively impacted by cooperative care that I realized how helpful these approaches would be to share with other families in our community. I’ve heard many experiences from clients about difficulty trimming nails, putting on harnesses, fear at the vet, difficulty giving medication, and more. That’s when I decided to start offering classes in cooperative care. With my experience and education in cooperative care and stress free handling, I tailor each session to the pain points and needs of each group of students to help them achieve their goals.
If you’re interested to learn more, check out our Group Classes page to see when the next round of Cooperative Care will be available: https://sitprettydogtraining.com/group-classes/