Positive Reinforcement In Veterinary Practice (and Not Just For The Staff!)
7 years ago 
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Positive reinforcement in veterinary practice - not just for the staff!
Queueing up to get into the vet clinic or grooming parlour - how did you do that? That's the pets queueing up, not their humans! Imagine that - dogs bounding across the car park, excited to be going to their 'favourite place'!
Handling patients in practice or in a stressful situation can be difficult - we can all appreciate that. Why? Patient fear. Animals that are often already fearful when entering the 'treatment' environment, are then subjected to intimidating procedures such as taking blood from a jugular or sticking an otoscope down a painful ear, or clipping the fur from their paws - it is no wonder that they are sometimes not happy to 'co-operate'.
We have to 'get the job done' - but does it have to be such a scary experience for many of our patients?
Fear-free all the way
Anyone that has read any of our previous articles will know that at ONCORE we fully support fear-free practice, and the use of Low Stress techniques.
How can we use Clicker Training?
Thankfully, a positive approach to patient handling is now becoming more and more prevalent, in terms of environmental considerations, reading body language of patients, general handling and 'restraint' (should we call it 'restraint' any more?) and when to step back from the patient and consider other options. But how many of you use clicker training as a positive reinforcement technique for everyday patient handling, and how can this be achieved?
Linda Ryan - oncology nurse and ambassador for patient welfare
We are lucky enough to have Linda Ryan as one of our seasoned tutors for ONCORE, and Linda, when working as an oncology nurse, soon realised that it simply wasn't in any parties' interest for patients to be fearful when entering the hospital environment, and even more so when they were having to return again and again. Linda soon developed a passion for animal behaviour, and the use of positive training techniques to massively improve the emotional welfare of patients.
Practical solutions
Our new Clicker Training course is another branch of our approach to positive behaviour training, and Linda offers practical solutions as to how we can use it in everyday practice, as well as how to train any animal, and help our clients with their pets' basic (or advanced!) training, using this technique.
I posed three questions to Linda to find out more...
Jill: How easy is it to learn the art of training using a clicker?
Linda: "Very! There's no special physical ability, just a few simple rules to follow to be successful. Once you've got the basics down, anyone can have a go and achieve great things with their learner. Beyond the basics, the sky's the limit. "
Jill: How useful is it for everyday training?
Linda: "I can't imagine how you could communicate with animals without it! It's precise, fun, force-free and fabulous! You can train anything the animal is physically, emotionally and mentally capable of, so it can be used for teaching manners and life skills, changing problem behaviours, husbandry and success at the vet, etc. - it's really only limited by your imagination."
Jill: How can we use it in practice?
Linda: "We can use it to increase tolerance and enjoyment of handling and husbandry procedures; to help animals understand what's expected of them; to allow animals to become a consensual part of their experience, rather than having procedures enforced; to reduce fears; to build great veterinary
experiences! Also great for groomers, hydrotherapists, physios, animal care assistants, etc."
Is this course for you?
If you have an interest in fear-free practice, animal behaviour and animal training, or are a groomer, hydrotherapist or physiotherapist simply looking to make the experience even better for your patientsthen this course really is for you! Maybe you already have some knowledge of Clicker Training - well this course will still provide you with some insights into new ways you can use the technique.
Here are some examples of where clicker training could be used in your practice (but as Linda says, the possibilities are endless!):
- Getting pets onto the weighing scales
- Entering the treatment room
- Wearing a muzzle
- Examination, such as ear/mouth/paws
- Nail clipping/coat trimming
- Blood sampling
- Getting pets into the hospital cage/kennel
- To assist with physiotherapy exercises such as stength builiding and balance
Over the three weeks you will be offered a lecture from Linda, guided discussion and learning, sharing of cases, and application of clicker training. You will even have the chance to practise use of the technique and get feedback from your tutor.
If you would like to sign up or receive more information, you can do so here: http://bit.ly/oncorereg
Or email [email protected], or telephone +44 (0)121 663 1971
The first intake of this course is planned for 20th February 2017 and costs just £129.
Even if you don't wish to sign up yet - we're just happy that you've read this article and may go on to consider how much clicker training could help to improve animals' experiences in practice, at the groomers, and with behaviour training.
More from ONCORE ePD
- Publication of the first client communication guide for veterinary nurses
- WE MUST CONSIDER DOGS TOO, WHEN WE IMPLEMENT LOW STRESS HANDLING
- ONCORE teams up with Jenny Moffett to transform practice outlook on well-being
- Vicky Ford-Fennah is new tutor for ONCORE
- New Course To Help Vets With The Medical Options For Cancer Patients
