Cooperative Care: Couch to Clinic

Do you and your dog dread trips to the vet or groomer? You’re not alone! Our one of kind cooperative care course is designed to help you and your dog build up skills and bridge the gap from at home to in the clinic. Unlike a traditional 6 week course, our cooperative care program spans the course of six months, giving you and your dog plenty of time to work up to the real deal.

Our pilot program for this course will be running October 2024-March 2025! Spaces will be limited.

Lvl 1: Foundations

• 4 one hour zoom sessions

• Meets once a week

The focus in level 1 will be getting a baseline for your dog’s current handling skills, building up foundational behaviors to be used as “start buttons” for cooperative care procedures, and introducing common tools used in the vet or groomer setting. We will establish protocols for “choice” and “no choice” moments as well as discuss creative solutions to manage our dog’s care while working on their comfort at the vet or groomer.

Lvl 2: Handling

• 4 one hour zoom sessions

• Meets once every 2 weeks

The focus in level 2 will be incorporating handling into our “start button” skills. We will work up to faux procedures at home for common goals including nail trims, bathing and brushing, physical exams, and vaccinations. This level will also discuss how and when to collaborate with your veterinary team, preparing for vet visits, and strategies to minimize fear, anxiety and stress in the clinic.

Lvl 3: Victory Visits

• 3 one hour zoom sessions

• Meets once per month

The focus in level 3 will be bringing all of the pieces together and generalizing our skills in new environments. In this level, we will troubleshoot handling procedures at home, and work our way up to using our skills for actual cooperative vet visits.