One of our core missions at Fairfax Vet is to reduce stress and anxiety in pets and their people during their visit. A more relaxed pet allows for a thorough exam and can actually aid in treatment and recovery when an illness occurs. To help promote a relaxed, confident patient, we have taken extra effort to create an environment in our hospital that reduces stress (see our Fear Free section).
In addition, we encourage pet owners to take advantage of our Calm at the Vet Training Program. This is a dog training program that is tailored to improving comfort and confidence for vet visits, exams, and procedures. The classes are provided by our certified dog trainer and focus on building tolerance and reducing anxiety associated with exam palpation, instruments, the scale, restraint, and more.
Calm at the Vet training classes provide invaluable tools for any dog and will provide benefits in and out of the vet office. These visits focus heavily on pleasant experiences during exams to minimize fear, anxiety, and stress. By empowering your dog to feel more comfortable with things like looking at their teeth or even drawing blood, you can watch your dog flourish and your relationship grow.
These visits use tools such as clickers, food, toys, and praise. We focus on things like standing or laying down for an exam, accepting a blood draw, looking at their ears and teeth, and more. These lessons can be valuable to all dogs and puppies, whether they are overly exuberant, especially fearful, or if you simply want a well-adjusted dog.
The effects of these visits are often felt outside of veterinary visits, and many people notice things such as:
- A better bond with their dog
- Calmer car rides
- A more relaxed dog
- A dog who develops better active listening skills
A package of these lessons is available at 5 lessons for $150. Lessons are weekly. Support available outside of lessons.
Please see the video and information below and contact us for more details and to sign up!