Medical or General Dog trainer-- help/recommendations

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Hey all,

So, we live in Zurich and our vet has recommended we find a medical trainer for our puppy's issues, as the trainer she works with is overbooked. I have searched a lot, but I don't know how a medical trainer is different than a dog trainer in general.

Anyway, we do need a trainer ASAP and I come to you for help/recommendations. We do speak German, but it would be very much easier if we found an English-speaking trainer.

We have a 5 months old male Papillon dog and although he learns super fast and he is a very fun and gentle dog with us, he does have some problems:

1. Ever since we got him he has had anxiety with strangers and bigger dogs (although he seems that he wants to play, instead he withdraws and howls at them, but then cries when they leave without playing).

When we go for walks, he plays with other (small) dogs or even sniffs and gets close to strangers without barking at all, but when we go for a walk around the neighborhood he becomes territorial and barks and howls at everyone.

2. He has a huuuuge thing for anything that moves fast, i.e. cars, trains, bicycles, scooters, people running. He howls at them and starts running to catch them.

3. The most important of all, is that he tries to bite the vet. Although he has had always anxiety with the vets, they could eventually sweet-talk him into the examination. He also had no resistance to us opening his mouth when he picked up things from the street or around the house but now he tries to scare us by threatening to bite.

Since his last vaccine visit and an emergency visit to another vet a few days after (in which we weren't allowed in the room with him), he can't stand the vet, he becomes aggressive, and he even tries to bite the vet or even us if we try to calm him down.

He is teething right now, so biting is a bit more severe than before, but aggressive biting (or trying to) is very out of his character so far and very new.

So, we are desperate for a good trainer, as he is a very good boy, but he needs training. I get he experienced some kind of trauma, maybe because he experienced more pain with his last vaccine, I don't know, but we need someone to guide us all through this.

2
First off, let's make sure we all understand terminology the same way:

When you say 'medical trainer', are you looking for:

1. A veterinarian specializing in behavioral medicine? That is, a qualified veterinarian who has gone on to a specialization in the intersection of behavioral studies and pharmacology? This is an approach that is sometimes needed, and usually is part of a multi-pronged program including more traditional behavioral work. But this is often a later approach, for some dogs, after extreme anxiety has not responded to conventional behavioral approach.

If so, the typical term in Switzerland would be Verhaltensmedizin. If this is what you are looking for, I can recommend:

Dr Maya Bräm, contactable through the Tierspital (Neurology department), here:

https://www.tierspital.uzh.ch/de/kle...gie/braem.html

Or through her private practice in Basel, here:

https://mayanimal.ch/dr-maya-braumlm.html

Dr Bräm is very much sought after, as she is one of the few vets in Switzerland practicing behavioral medicine. There may be a wait for a consultation.

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Or, are you looking for:

2. A trainer or behaviorist or even self-learning resources to work on your dog's behavior at the vet?

If your dog is still a puppy, I suspect this is what you may need now...

If that is the case, any good trainer who is empathetic and understanding of typical stress-induced behaviors can start to help you. This is actualy a sub-set of learning to cope when stressed/afraid, of learning calm behaviors. If a trainer does not do a specific class in 'at the Praxis', you could ask for some 1-1 lessons covering these techniques.

If you are looking for someone who can work with you in English, you might try contacting EF's own CherryTree, who is a trainer. You can likely reach her via PM.

Where in Zürich are you? We can also post recommendations for other trainers, but it would be helpful to know what area/distance is do-abe for you.

While you are looking for someone to work with, here are two books I have found valuable:

Medical Training für Hunde: Körperpflege und Tierarzt-Behandlungen vertrauensvoll meistern , by Oblasser-Mirtl and Glatz:

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Anna-Obla...ks%2C76&sr=1-1

This is in German. The book shows techniques to use to train your dog to relax/accept specific interactions with the vet. It's very clear, concise, and IMO quite helpful.

The best book on the subject, IMO, is Low Stress Handling by Dr Sophia Yin:

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Sophia-Yi...ks%2C69&sr=1-2

This was written for veterinarians, vet students, and veterinary staff, but is easily accessible to the layman. As you can see, the book is very expensive - it's a textbook afterall - but IMO a great investment.

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You can work on these techniques yourself with your dog, and of course should work with your trainer/behaviorist. But as you do, I also recommend talking to your veterinarian about how he/she and the staff approach handling your dog. You both have to be on the same page, using low-stress techniques. All the good work you do with teaching your dog to accept handling at the vet can get thrown out the window if the vet is not on board with your program.

Switzerland doesn't have the equivalent of 'fear-free' certification for vet practices, but every vet here should be working along those lines.

Are you comfortable with the way your vet interacts with your dog in general?

Some are more laid back than others, some more empathetic - it is important to find a vet who is not only an excellent clinician, but one who also understands you and your dog.

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First off, a safety comment:

When your dog tries to bite the vet, do you think this is this a vestige of puppy biting, is it a warning snap, or is it a stress/fear/aggression bite response?

If the latter, are you able to anticipate his stress response and take steps to prevent your dog from biting during an exam?

Is your dog muzzled at the vet? Do you think he should be? And backing up: Have you done 'muzzle training', that is desensitization and counter conditioning to the muzzle?

If you believe that your dog would bite the vet, please discuss with him or her whether your pup should be muzzled during a visit. If you agree that he should be, then chosing an appropriate muzzle and most importantly, do extensive muzzle acceptance training first. (If you need more info on how to do that, let us know.)

While I don't like the idea of muzzling a puppy, as this is usually a learning /developmental stage where training is more appropriate, if, though, you think your pup could do damage then you and the vet have to agree on safety measures.

Muzzling, for specific interactions or for the visit, can be a temporary solution while you are working on the behavior and more importantly the underlying emotion causing the behavior.

But at the vet's, safety first! (You don't want your dog to bite the vet, obviously, but especially because the vet is a mandatory reporter.)

Whenever there is a biting/aggression issue, generally there is a two phase approach: management for safety, which may be temporary or on-going, and then working on the behavior. Behavioral work tends to take time, hence the need for management in the interim.

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Now before I go further, I have to toss out my usual caveat:

We can not diagnose from afar. Only someone who knows your dog, knows you and understands how you interact with your dog, who has seen the behaviors first hand, can accurately diagnose what is going on, and give specific suggestion. Assumptions made over t'internet' can be way off the mark, as we have not seen the behavior.

With that in mind, I always think it best that we discuss our experiences in similar situations and how we handled those with our own dogs. From that, please take what seems to fit your situation and what you might think helpful.

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And before I start nattering on using examples from my coven of crazies, I see that Heffalump is looking longingly at the back door, meaning his elderly bladder needs a break.

Will be back... but in the meantime, perhaps you could clarify what you mean by 'medical training'?

3
Our pup had some major veterinary treatment at a young age and became very aggressive when the vet tried to treat him - bless him he was scared and in pain. So the vet sold us a muzzle and with a lot of Le Parfait he quickly came to accept it. Now a few years later he seems absolutely fine with the vet (we also changed vets and that probably helped too) and we don't need it anymore, but I'm glad to know he'll wear it if we need him to.

4
Back to discuss how I’ve handled vet phobia, or simply bad behavior at the Praxis, with my various fruit-bats:

First: Acclimating a dog to the Praxis, building good experiences:

Whenever I adopt a new dog, of any age, I first do several Praxis visits that are not connected to seeing the vet. I want the dog to establish a good feeling about the space, the people, the atmosphere well in advance of ‘on the table’ stuff. My vet practice is very accommodating. I ask the TPAs when a typical quiet time might be, and then schedule a quick visit - a few minutes - to stop by to sit in the waiting room and get a greeting or a treat from the TPA. As soon as we are comfortable walking into the Praxis and sitting in the waiting room, we add in stepping on the scale to these visits.

If the Praxis has the time, I then ask if we can walk into an exam room, sit there calmly, then walk out. Next level is walk into an exam room, hop on the table, sit quietly, hop down, walk out.

During these quick visits I ask for a calm settle, rewarding my dog for just taking it all in calmly.

(Calm settle is something we practice in a variety of locations and situations. A very useful default behavior.)

I might use treats, I might use toys, I might just use praise as a reward - or all three. Depends on the dog and the situation. FYI, perhaps be careful of relying on treats alone when doing ‘vet behavior practice', however, as there may be times down the road you have to bring the dog in fasted, where you cannot allow the dog to eat before a procedure.

The goal of this exercise is simply to build an association between the Praxis and pleasant things happening.

With most of my dogs a few quick visits were sufficient. But with a couple we had other challenges that needed more time and low-key interaction with the TPAs.

Talk to your vet and staff about what kind of ‘Praxis acclimation’ is possible within the scope of their work flow. When a dog is extremely fearful, most vets will recognize that this is time well spent.

I have noticed that the design of a waiting room can make or break a vet visit. Some have the space set up so that dogs are not forced into close proximity, do not have to look other dogs in the eye. One Praxis uses a sort of figure X seating design which is brilliant. Others have spaces separating dogs and cats, or different doors for entering and leaving, etc. But some have crowded space or a seating configuration that can stress your dog out even before the exam. If you find your dog is too stressed by the waiting room, even after practice as above, ask if you can wait in your car, or outside, and have the TPA text you when your turn comes.

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I have a multi-dog household, so I take advantage of the ‘good patient’ to set an example when I am introducing a new dog to our vet practice. I bring the newbie along to another dog’s exam when appropriate, say for a routine visit, and the newbie sits calmly in the corner of the exam room while the vet has the other dog on the table. The newbie sees that the other dog is totally non-plussed and learns from her. Again, building more good associations. If you don’t have other dogs, do you have a friend whose dog is good at the vet? If so, maybe you could accompany them on a routine visit?

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Speaking of the table - if the table is particularly scary, ask if it is really necessary for this procedure. If you find your dog is stressed on the table, ask if the procedure can be done on the floor, or sitting in your or the vet’s lap, or even outside if there is an appropriate space at the praxis. Much can be done that way, with less stress. Again, communication with the vet as to handling techniques is key.

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You mentioned not being allowed in the room with your dog on one occasion. If your dog is less stressed and behaves better in your presence, my first instinct would be to question this.

While there are procedures where an owner can’t be in the room, in many cases often you can be there without inconveniencing the staff. Heck, I’ve donned the leaded smock and held my dogs for x-rays, held them during an ultrasound, I've sat with them while anesthesia was being administered, sat with them in the recovery room, and with Robin my most challenging mutt I have arrange to be called into the operating theater to be there as he is take out of anesthesia. Not all practices are willing/able to be so accommodating to an owner, and even with those that are there certainly are times when it is just not possible. But ask, if you believe your dog will do better with you present. Your vet, too, wants this to go as smoothly as possible.

If you can’t be present for a procedure, talk to the vet beforehand as to how it will be handled. I use the approach of ‘how can I help make this easier for you and your staff?’

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For most of my dogs regular handling practice has been a huge help. At home we practice the usual things - give paw, play with ears, lift lips to check gums, sit and stand on the floor, sit and stand on the table, sits and stands while being touched, etc. Roll-over is very useful, as is ‘belly-up’. I make these exercises a game at home, on the floor and on a table, and do them in random places as well.

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I also practice restraint holds as well. The two books I mentioned show various holds that you can practice, you can find several examples on Youtube as well. When practicing a restraint hold make it a game, the goal is calm while being held, calm while being touched.

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You mention stress during the last vaxx, this can be practiced to some extent. I practice a sit or stand, then use a syringe (without needle, obviously) against the skin. The idea is to desensitize your dog used to as much of the procedure as possible beforehand. If your dog is relaxed during the preliminaries, when the needle goes in he is likely to react better. Most vets are very quick with the actual injection, it’s the lead-up to the poke that stresses dogs out. You can train the lead-up.

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All the above has served me well with most of my dogs. They learned to be easy patients, vet visits were low stress.

I’ve had two dogs, though, where all the practice in the world hasn’t helped.

Heffalump is a good patient for most procedures, training has paid off. But he cannot handle spinal manipulation. Despite all our work, this is one thing I cannot really train for, because given his condition this should only be done by a vet. So I’m realistic. If we have to manipulate his spine, I pop a muzzle on for that procedure. No big deal, he is used to it - and safety first means everyone breathes easier. And he relaxes once muzzled, go figure. He does not need the muzzle for any other type of handling.

And then there is Robin Goodfellow. In layman’s terms, Robin's brain is beyond broke.

Robin often cannot be touched, he cannot handle certain stimuli, stress can provoke what we suspect are partial complex seizures. Obviously this affects what can be done by the vet.

We use desensitization and counter conditioning extensively, we train, we practice, we look for compromises.

For instance, any needle goes in the hind quarter or leg, not the front as is usual for blood draws or the neck for vaxxes. A face-on direct approach is too much for him, but we can do many things easily if I hold and distract him while the vet comes in from behind. And he is muzzled, obviously. We continue to work on lowering his stress, tolerating being touched - but ultimately I have to accept that there are some medical procedure will not be possible with him. And yes, we are working with Dr Bräm. Every vet visit involves a discussion of the best way to handle him for whatever is needed.

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Training, acclimating, desensitizing are some things that you can work of with a trainer/behaviorist, and follow through on your own. If you are doing 1-1 lessons, you could also ask your trainer to accompany you to your next vet visit so that he or she can see the behavior first hand. This is often helpful in drawing up a training plan.

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Now I have big hungry puppy eyes pleading for dinner - so more on general training with an anxious dog later.

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Wishing you and your pup all the best.

5
Thoughts on general training and socialization with an anxious dog:

First, did you do a Welpenförderung class, or any sort of puppy class when your dog first came to you?

If so, what was his general demeanor, typical behavior in the puppy class, did that trainer have any comments, concerns, suggestions?

A bit of background might help us give you more on-target advice.

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You are right in wanting to get professional help ASAP. At 5 months your pup is approaching adolescence, where even the most chilled of pups sometime take a step backwards. With an anxious pup, working on continued socialization in an age appropriate way is key.

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I have found that combining different approaches has been needed with most of my dogs.

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Some of what you wrote is reminiscent of my Hooligan when she first came to me. She was 11 months old then, so a bit more mature - or at least physically. Emotionally she was still very much a puppy.

Quick backstory: Hooligan, unwanted and thus unprofitable, was left to run wild at the breeder’s farm for her first 11 months. No training, no socialization other than the interaction with her mother, siblings, and her mother's next litter. (Yes, poor mom was bred every season - so you know what kind of (insert expletive here) this was.) While Hooligan was friendly with her ‘pack’, she was afraid of the wider world. Fearful of most new experiences and terrified of dogs she did not know, especially GSDs and BCs with a hard-eyed stare. Typical self-reinforcing fear reaction “I barked, they walked on, they didn’t hurt me, that must be what works so I’ll bark next time too.” Walks were painful, to say the least.

Clearly we had rehab work to do.

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One sort of universal with an anxious dog is that you want to set your dog up for success, you want to manage encounters when possible to ensure positive experiences at each stage of interaction/socialization to help your dog build self-confidence. And you want to avoid overwhelming your dog, pushing him into the discomfort zone at any stage.

So first, think of what kind of training would be most beneficial to your dog at the beginning. Would one-to-one work be best? Would a class? Or maybe a combination of the two?

As you think about classes, again, what kind? Would a Junghund course, where the dogs are all adolescents like yours? Or class of small dogs like yours? Or a class of all sizes and ages? Or perhaps all three?

Key is chosing a training program that best fits your dog’s individual needs and developmental phase. And key to that is finding a trainer who is not only skilled but also empathetic to what you and your dog are going through.

Not every trainer will be a good fit for you and your dog, so I recommend first reading up on the trainer, make sure your ideas mesh. Most trainers have a blurb on their websites discussing their philosophy. Then when you narrow down the list of possibilities, meet with several trainers before making a commitment. Ask to observe a class, without your dog, to get an idea of how the trainer works with the class participants. Then schedule a meeting with your dog, outside of class time. Assess the chemistry between the trainer, you, and your dog.

You want to find someone who is going to be a resource, a source of support. Training is a partnership between the trainer and you and your dog.

I’ll toss out my usual comment: Fear, pain, intimidation, which often hide under the so-called dominance methods, have no place in training, especially when working with an anxious or fearful dog. These methods can do more harm to a fearful dog. Please avoid anyone espousing these methods.

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When I was dealing with young Hooligan’s reactivity, what worked for us was a combination of group classes and one-to-one lessons.

I opted for ‘Familienhund’ type classes, the kind of class that is a little bit of everything, from basic training to games to sports to excursions. I chose this because it was fun for Hooligan, fun for me, and exposed us to a wider variety of activities and interactions.

The beauty of a group class is that it is a controlled interaction.

The trainer first put us in with dogs who would generally be a good fit for Hooligan, calm steady tolerant older dogs who wouldn’t trigger her ‘issues’, from whom she could learn. And with owners who understood that we needed some special consideration. We had the option of working with the group or by ourselves at a distance from the group when Hooligan showed signs of coming close to her threshold. As Hooligan gained confidence, we found ourselves more and more involved with the group. We repeated this with different classes, working with different dogs at the training ground to broaden her social skills.

The second prong was 1-1 walks with our trainer. Working in her safe controlled group class gave Hooligan confidence, but we also had to try to tackle the real world where other owners were not understanding or even polite, where other dogs were not under control. (Of course these owners should have been following etiquette and their dog should have been better under control... but real life is what it is. We had to learn to cope.)

The trainer was a huge help on these walks, helping me with my timing as I worked with Hooligan, helping me read her body language, helping me read the other unknown dog’s body language, pointing out things I did not notice, etc. Having a second set of eyes is very valuable.

One thing that really made a difference was understanding where Hooligan’s reaction zone and reaction time was. That is, how far away from another dog did she need to be to keep under threshold and when did she begin to react. Again, with the idea that we wanted to set her up for success so we wanted to start well within her comfort zone. In the beginning, we had to keep quite a distance, arcing around an oncoming dog, avoiding direct face to face contact, beginning distraction techniques at the first sign of a dog on the horizon. Over time we could reduce that distance and time as she learned to relax, as she gained confidence - and as I got better at communicating with her.

Now it wasn’t all roses. We had a lot of one-step-forward-one-step-backwards, I shed more than a few tears in those early days. That is to be expected. Key is to break the training plan down to small, achievable goals - and celebrate the small victories along the way. My body language, my level of confidence - or lack of panic - obviously played a large part. I had to learn how to communicate effectively with Hooligan. After all, training is really all about training the owner - who then trains their dog.

Behavior problems are not solved overnight - one needs to commit to the long haul. One needs to be flexible, creative, open-minded as you and your dog learn together. But with the right help it does indeed get better!

One thing to understand about behavior that stems from fear or anxiety is that one needs to help the dog to change the emotion if one is to change the behavior. Without addressing the underlying emotion you are only suppressing symptoms - which can backfire. There are several ways to approach desensitization and counter-conditioning, your trainer should help you find the right approach for your dog.

Here is where a bit of background reading might help.

Turid Rugaas’ classic book ‘Calming Signals’ is an easy guide to learning to read your dog. Clarissa von Reinhardt'’s “Stress in Dogs’ is another quick read to introduce the topic.

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Turid-Rug...=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Martina-S...ks%2C61&sr=1-1

I also recommend Patricia McConnell, Dr Sophia Yin, Karen Pryor, Jean Donaldson, Emma Parsons, Sara Fisher, Grisha Stewart, Ian Dunbar, John Bradshaw... just to name a few of the trainers, behaviorists, philosophers in the ‘positive canon’. If you prefer videos, I highly recommend Emily Larlham’s ‘Kikopup’ channel. And when you need to raise your spirits, Martin Rütter’s videos are wonderful - laugh and learn at the same time. I found that reading around the various philosophies of dog training helped me to put together a more effective ’tool box’ to help my dogs.

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As you look for trainer recommendations, a potential starting place might be the Zürich list of approved trainers for the mandatory Welpenförderung, Junghund, and Erwachsene course. Yes, I know you are not required to do these due to your dog’s breed, but nonetheless this list of trainers might be a good place to start your research. These are people who have been accredited by the canton, and should all follow positive methods. Of course there will be a wide variation of ideas and methods, but there should be a common core. Many of these trainers offer a variety of classes, not just the mandatory courses. Perhaps one might offer what you need. Scroll down to about three quarters down the page for the link to the mandatory course trainers.

https://www.zh.ch/de/umwelt-tiere/ti...ml#-1928044208

And, if you give us an idea of how far you can travel, we can add in our own recommendations.

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I certainly understand and empathize with what you are going through, and wish you and your pup all the very best.

6
Thank you for your help and tips! I might say I feel a bit overwhelmed right now, thinking of all the training we need to do. We will look up the books, they seem really helpful.

So, I will try to give some background and post my questions below:

1. I have had a large breed dog years ago, so I have dog experience (I'm the only one in our household with experience), but she was pretty easy on everything. I have no experience with a mini breed or a fearful dog like our pup, so sometimes I do feel like a failure.

2. We live in the Glattal area, but we are free to move by car around Zurich.

3. We welcomed our pup when he was 11 weeks old. For the first month, we potty trained him and followed the breeder's guidelines, with which the vet agreed, in feeding times and nap times after feeding or pooping and sleeping in an enclosure as he was used to in their house. We have started basic training and tricks since then but now it is that he is in his prime, he learns soooo fast!

As both the breeder and the vet recommended, we took him along everywhere we went so as to get used to people, noises, smells, new places, but we had him on his travel bag until full vaccination. From then on, we have been introducing him to anything new, but he has developed anxiety over some people and dogs.

For the last 2 months whenever we see people from afar and he doesn't howl/bark, I treat/pet/give his praise word and I have seen much improvement. In the last 3 weeks, he gets close and sniffs people when they ignore him or licks their hand when they are gentle and calm with him and he plays with other puppies when we go to the park. Not always though and he is still anxious with large dogs and bicycles especially. Yes, he always tries to catch bicycles and running people, maybe because he loves running fast. So, I do believe that there is room for improvement.

4. Vet visits: He had two visits at our vet for vaccines which went fine and two visits at Tierspital which also went fine (these were due to our overreacting because he would try to find out how high he could jump and fall and cry, but it was, thakfully, just puppy drama as the doctors said).

At his third visit to our vet and his last vaccine, he had a bit of anxiety and couldn't stay still, and the vet grabbed him and very quickly stung the vaccine Our pup cried a lot more than the other times, withdrawing even from me. It took him some time to stop hurting and trust me again and he would take treats from the vet only when he was far away from them and behind my legs.

I do believe that the vet could have handled better the situation and given him his space and time instead of being impatient. When our pup is anxious about anything, I don't try to force him, but instead, I give him his time. If he can't handle it, then I take him away from the trigger.

My mistake was that I didn't discuss it with the vet beforehand, but I thought that since there wasn't any problem with the other visits then this would go fine as well and I didn't really feel that there was room for discussion that day. Since then, our pup has become more vocal/fearful with strangers, and when we took him back to the vet he couldn't be handled and threatened to bite them when they overstressed him.

5. You asked if I think that he would actually bite. My opinion is that he won't, he never does. He bites our hands playfully while teething and he used to bite our trousers to let us know he wants to go potty, but he now knows to not do it. He might bite when playing, but always soft and he stops when told to. That said, when he is stressed, and another person continues stressing him, especially a stranger, I don't know if he will actually bite when reaches his stress limit. But I know that if one gives him time, or a toy, or ignore him for a bit, he will be better after. Still stressed maybe, but better.

6. My take is that we need to change vet and start over, in a new environment and maybe with more empathetic and patient stuff. This would be a great opportunity to put your vet training tips to use and maybe this becomes a better experience for our pup in the future.

The current vet said that his behavior is probably dominance asserting, but I feel that it is caused by vet trauma, I may be wrong, I don't know, but that is what I feel by knowing our pup. I haven't seen him trying to assert dominance, just a bit territory to our neighborhood walks. I would like it better if the vet put some more effort, actually.

7. I wouldn't want to put him a muzzle, but will do if I have to. He has put it a few times, but he doesn't quite love it. I do agree about safety, and of course, I wouldn't want his anxiety to result in biting, anyone. That would be very bad for our pup also.

8. Of course, I don't expect a diagnosis from afar. But discussing it with dog experienced people and getting tips, reading about other owners' experiences is very helpful. Especially, since I consider myself a newbie-- this time. For instance, now I know a few training tips more that I wasn't aware of and I know what we need to start improving. This brings me to my questions:

9. We need a new vet. Any recommendations? What to look for in a vet? The current is from a friend's recommendation and very qualified, but maybe not so good for us.

10. We need a behavioralist/trainer. Anywhere around Zurich is fine. I think we should try 1:1 training sessions with a behavioralist first, before going for a medical trainer. What to look for in a good trainer and are there any recommendations?

7
Reviving this older thread because this statement of mine now (happily!) needs updating:

Well, now Switzerland does have at least one institution - the Tierspital - that is establishing a 'Fear Free' group, following the model used in the US.

From the July edition of the Tierspital newsletter:

https://www.tierspital.uzh.ch/de/kle..._Fearfree.html

Auch das tiermedizinische Personal kann einen grossen Beitrag zu einem stressärmeren Besuch leisten. Weiterbildungsprogramme für tiermedizinisches Personal, wie z.B. das Fear Free Programm ( www.fearfreepets.com ), zielen genau darauf ab. Das gesamte Team – angefangen vom Empfangspersonal, über Praxisassistent*innen, zu Tierärzt*innen – kann entsprechende Weiterbildungsmodule besuchen. Ziel ist, alle auf die (teils sehr feinen) Stressanzeichen zu sensibilisieren und möglichst angst- und stressfreie Untersuchungs- und Behandlungsmethoden einzusetzen.

Roughly:

Veterinary staff can also make a significant contribution to a less stressful visit. Training programs for veterinary staff, such as the Fear Free Program ( www.fearfreepets.com ), aim to do just that. The entire team - from reception staff, to practice assistants, to veterinarians - can attend appropriate training modules. The goal is to sensitize everyone to the (sometimes very subtle) signs of stress and to use examination and treatment methods that are as anxiety- and stress-free as possible.

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The article goes on to say that if you are concerned that your pet will be highly stressed by his visit to the Tierspital, when you make an appointment ask if your pet can be seen by a vet or TPA with 'Fear Free' advanced training.

The Tierpital aims to expand the Fear Free team over time.

(FYI, the newsletter article also talks about the things you can do at home to make a visit to the vet much easier - that is, exercises similar to the 'medical training' discussed upthread. Something we all should do with our four footed friends.)

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If any of you know of other clinics or vet practices that are pursuing 'Fear Free' certification or training, please post here.

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I can’t say enough good things about Dagmar Longchamp between Fribourg and Bulle (Canins Malins is the name of her group). She speaks all three Swiss languages but no English unfortunately. She’d be a long drive for you but she could be worth checking out, many people come from far to her as she’s really easy to understand, uses simple positive methods and has had great success reforming reactive and other problematic types. Hopefully you’ve already found someone helpful and are making progress with your pup!