Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats: Techniques for Developing Patients Who Love Their Visits

Reviewed by Terry Marie Curtis, DVM, MS, DACVB

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and the pictures on this book are amazing. The author has done an incredible job of accumulating 1,600 photographs of dogs and cats, along with a DVD, to illustrate “techniques for developing patients who love their visits [to the veterinarian].” In a time when dominance techniques often take center stage for controlling and managing behavior, it is a breath of fresh air to read the information contained in Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats: Techniques for Developing Patients Who Love Their Visits. It is science-based information (catalogued and referenced).

The book is divided into 5 sections and 20 chapters. The first section, Recognizing the Early Signs of Problems, contains 2 chapters on fear and dominance versus unruly behavior. This is some of the most important information for readers. Fear is the number 1 reason dogs and cats are aggressive. Recognizing the language of fear and preventing it or dealing with it appropriately is of utmost importance to a positive clinical experience for patients, owners, and veterinarians. Section 2, How Animals Learn to Behave and Misbehave, contains 3 chapters on classical conditioning basics, and methods of behavior modification. Understanding basic learning theory can help readers through a number of varied clinical situations for getting a dog to come to you from inside the kennel to getting a cat to eat while you give it an injection.

Section 3 and 4 will really assist veterinarians. The photographs illustrate both the right and wrong of various techniques. I envision that the information included here will provide fodder for clinic training opportunities, so that everyone in a veterinary hospital would be on the same page, so to speak.

Section 3 contains chapters on preparing pets for a hospital visit, preparing the hospital environment for a pet’s visit, examination room tips, moving dogs around a facility, and transporting cats within a hospital. In short, this section deals with the clinical setting as seen from a pet’s point of view, and it is interesting and enlightening. Nonthreatening techniques are provided with photographs to illustrate the outcome. There is a big difference in how a dog looks when it is leashed with a good slip lead as opposed to being cornered and possibly choked with a pole catch.

Section 4 contains chapters on general handling principles, restraint for standard positions in dogs, canine restraint procedures, dealing with difficult dogs, restraint for standard positions in cats, restraining cats for procedures, and handling difficult cats. The author strongly suggests that the DVD be consulted while learning the handling techniques. Again, the combination of reading the text and watching the DVD, with subsequent practice of the techniques, sets the stage for an in-clinic learning experience for all. Various methods have been used for handling cats and dogs, and although there is no one best way, the methods detailed in this text can be incorporated (in whole or in part) into any practice.

Section 5 contains 3 chapters on counterconditioning protocols for dogs and cats, preventive behavioral health for puppies, and preventive behavioral health for kittens. The first of these 3 chapters contains gems on counterconditioning cats to pilling and veterinarian-supervised technician behavior modification sessions.

I strongly recommend this book for veterinarians and veterinary technicians as well as for owners. Communicating with patients and pets is paramount for a strong and healthy bond. People tend to know what cats and dogs are trying to communicate so that we can respond in kind. The photographs contained in this book are like a dictionary in that they serve as a guide to help people better communicate with the animals that we interact with everyday. With so much misinformation available today, it is fantastic to be able to recommend a book solidly grounded in science instead of one full of outdated techniques. ---By Sophia Yin. 469 pages and 1 DVD; illustrated. CattleDog Publishing, PO Box 4516, Davis, CA 95617-4516. ISBN 978-096415184-0. 2009. Price $149.00