What Is Cooperative Care and Why Should I Care? Part 1
Have you ever heard the term “cooperative care” before when talking about trimming your dog’s nails? Chances are you haven’t. That’s okay. Let’s talk about it now and how this simple concept can drastically improve your dog’s behavior during things like nail trimming, as well as seriously strengthen your relationship and increase the trust between you and your dog.
So what is cooperative care? Boiled down, cooperative care is defined as giving your dog choice in what happens to them when they’re handled. But why give them choice? Isn’t it easier to just pin them down and get it over with? Studies say no. According to the National Institute of Health, “Converging evidence from animal research, clinical studies and neuroimaging suggests that the need for control is a biological imperative for survival.”
So if control over the environment is imperative to survival and well being, how do we get our dogs to cooperate with things like veterinary handling? Here is where cooperative care shines. In practicing cooperative care, we are working together with our dogs instead of against them. We are teaching them that they have a say in how these tasks, that are invasive and sometimes scary, happen to them.
The first place I would start when learning about cooperative care is with Dr. Chirag Patel, DVM. Dr. Patel is a veterinarian who specializes in cooperative care. He is also the inventor of something called “The Bucket Game.” This game involves a bucket full of tasty treats, a mat, and your dog. That’s all you need! To play the game, you start by having your dog sit or lay down on a mat in a comfortable, quiet place. It’s up to your dog whether they are more comfortable sitting or laying down. You can prompt them to do either. With your dog in place, show them the bucket full of treats. Chances are they’re going to be laser focused on those snacks. Good! That's what we want! As long as they have eyes locked on the bucket, give them a treat from the bucket. Whenever they look away from the bucket, do not give a treat from the bucket.
As you practice this game, and your dog learns that looking at the bucket gets them a treat, you can eventually graduate to the next step. As your dog is looking at the bucket, you can reach slowly to touch their shoulder (or whichever body part they’re unsure about). If they look away from the bucket, immediately, but slowly, retract your hand. This is laying the groundwork that they have choice in how they are handled and they can show us their choice by choosing to look at or away from the bucket. Be sure to keep treating them for looking at the bucket. Continue practicing these steps until you are able to touch the body part that is troubling them. Once you get to this stage of the game, be sure to reward them with a jackpot for accepting the touch! This is a big deal!
The more you practice with this game the more you’ll find your dog will respond with confidence during things like nail trims. You can begin to gradually and slowly add in tools (like nail clippers.) Be sure not to rush your pup through this! The bucket game takes time and patience to master. It is also important to make sure that you have the bucket handy for any type of handling. This is their communication tool. After lots of practice you can take the treats out of the bucket and just use the bucket as the visual prompt.
By using the bucket game, our dogs can tell us whether they are ready or not for husbandry tasks by looking at or away from the bucket. As they learn that you will respect their need for space, they will be more likely to cooperate with whichever husbandry task you are undertaking. Sometimes they just need to take a deep breath!
In part two of the “What is Cooperative Care and Why Should I Care? series we will talk about teaching your dog to take good care of their own nails! Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for more in depth explanations and demonstrations of how to do cooperative care with your dog. Do you have any questions about cooperative care? Is your dog having a unique struggle with a task that requires expert help? Be sure to leave a comment or contact us on our website!
Fetch ya later! 🐾
Laura