Effective Triage & Management of Behavior Cases: Tools in the Team Toolbox
Veterinary professionals are presented daily with behavior challenges in the clinic, not just while handling problematic dogs themselves but also when being solicited for “fixes” from clients struggling to manage behavior challenges at home. Behavior is a complex topic affected by physiological status, environmental factors, genetic factors, and relationship dynamics. Behavior is also fluid and changes under the simplest of circumstances. To effectively implement techniques that help shift the emotional state in dogs and succeed in helping clients solve simple to serious behavior problems, knowing which expert to turn to and what tools in the team toolbox are available is the most critical first step. Gone are the days of simply handing a frazzled client with a bitey dog the business card of a local dog trainer and making a wish for the best. What’s buzzworthy is professional collaboration based on education, experience, and the right professional for the right task at hand. In this session, you’ll learn about the fundamental differences between dog trainers and dog behavior consultants, how they each play a role in canine mental and physical wellness, which professional or combination of professionals is appropriate for the behavior task at hand, how to know a trainer or behavior consultant is qualified, how to decide when it’s time to bring in a veterinary behaviorist, and how to choose between an in-person client consult or a vet to vet consult with a VB. We’ll also cover what tools you already have in your in-clinic toolbox to help with behavior management in the hospital and how you can effectively collaborate with clients to improve behavior modification success rates. We’ll also tackle what fun visits are and if they even work, how to know if the behavior advice you are giving is outdated or current, how treats can both help and hurt with patient stress and aggression, how to interpret dog body signals that are commonly misread, and how to use your body language to avoid an escalation in stress with y
