Building Trust, Preventing Bites: Proactive dog bite prevention and handling strategies
Join us as we explore how being proactive, rather than reactive, can significantly enhance workplace safety and foster a harmonious environment for both humans and pets. Discover practical techniques and approaches to mitigate potential aggression and create a happier, safer workplace for everyone involved.
Mealtime Mayhem in Multipet Households
Does mealtime feel frenzied or nerve-wracking when caring for multiple pets in the same household? It’s not uncommon for pet professionals, and even pet parents themselves, to feel frazzled or even anxious during these moments, but have you also considered how the pets might be feeling in the frenzy?
Our friends at Latah Creek Animal Hospital displaying their certifications at their clinic.
So, you’ve completed your Fear Free® Certification or Fear Free®Veterinary Practice Certification. First and foremost, congratulations, and thank you! You have taken a huge step in alleviating fear, anxiety, and stress for your clients, their pets, and even your team. Now it’s time to start spreading the word!
As you move through your Fear Free marketing journey, keep in mind that like all of us, pet owners are busy, and their attention is demanded by many other businesses as well as personal obligations. However, as their trusted Fear Free Certified Professional, the messages you share are often held in their highest regard. To get the most out of this benefit, always ensure that you are crafting your content and messaging in a way that addresses how your Fear Free Certification benefits your clients and their pets as quickly as possible. Align your goals with theirs and you’ll end up with happier, healthier, more relaxed pets and, in turn, happier pet parents.
Whether you have achieved your individual Fear Free Certification, or your clinic has achieved Fear Free®Veterinary Practice Certification, we recommend starting by choosing a few goals, defining specifically what success looks like to you, and then outlining and deploying your marketing plan.
As you work on developing your goals and success measures, here are some tips for getting started:
Marketing Your Individual Fear Free Certification
Your individual Fear Free Certification is a powerful tool that can be used to market not only your personal brand, but also elevate the work you do.
Marketing Your Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification
Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification allows you to not only bring a higher level of Fear Free care to your patients but also opens the door to many new opportunities for marketing Fear Free to your clients and community.
As with any new marketing endeavor, failing to ensure that you have the resources you need can result in missing goalposts. The great news is that our Fear Free team is here to support you and provide those tools you need to achieve your goals and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress for not just pets, but people too.
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Since 2016, Fear Free has helped to change the way pets receive care from both veterinary and pet professionals. By closely listening to the needs of pet care professionals, Fear Free has built a robust catalog of certification programs and courses that focus on emotional wellbeing, enrichment, and reduction of fear, anxiety, and stress in pets. Over 100,000 Fear Free Certified Professionals are working to change the standard of animal care across the world. We thank you for being an important part of this initiative.
To learn more about Fear Free, register for a new membership, renew your membership, or learn more about Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification, visit www.fearfreepets.com.
Muzzle training is essential training for a new dog. Creating comfort and ease with wearing a muzzle can help build confidence and make treatments easier for both you and the dog. Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC, and Debbie Martin RVT, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior), will show you how to safely and effectively muzzle train.
Pet grooming provides many physical benefits to pets, including healthier skin and coat, shorter nails, and overall cleanliness. Pets and owners have more quality interactions when pets are regularly groomed and feel good. I am a firm believer that grooming enhances the canine-human bond. However, grooming is never urgent enough to sacrifice a pet’s emotional well-being. Sometimes groomers, myself included, feel pressure to do a perfect trim, but this is not always practical or possible. Often, pets require comfort grooms focusing on sanitary issues rather than esthetics; this is especially true of young and old pets. Nevertheless, it is critically important that the pet owner is on board with a pet professional’s care plan.
Fear Free gives pet professionals the tools to constructively advocate for pets experiencing fear, anxiety, and stress. By incorporating Fear Free practices into my grooming business, I was able to educate clients regarding fear, anxiety, and stress in pets and confidently manage client expectations. As a Fear Free Certified Groomer, I can skillfully demonstrate to a client the need for an individualized approach to grooming their pet, thus reassuring them the pet is in good hands. I have built long-lasting relationships with my clients using Fear Free principles and a sincere desire to help. Additionally, Fear Free techniques are most successful when I actively encourage owners to participate; after all, Fear Free starts in the home.
Fear Free is a mindset encompassing knowledge, skill, integrity, and compassion backed by behavioral science. Fear Free values helped me develop my pet care philosophy: helping every owner will help every pet. As a result, veterinarians, groomers, local business owners, and clients often refer potential customers to me. I have gained many wonderful customers this way, and I encourage all groomers to continue their education with Fear Free.
Lastly, Fear Free practices are rewarding and fun. There is no better feeling than helping a struggling pet succeed. When it comes to grooming, you can’t always do the “good dogs,” but why can’t all dogs be good with an individualized approach? The answer is they can.
Elsebeth DeBiase is an award-winning IPG Certified Master Groomer with 22 years of experience in the pet industry. As a graduate of the University of Maine Department of Animal Sciences, she has an understanding of the animal industry that encompasses farm, veterinary, and pet industries alike. In 2011, Elsebeth opened Coastal Creations Pet Salon with the goal of providing individualized services to her four-legged clients while utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, compassionate handling methods, and modern styling techniques. Her specialties include small dogs, cats, and disabled and senior pets. Elsebeth is Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified. She recently completed the Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) training for pet professionals to help raise awareness of the symptoms and prevalence of canine osteoarthritis.
This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.
The grooming salon can be a source of stress for some pets due to the procedures we have to accomplish. Use this handout to provide your clients with simple steps they can take to make sure that their dog is prepared to go into the grooming salon by training them to accept brushing, nail trimming, and bathing.
Explaining what Fear Free grooming is to all of your new clients can be exhausting! Use this handout to provide your clients with a basic understanding of why you are committed to Fear Free grooming, why Fear Free practices make such a difference for their pet, and what to expect from their visit.
Sponsored by State Farm.
The FAS Scale Deconstructed: The Importance of Addressing Stress Early On
In this recorded webinar, Fear Free’s Education Manager Lori Chamberland takes a closer look at each level of the FAS scale to empower you to score pets with greater confidence. You’ll see video examples of pets at each level of the scale and understand why it’s important to address stress early, rather than waiting until FAS 3 or higher to intervene.
You must be a Fear Free member and logged in to view this webinar.
