Husbandry Training

Animal husbandry is a term that describes the breeding and care of wild and domestic animals. This includes healthcare and physical exams by a veterinarian. Husbandry training is most commonly seen in Zoos across the country, as a way to teach very large and powerful animals to calmy perform certain "tricks" that allow a vet or caretaker to properly examine them. Without these commands, caring for these animals would become very difficult. This type of training is extrememly important and, unfortunately, often over looked part of our domestic routine.

Vets and their Techs. will tell you battle stories of being bitten, scratched and assaulted by their patients while in for routine checkups and procedures at the clinic. Most pet owners have similar stories of vet visits- wrestling pets into crates or kennels, but it doesnt have to be this way. Our pets are small and viewed as members of the family, and because of this, husbandry training is often overlooked. If we learn to apply this basic foundation training to our pets, our visits to the vet will be so much easier, for everyone involved, even your pet! Trips to the vet can be overly stimulating and extremely stressful for some dogs; training your dog to see the vet as a friend and to be rewarded for simple tasks, will take away the anxiety associated with vet visits.

Husbandry training goes beyond basic "sit" and "stay" commands, into more direct actions that will assist in a physical examination.

Common husbandry training commands:

"Left Paw"/ "Right paw"

These two commands are to lift up the left and right paw at a sitting position to allow them to be touched and looked at.

"Left up"/ "Right up"/ "Left back"/ "Right back"

These four commands are similar to the above "left paw"/ "right paw", except that they include the back paws and are to be done at a stand position. These commands are important so that a vat can check the leg, shoulder and hip joints.

"Open"

The "Open" command asks dog to open his/her mouth in order for the vet to check the inside of the mouth for oral issues. The dog should understand that they need to keep their mouth open until the release cue is given, and should be OK with the inside of the mouth, teeth and tongue being touched.

"Stand"

many dogs slink to the ground in stressful situations, this comand tells them what they are supposed to be doing, hips up, pup!

"Up"

This command is to jump up on a piece of equipment. Many vet clinics have adjustable tables, electronic lifts and scales that can be scary for our dogs. This command lets them know to step up onto the object.

"Look"

The "Look" command is a useful tool to get the dog to look at the vet, allowing the Dr. to check the eyes nose and ears without complaint.

"Show your belly"

This command asks the dog to roll on their back to expose their belly for examination. The dog should stay in this position until released.

"OK"

The release cue, and time for a treat!

Training our dogs for these commands and working with our vet and vet techs to help teach them correctly at visits will greatly reduce stress involved. When we make the Dr.'s office a fun place to be rewarded, we take the fear away. Make sure to work with these commands on a regular basis to keep your pup calm and confident for vet visits!

#vet #training #husbandrytraining