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Lately, I've become aware of the phenomenon of the "path of least resistance" with regard to my dogs. To me, finding the path of least resistance means figuring out a way to accomplish a particular dog-care task that is loathed or feared by a dog or dogs (be it cutting their nails, cleaning out their ears, or giving them medication) without stressing them out.
When you're in a big hurry, it can be tempting to use a method that, though efficient and effective, ultimately either scares or upsets your dog. For example, you might think, "Aaagh, I've got to get this skittish little dog to the vet NOW, so I'm going to have to chase her down to get her harness on her." Stop! Don't do it. It's not worth it. You may get to your vet appointment on time, but you've damaged your relationship with the little dog in the process. Instead, try to think smart. In what other way can I accomplish the exact same thing only without upsetting my dog?
Well, in the case of needing to get a harness on my newest foster dog, who was very skittish at first, I simply opened the front door and let all the little foster dogs out onto my very small front porch. I shut the door to the house, and the little dog who needed to go to the vet was within arm's length of me, so there was no chasing her around and no scaring her. After I got the harness on her, I let the other little dogs back into the house, and we proceeded to the vet.
Here's another example: My big dog Dexter sometimes needs to take a homeopathic remedy, such as arnica when he sprained his ankle―but homeopathic remedies have to get into the dog's mouth without being touched by your fingers (they're delicate that way). However, Dexter is the type of dog who does NOT want you to mess with holding his mouth open. He's just jumpy and reactive (although, thankfully, I have managed to get him comfortable with nail-trimming). So here's what I did: I filled a tiny shallow bowl with a little bit of filtered water, poured the granular remedy into the water, stirred it with a spoon until it dissolved, and served it up to him. He then lapped it up like a special treat! Voilà! No stress.
Often, we just need to think outside the box and refuse to succumb to scheduling pressures in order to avoid causing stress and fear in our dogs.
