Does your dog do any of the following?

  • Hide in the corner or under the table when you bring out the harness?

  • Pull away from the vets or groomers and try to avoid going in the door?

  • Pull their foot away from the nail clippers making it impossible to trim their nails?

  • Bark, growl or snap at the vet or groomer if they try to touch your dog?

  • Bark, growl or snap at you if you try to brush them or put on their flea treatment?

  • Make it difficult for your to give them the level of care that you really want to?

If yes then your dog would benefit from touch sensitivity training!

 

We know how important it is to take proper care of our pets. They rely on us to keep them comfortable and well. However, they don’t always make it easy!

If your dog is showing fearful, avoidant or aggressive behaviour when handling then not only are they in distress but it makes giving them your best very challenging. We love our dogs and we want the best for them, but they don’t always understand what’s good for them!

If your dog’s claws are getting too long, or they cannot be vaccinated, or you worry about the next ear infection or twig stuck in their coat then this is the training for you.

“Naomi has helped us to have calmer car journeys and we’ve recently even managed a really successful vet appointment where our boy greeted the vet with an excited tail wag and allowed him to do a physical exam. A few months ago, the vet couldn’t even get near him!

Not only does our boy now completely love life and cope so much better in challenging situations, he has become a real dream to live with. Thanks to WeTeachPets, we also feel much more confident supporting him day to day, and continuing the hard work to prevent/manage setbacks.

Naomi’s belief in us never wavered, she had so many new ideas and tricks up her sleeve to add in, as well as an endless supply of information and personal experience.“

– Mollie, with her dog

Dog happy to see the vet

My interest in co-operative care training

Max facing me ready for training, Ernie anxious about being handled - eye dropsMy own dog Max has presented his own challenges when it comes to grooming, veterinary care and touch sensitivity. He is a long haired Shepherd mix who needs regular brushing to sort out his undercoat and prevent and remove mats. But he’s never been one to sit still, and since getting a grass seed stuck in his side which had to be surgically removed, scar tissue left him very sensitive in certain areas. In years gone by if I tried to brush here he would squeal and jump up barking at me.

He also growled at me once when he had an ear infection and I needed to put drops in. They were so sore! Poor boy. I really felt for him, but he really needed treatment too.

So I had to really hone my skills to help him feel comfortable with grooming and handling procedures. He now allows me to groom him, inject him (he now takes B12 capsules but used to be injected at home), clip his nails and apply ear drops.

Following on from this he has learned to stand for a vet to give him an injection. This is a dog that previously would lunge, bark, snarl and try to bite the vet as soon as they approached in the car park. He would go from lunging full force to backing off and wetting himself. He was in full panic mode. So being able to walk him into a consult room and have him lie calmly while I chat to the vet in itself feels like a miracle! He’s now had multiple vets and nurses inject him and he has had his heart listened to, teeth checked and body touched over for body condition scoring.

In fact you can see him here when I get eye drops out after my other dog has surgery. You can tell which dog I’ve ended up putting more training into. He sees the dropper bottle and he’s ready for training!

Rehabilitating kennel dogs

When I was entrusted with assessing and rehabbing dogs who had been abandoned and needed support to become ready for rehoming I was thrilled to implement cooperative care with them.

Many of these dogs had been through terrible times, were unable to be sent on for rehoming and could be very aggressive and try to bite when handled. Touch sensitivity was certainly common. But being in kennels they needed to be vaccinated, they needed to have their mats removed for their comfort and welfare. We wanted to avoid sedation whenever possible and I was the one to embark on their training for more comfortable handling.

I worked on building their trust and systematically introduced handling and grooming procedures in a way that they often came to actively enjoy. For some of them it may have been the first time that they had choice and autonomy and that their consent, or not, was respected. This built their trust and improved their wellbeing in general.

Check out the packages below to get your training started to:

  • Have less stressful vet visits

  • Be able to take your dog to the groomer

  • Groom your dog at home

  • Feel prepared if your dog needs treatment

  • Clip your dog’s nails without a fight

Don’t forget if you have pet insurance they may reimburse you the fees of our sessions!

Touch Sensitivity Pay As You Go

  • You fill out a questionnaire and gain a vet referral before our first session, and send in any videos you’ve taken of your dog to form part of the initial assessment (don’t set out to video aggressive/non-safe behaviour). This helps us to understand why your dog is doing what they’re doing.

  • We then have an hour consultation so you can tell me all about your concerns. I will learn more about your dog and develop an individually tailored training plan straight away so you feel confident in how to help your dog to relaxed.

  • I will write up notes of what we discuss so you can follow the plan easily so you know exactly what you’re doing next. Your vet will also get a summary copy so they know what you are working on, and how they can help if applicable so that everyone on your dog’s team is on the same page.

  • Book in sessions as/when you need them. We can book either 30/60 minute sessions so you only pay for the time you need and get the support you and your dog need to make progress.

£90 (£45 for 30 min follow ups)

Touch Sensitivity Premium Package

  • You fill out a questionnaire and gain a vet referral before your first session, and send in any videos you’ve taken of your dog to form part of the assessment (don’t set out to video aggressive/non-safe behaviour). This helps us to understand why your dog is doing what they’re doing.

  • We then have an up to 90 minute consultation so you can tell me all about your concerns. I will learn more about your dog and get us started with an individually tailored training plan straight away. You will feel confident in how to help your dog to feel more relaxed.

  • I will write up what we discuss so you can follow the plan easily and you know exactly what you’re doing next. Your vet will also get a summary copy so that everyone on your dog’s team are on the same page.

  • We meet for a 30 minute session at week 2, 4 and 6 to catch up and create the next steps of the plan so that together we can make sure everything is moving in the right direction long term.

  • You have WhatsApp support between sessions to send in questions, updates and videos for me to review to tweak training and give you feedback as you go. With this package you have the added benefit of a behaviourist in your pocket to help to support your training and any issues you come up against so you’re never left waiting for answers.

£350

Which package do I need?

If you’d like to help your dog feel more comfortable and confident, let’s get started!

– 07834 604 549

– hello@weteachpets.com

Got a dog who hates the vet or groomer?

Check out the self paced, step-by-step mini course that will take you and your dog through reintroducing them to their veterinary or grooming appointments in a low stress way for both of you!

Nearly two hours of content you can go back to over and over for as long as you need.

Dog hates the vet course dog nurse photo