07/25/2024
What a dog trainer wants you to know about MEDS!
✅ ONE:
Giving your dog meds isn't going to stop the problem behaviour. What it does is:
- Finds a starting point to the training.
- Helps your dog recover faster.
- Helps your dog cope better.
- Softens the intensity of the scary stuff.
✨MEDS HELP YOU EFFECTIVELY EXECUTE A BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION PLAN✨
✅ TWO:
Unpopular opinion, and it might be a tough pill to swallow. But, if you aren't new here.. You know I am saying this from the kindness of my heart. It is inhumane to hold off on medication for a dog that is truly suffering.
✅ THREE:
Realistically… finding the right med is going to take time. I am about efficiency… (1) get help for the dog sooner, and (2) reduce on guardians time and financial burdens (and well emotional stress too). Meds exploration can be a marathon.. So, let's make it a priority to work on.
With what I said in #2, sometimes medication isn't a one size fits all. It can take time to find the right med, dosage, and combo of meds. If we hold off on exploring meds.. It is just that much longer until our dog finds relief.
✅ FOUR:
So.. With that said…..
- Don't try one med and give up if it isn't working. It's not the med for your dog. Work with your vet.. And explore what is going to work.
- Stay the course… some meds have an onboarding period that needs time to build in their system. Follow the guidance from your vet on this one, but you wont see 'change' after one hour, or one day, or one week after giving them the medication.. Some can take 6 weeks (and again.. If that's even the right med?).
- What is change??? Often it isn't very obvious. I had one dog, that would spill over threshold, and would take DAYS to recover from a fearful event (not leaving the house because she was scared the sky was falling). Once on meds, she would only take a few minutes. Yes the same stuff would scare her.. But she wouldn't be completely wiped out for days. That is HUGE for this dogs standard of life. But in extension.. It meant we could effectively practice the training more often, versus before, taking days and days off of the training if something happened.
✅ FIVE:
Well let's snowball into this one…… MEDICATION SHOULDN'T 'CHANGE' THE CORE OF WHAT MAKES YOUR DOG SO AMAZING. We want to see your dogs joyful nature. Meds shouldn't strip them of this.
➡️ Want to learn more facts about medication.. FROM VETS!! Comment 'HELP' to get all our resources that will help your fearful and anxious dog… and help you show up more informed when you speak with your vet about it.
… and of course… back to #1.. You want help with that behaviour modification plan. We got you!
