Cooperative Care & Gentle Handling
You might have seen people on social media talking about coorperative care. So what is it?
Cooperative care has been used for many years in treating animals in captivity, but it’s drawn mainstream attention for use with dogs and cats in the last few years.
The idea is to teach animals to feel safe and comfortable during everyday handling and care activities like grooming and vet visits.
So instead of restraining the dog and getting it over and done with no matter what their level of discomfort, we can use gentle training and positive experiences to teach dogs that they have some level of choice and control during the process.
For us, it starts with something as simple as “shake paws”! A dog who feels comfortable with their paw being held can be taught to accept nail trims and paw inspections.
It takes time to teach, but research suggests that this sense of control can help make these experiences less stressful and more tolerable for dogs, with many dogs learning to actively participate in the process.
All dogs need to experience things like nail trims, brushing, ear and eye cleaning, baths, taking medication, and general body handling throughout their lives.
If we can build trust, reduce stress, and help our dogs feel more supported, the results will be better for everyone.
If you’d like to learn more about creating the foundations for this sort of training, join us in-person for group classes in Melbourne.
