For humans, overcoming fear, or at least learning to deal with it, takes time and practice. That’s even more true for pets, because we can’t communicate that veterinary exams and procedures will help them to feel better or stay healthy. Fortunately, Fear Free techniques can help to send the message to pets that they don’t need to be afraid, and Fear Free education can help humans better understand their animals’ fears and needs.
Hunter, a 2-year-old mixed breed, enjoys looking out the windows in the lobby of our clinic. By starting his visit there, asking his mom questions and listening to his heart and lungs, we can make sure he is comfortable enough to continue his exam in the exam room. But it was a different story when he first came in almost two years ago. Because of a previous frightening experience at another clinic, he was wary of us and the handling and procedures being done. He would bare his teeth, growl, and even try to nip at Dr. Gamble’s hands when she tried to touch him. Through consistent Victory Visits, pre-visit training and medications, and desensitization to areas where vaccines and other needle pokes are typically given, we are now able to provide him and his owner with a comfortable and rewarding experience every time he is in. Now he sits patiently and lets Dr. Gamble examine him—with the help of some cheese and marshmallows, not to mention smears of his favorite treats, peanut butter and canned food. During Hunter’s victory visits, we commonly work on the desensitization process without actually following through with an injection. “Happy visits, along with some training classes and behavior work on our part, have made a world of difference to Hunter,” writes his owner, Beth. “Hunter is now excited to see Emily, Heather, Dr. Gamble, and many other staff members as soon as he walks through the front door. He is a much happier dog at the vet thanks to Gamble Pet Clinic’s Fear Free work.”
Emily Andrade, CVA, Fear Free Level 3 Certified, Gamble Pet Clinic, Fort Collins, Colorado
Fear Free Education Win
Recently, there was an event called Woof Fest held during a downtown pub crawl. Our clinic sponsored “Dog Trivia,” and I focused the questions on a pet’s emotional health, such as “Is this dog’s body language calm or stressed?” and “A dog wagging their tail is always happy. True or False?” Hundreds of people played our trivia game, and it was such a rewarding experience to educate the public on the topic.
Natalie Gruchow, CVPM, Animal Health Clinic, Fargo, North Dakota
Sammy’s Success
Sammy had grown up in a hoarding situation and was fearful at the time of his adoption. Unless he was sedated, the six-year-old dog would bark and lunge or even eliminate from fear during veterinary visits. A prescription for an SSRI helped and the team tried additional medications at different doses, but Sammy would push through the medications and continue to show fear aggression. At first, he was unable to generalize that humans weren’t scary, so it was important for him to see the same person at the hospital on each visit. That wasn’t easy, but eventually the right person came along who was able to take the time and effort for Sammy to become comfortable. It took six months of Victory Visits spent eating chicken, practicing chin rests and lying on his side, and undergoing desensitization to having his leg shaved, the scent of alcohol, application of a topical product for numbness, and the pretend poke of a needle, but in July Sammy underwent his first successful blood draw. Now we are routinely doing happy visits to keep the momentum going.
Beth Friedman, Canine Companion Consulting, Fort Collins, Colorado
Down Under Wonder
Bruno is a goofy 8-year-old Bull Arab Cross (a type of Australian working dog). He has always been very friendly at the vet, but once pats stopped and the examination started, he would become suspicious and communicate his discomfort with aggressive behavior. Fortunately, Bruno’s owner has been committed to training. They had private training sessions and attended a Ready, Vet, Go! course. As part of Bruno’s training we incorporated a lot of owner education on subtle body language changes, as well as start and stop cues for Bruno. Bruno was trained with a sustained chin target, using a towel on a chair, as his start cue, meaning “I’m ready for procedure.” If he lifted his head, we immediately stopped the procedure. Bruno was also trained to be comfortable with a Baskerville Ultra Muzzle. We spent time teaching Bruno specific body parts such as tail, ear, and scruff, so that he knew what was about to happen. Over time we were able to pair several good vet clinic experiences (training on a Sunday in clinic) with lots of his fave foods, body scratches, and games. We also introduced veterinary equipment, including syringes, blunt needle, alcohol swabs, and stethoscope. When we weren’t actively training, he was taught a default “chill” behavior and rewarded for relaxed head, tail, and big breaths. He had several socialization visits at the vet, and when he required surgery for a lump removal we did practice runs with pre-visit medication to see what would work best for him. A planned course of action on admission saw him anesthetized as soon as possible to limit buildup of anxiety. Since then Bruno has had further training sessions and socializing vet visits. Recently he had his vaccinations and we were able to give his injection without any restraint by utilizing his muzzle and target training. Bruno is a great example of what teamwork can achieve when you have a committed owner and a Fear Free-trained vet and trainer, not to mention a goofy, food-motivated dog!
Jacqui Johnston, Holland Park and Carina Vet Clinics and Trish Allan, All Pets Education and Training, Brisbane, Australia
This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.
Kim Campbell Thornton is content manager for Fear Free Pets and is a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional. She has been writing about dogs, cats, wildlife, and marine life since 1985.
Why?
Renewing and keeping an active membership is one of the requirements to maintaining your certification as well as access to member benefits.
Need help? Please contact our Customer Experience team at wags@fearfreepets.com or call us at 303.952.0585 and we will be happy to assist!
Go to My Homepage
Action Required: You Were Removed from Your Fear Free Team
Update account information by clicking here to go to your account info.
Please note: If you were recently removed from your Fear Free team, your membership will either expire 90 days from the removal date or expire at your current membership renewal date, whichever comes first. Already renewed? Update your account information through the link above. You will continue to receive this notice until your company information has been updated.
Need to join a different Fear Free team or have questions?
Please contact our Customer Experience team at wags@fearfreepets.com or call us at 303.952.0585 and we will be happy to assist!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Great! You want to become a Fear Free Certified® Practice.
Best decision ever!
Beyond the long-term benefits of your patients and clients, Practice Certification improves career satisfaction and safety. Here are some steps you’ll need to take:
Please note: We don’t currently offer facility certification for non-veterinary facilities. If you want us to contact you when it is available for non-veterinary facilities, click here.
A team admin account is best suited for practice and team leaders who wish to register two or more team members for any Fear Free® certification memberships.
Gives you access to your own team purchasing and management tool. Requires a designated team admin to oversee team progress.
Requires a designated team admin to oversee team progress.
The team admin account is best suited for practice and team leaders who wish to register two or more team members for any of the Fear Free Certification Programs. The team admin account is intended to serve as a purchasing and management tool for the individual overseeing their team’s progress with Fear Free. Please note what limitations the team admin account will have below.
What the team admin account can do:
Purchase registrations and renewals for team members
Purchase more memberships and renewals for your team. Dynamic pricing reflected in cart.
The online self-assessment is comprised of the Fear Free Certified Practice Standards and is accessible via the Practice Certification Dashboard (PCD). Access to the PCD is provided to the Team Admin account after the $500 USD non-refundable registration fee is paid.
25% of the entire staff is Fear Free Certified and has active (not expired) memberships. The 25% must include 50% + 1 of your FTE veterinarians.
To become a Fear Free Certified Practice, you will need to:
Implement the Fear Free Certified Practice Standards and complete the online self-assessment
Meet the minimum Fear Free Certified and active member staff requirements
Complete a successful virtual visit with a Practice Certification Veterinarian
You’ll pay a $500 non-refundable deposit to register to start the process of becoming a Fear Free Certified Practice.
Fear Free is excited to offer students, faculty, and staff of veterinary schools, veterinary technician/nurse schools, and veterinary assistant schools complimentary registration and renewal for the time they are enrolled in an educational institution. The offer is open to students of all levels above the age of 18 for the duration of their time in school, and we encourage you to take advantage of this offer as soon as possible! You will be required to complete the form in the link below to obtain registration or renewal instructions via email. Please email wags@fearfreepets.com with any questions.
Fear Free is excited to offer students, faculty, and staff of veterinary schools, veterinary technician/nurse schools, and veterinary assistant schools complimentary registration and renewal for the time they are enrolled in an educational institution. The offer is open to students of all levels above the age of 18 for the duration of their time in school, and we encourage you to take advantage of this offer as soon as possible! You will be required to complete the form in the link below to obtain registration or renewal instructions via email. Please email wags@fearfreepets.com with any questions. Go to the student and faculty registration page.