Why join the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme?

Increasing the client-clinic bond

Over a third of dog owners surveyed in a study in 2011 believed that their dog 'hates going to the vet'. This belief can lead to owners finding the thought of veterinary visits stressful, which in turn can lead to a decrease in veterinary clinic visits.

By joining the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme, you are informing your clients that your veterinary clinic understands the importance of a positive veterinary visit. This will provide reassurance to all owners and therefore increase the client-clinic bond.  

The Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme provides easily accessible online behaviour resources designed to support owners.

By directing owners to these resources, your clinic is showing care and dedication, further increasing the client-clinic bond.

They currently cover topics such as:

• understanding their dog’s body language
• preparing for their veterinary clinic visit, including travelling and what to take
• behaviour tips for the veterinary clinic visit, such as helping your dog stay calm in the waiting area and consultation room, as well as helping your dog stay still for examinations and procedures
• how to give medication, such as ear drops, eye drops and oral medication
• how to health-check their dog at home so that their dog is more comfortable when being examined by the nurse or veterinary surgeon
• how to find training and behaviour support
• teaching puppies to be comfortable at the vet
• what owners can do if their dog hates going to the vet.

Positive and engaging puppy socialisation events can create a strong client-clinic bond right from the beginning of a dog’s life, which can last for their lifetime.

The Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme provides veterinary clinics with detailed resources about how to run successful puppy socialisation and habituation events.

Increasing staff safety

Many dogs find visiting the vet stressful. In some cases, this fear may escalate into aggression, which could cause injury to the owner or to veterinary staff members.

Joining the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme and utilising our resources to help your clinic make small changes to reduce stress for your patients should result in a reduced likelihood of aggression within the clinic and thus increase staff safety.

For example, changing the setup of the waiting area to separate dog and cat waiting areas, providing food treats during the visit, tailoring the examination and treatment to the individual, and making sure all team members apply considerate handling techniques when examining each patient 

The Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme will provide your team with regular behaviour-focused continued professional development (CPD).

Increasing knowledge of canine behaviour within your clinic will not only improve canine welfare but will also increase staff safety within the clinic environment. 

Increasing practice desirability

Becoming a member of the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme shows that your clinic is dedicated to improving canine welfare, leading the way in reducing the stress that many dogs feel when they visit the veterinary clinic. 

A clinic that has joined the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme also shows that it is committed to supporting its staff’s professional development, pledging that each staff member involved with patient and client care should have a basic understanding of canine behaviour and communication, canine learning theory, physiology of canine stress and the impact of the veterinary environment on canine patients.

Each staff member will be able to view behaviour CPD material provided by the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme, which will count towards the individual’s annual CPD RCVS annual requirement.

Joining a behaviour-centred veterinary community

There is a growing understanding that it is important to care for the behavioural and emotional needs of animals presented to the veterinary clinic.

In 2012, the Cat Friendly Clinic Scheme was launched. This is a worldwide programme from the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), which aims to create more cat-friendly clinics and thus reduce the in-clinic stress for cats.

It is, of course, important to consider canine patients too and that is why DT and BVBA launched the Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme. 

Continuing professional development (CPD)

The Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme will provide the individual member with access to a bank of relevant behaviour webinars. New webinars will be added throughout the year.

Relevant veterinary behavioural resources

The Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme will provide the individual member with a range of relevant veterinary behaviour resources to help with the prevention and management of behaviour cases within first opinion clinics, such as:

• the discussions to have with owners before neutering
• how to refer complex behaviour cases
• how to respond to canine aggression within the veterinary clinic.

Ability to drive change and become a Dog Advocate within your clinic

Being a Dog Advocate within your Dog Friendly Clinic will enable you to be the driving force for positive experiences for all dogs visiting your practice.