Anxious About Vet Visits? Why Guide Dogs for the Blind Embraced Fear Free Certification

Guide Dogs for the Blind has embraced Fear Free certification. photo: guidedogs.com

Let’s face it, no one really likes going to the doctor. But a vet appointment can cause extreme fear, anxiety, and stress in some dogs and their humans, which may result in less effective care, a negative experience for other patients, or even avoidance of future care. If you have an anxious dog, the dread of a vet visit is probably something you’ve come to accept. Fortunately, there is a program that can help.

 Whether your dog is a pet or a service animal, you may have heard about “fear free” veterinary practices over the last few years and wondered what this meant. The term refers to the Fear Free Certification Program for veterinary clinic workers that is aimed at reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in animals, thereby creating an elevated experience for everyone involved, including dogs, handlers, owners, and veterinary professionals.

Dr. Kate Kuzminski with a friend. photo: guidedogs.com

 While some private vet practices in the Bay Area have already adopted Free Fear Certification, the program had not taken hold in the world of service dogs - until now. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB), which is headquartered in San Rafael, just became the first guide dog school in the world to have 100% of its veterinary teams in both California and Oregon complete the Fear Free Certification process.

 Getting certified is an immersive process that trains professionals to reduce or remove anxiety triggers that can cause pets to become fearful at home, in transport,  at veterinary hospitals, or clinics.  GDB hopes to lead the way to influence more veterinarians who treat guide dogs and service animals to become Fear Free certified, while also creating a better overall experience for its dogs and human clients.

The Fear Free initiative is completely in line with GDB’s philosophy of focusing on positive reinforcement for training dogs. The crew at GDB believes that every interaction is important to a guide dog’s ultimate success, including vet visits.

 The Fear Free Certification Program requires the completion of nine education modules, with four additional modules per year to maintain expertise. More than 20 GDB veterinary staff, including front office client service representatives, are now officially certified. And the difference is already noticeable.

Fear Free Certification has helped GDB:

• Develop better skills to deal with high-stress dogs who are nervous at the vet.

• Provide a framework for onboarding new employees and a consistency for how everyone treats patients in the clinic.

• Use more proactive pre-visit pharmaceuticals for dogs who may be feeling anxiety coming into the clinic.

• Plan for longer prep time (and more treats!) for dogs who need slower handling to adjust to the clinic.

• Strengthen the human-dog bond for clients, puppy raisers, breeder custodians, and foster care providers in their homes as staff pass along stress-reducing techniques in pre- and post-clinic visits.

Strengthening the human-dog bond is paramount for everyone at GDB. The bond between a guide dog and a person who is blind or visually impaired is so profound that it’s hard to compare it to any other kind of relationship.  Guide dogs serve and empower people who are blind or visually impaired in ways that not only improve their mobility and independence, but also act as a social bridge with society.  Guide dogs are meticulously trained and socialized to safely guide their handlers through the complexities of pedestrian travel. So any part of a guide dog’s daily experience that is anxiety provoking can impede the success of this life-changing partnership.

 GDB’s veterinary team was already supporting a positive clinic experience for our dogs, but this formal Fear Free training has led the team to consider other ways to improve all aspects of the veterinary experience for our program dogs.  The Fear Free Certification Program has had a positive impact on GDB’s veterinary practice, while helping to further deepen the culture of care and leadership that fuels the organization’s  life-changing mission. 

That’s not only fearless, but priceless.