Those with "no-touchie" dogs...

Mia is what I consider a 'no touch' dog to an extent. She avoids strangers and 90% of the time will move away from people that she doesn't know that try to touch her. But she's ok for the vet. Not enjoying herself, but she's never bitten or snapped or anything like that. I usually help hold her because she is trying to jump off the table. My vet is really good about getting things done quickly with her.

Gusto is like Mia - he generally just would prefer that people not touch him. He doesn't snap or growl, but is very quick to move away from hands reaching out at him. The vet I was using would not allow owners to restrain the dogs themselves, and they were fairly impatient with his behavior. When I took him in for a heartworm test, he was screaming and moving around so much that they didn't even end up drawing it; they waited a couple of weeks until he was put under for his neuter.

I wound up switching vets over the treatment we received when Gusto was acutely ill after ingesting Advil, and I'm so glad we did. The new vet got down on the floor to greet Gusto, fed him chicken, and let me hold him for the exam. All went well, he was able to draw blood without an issue.

Thankfully neither of my dogs are very no-touchy. Chloe is fine with any handling, but Violet has gotten growly with our vet once. Just a quick "hey don't touch me there" growl, and then right back to being fine. She's never liked her rear end touched though. She will growl if you surprise her by touching her rear (butt area). But she's never bitten, so I don't usually worry about it other than to say "she's not very comfortable with her back end being handled."

I just hold Elsie's head and the vet does their stuff.

Of course, she hasn't ever really tried to go after them, but she really doesn't like it.

I bring a treat bag full of bacon or microwaved liver and restrain Pan's head/stuff her face while the vet touches her. I also made a point of visiting a lot while she was young just for weigh-ins to try to form a good opinion of the place in her crazy little skull.

Oh yeah, Romeo thinks the vet is a treat dispensary. He loves going, and tolerates whatever they do as long as they load him up with cookies. Skye, Zoie and the rest act dejected but they can be handled with zero fear of biting.

I muzzle in any situation I even *think* my dog might bite someone, like the vet or when we have to be surrounded by idiot people and screaming children (the ferry). I will not take a chance of him biting someone because no matter what that person did to provoke it, it is pretty much always the dog's fault as far as society is concerned.

But, as far as the vet, Walsh gets a muzzle... I pet and praise him, that mostly just turns it into growling... if for any reason they need to do something more than a usual exam/vaccine... then it's sedation time.

He's great with me, he just doesn't like strange people all up in his space. Can't say I blame him either. I'd do the same thing.

First, I don't currently have a dog that would bite over a regular exam. Tipper would pee all over, Murphy will warn until his face falls off, and Mu will act like we're murdering her and hide under my legs. I make sure that they get breaks when they get stressed or worked up and I'm lucky that my vet is AWESOME and willing to do floor exams. If I had a dog that I thought would bite I would muzzle or sedate.

Mu and Murphy don't like going to the vet and while Murphy is willing to be handled, Mu is mostly not. I do a lot of training/treat shoveling with both of them. Mu especially because she is willing to work almost all the time anyway. And we've done a TON of work on handling so once she realizes that it's her job to let the person touch her she does so much better. I trained a stand and let me/random person pet you maneuver for her CGC and we use it a TON. If she's willing to do it we also use our dead dog trick - she rolls onto her back and stays there with no movement. She's not always comfortable enough to do it but it has been immensely helpful when they want to poke her belly and legs. A side benefit is that everyone thinks it's adorable lol.

We don't do temperature and we don't do ears though - there hasn't been a reason to yet and I'd prefer not to traumatize her when we don't have to. They let me restrain her for needles/blood work and the vet has told me that if anyone tries to take her into the back without me NOT to let them. Everything that's done to Mu is done in front of me - except surgeries of course. And the last time I took Mu in (for her broken front tooth) we couldn't use treats and the vet was amazing enough to sedate her and let me stay with her until she passed out. Then she didn't have to be awake and without me at the scary vet's office. Did I mention that I adore my vet?

We did multiple visits with Riley that were just meet and greet (no pressure or vet stuff happening) and while there I did some work on him wearing a basket muzzle and lots of treats. He got to know the vet on a positive note so now when we go he is less reactive and wears his muzzle happily as long as there are treats!