So, you have your lovely new puppy at home and it’s time for that first visit for a check up and perhaps their first vaccination dose so what should you be thinking about before you go?
Well firstly the car journey, depending on how your car journey home with your new puppy went, you might want to think about additional things that might help puppy relax and settle in the car.
Pet remedy is super for helping all animals relax, including puppies so if you buy some in advance then you can spritz a little in the car before you set off.
Whilst in the car puppy needs to be secure, the safest place is in a veterinary carry box or dog car crate. You can also purchase doggy seat belts, however I would really only recommend those if there is a spare person to sit with puppy to prevent them getting tangled.
As it is unlikely your puppy has had any vaccinations yet, you need to make sure that you carry your puppy and do not let them walk on the floor. You can either purchase a carry box for this or you can simply ensure that you carry your dog in your arms.
Remember that now you have a dog it must wear a collar and identification tag in public and you should ideally have already purchased these prior to bringing your dog home. So now you have them pop them on your puppy.
When taking a puppy to the vet I always make sure that along with the pooh bags I also have a selection of treats, some low value kibble and high value alternatives such as squeezy cheese or chicken pieces and 1 high value toy.
On arrival at the vet I leave puppy in the car until I have checked in etc, this way when I bring puppy in I can concentrate solely on them, it also gives me a chance to see it it is overly noisy etc as if it is I dont want to bring puppy straight in and make that first experience a bad one!
Once checked in I carry puppy in and guage how happy they are in the environment, if relaxed I treat intermitently with kibble and praise but if more stressed I will use the chicken pieces to treat.
If people wish to pet my puppy at the vet I normally politely say no as many people will be their with their sick pets and I dont want to risk transfer of unwanted bugs to my unvaccinated pet (many people who ask to pet a puppy do not even think about this before asking). In addition I ensure that no other dogs come to say hello to puppy.
Once going through to the actual vet I continue to treat with suitable treats and I try to time them for when things are happening i.e. as pup is lowered onto the veterinary table I give a treat, as vet goes to touch puppy I give a treat and so on and so forth.
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The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Nina Fotara T/as Confident Canine disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
