| SantaCruzHumane, thank you for that explanation. It makes perfect sense that she is afraid she's going to be hurt and that if I shock her, yes indeed, she'll be hurt which could/would make her more aggressive. My question is how to condition her to not react negatively when being examined. Should I pretend I'm examining her and condition her that way with positive enforcement. Then try to schedule a weekly 'check/examination' by the vet?
It seems like a 2-3 minute check by him would be good to teach her she's not going to be hurt. It seems like my doing it and my daughter's doing it is good for reinforcement but we're not strangers handling her. So, having a stranger handle her would be good.
What do you think?
Also, what do you recommend when she sees people and she growls? At the pet store she's fine but sometimes in the parking lot she's not--I assume again that it's fear. Suggestions? |