Was 'mouthy' at vet! How do you work on that?

[dora]

My 6 month girl got spayed friday. I dropped her off and they took her in the back to do pre-blood work and then perform the spay. When I picked her up, they told me she got very mouthy with them. They said she didn't growl or show teeth or any aggression, but mouthed/nipped them when trying to do the blood work and stuff.

So my first thought is, she was there with strangers trying to prick her leg and probably holding her down, she probably mouthed them because she was scared and not happy with what was happening!

Normal vet visits I am in the room and help calm her.

Since she didn't show any aggression, is this really a problem? The vet gave me all these brochures for trainers in the area. And now she has this 'label' on her records for being mouthy....

Is there anything I can do to help train her to not be mouthy? I regularly look in her ears and mouth and and touch her paws and such so that she is used to that.

She is a really loving sweet girl and even as a tiny puppy was really never nippy!

I also don't want it to become a bigger problem later either if it is something?

Any ideas??

Thanks,
Jenny

 

[LILYLARUE]

I would buy a soft muzzle and get her used to it. Then when she goes to the vet, you can put it on and not have it traumatize her. Mouthy I wouldn't say needs a trainer/behaviorist. She's just doing what she can to tell them to stop doing that. LOL At least she isn't biting or snapping at them. Geez, I'd also say this vet team is some scaredy cats to be afraid, but they do need to be protected. So a soft muzzle should do the trick.

 

[pghboxers]

I agree it's kinda weird they're so concerned. I wouldn't say it warrants a behaviorist at this point at all. How odd, really.

I wouldn't necessarily blame my dog for even being a little more than mouthy - he's at a strange place, with strangers that took him away from you, and subsequently held him down and caused him pain. I'm not even sure what they meant by "mouthy". When I say a puppy is mouthy, I generally use the term to convey that they put their teeth on me inappropriately during play.

If your pup shows no other "aggressive" signs, I would not worry. You weren't there, you couldn't witness the behavior. If it really is an issue, you'll see the behavior again crop up.

 

[SaharaNight]

It sounds perfectly normal. I wouldn't be too happy with people holding me down and pricking my leg!

I would try to get her used to being touched all over every way possible. Duke is an absolutely dream at the vets because he just stands there while being examinedb because he's used to it for conformation (dog shows) with judges. I'd also get her used to something pricking her. If you could get a pointed pencil and just hold her and pretend to take blood just by poking her with it, she'll get used to it also. Of course, if she shows discomfort or pain at this, stop.

 

[candyboyer]

Sounds like normal dog response to a new/unknown event in a place where dogs generally feel/smell fear to me. I don't think I'd worry too much about it...

 

[whiskers]

I might be getting hung up on terminology here. Mouthy to me is more something done in play, or by a puppy that hasn't learned yet that teeth don't belong on skin. A nip is a warning given before a bite. At a vet office, a dog/puppy might get mouthy with the stethoscope, or maybe on your hands a bit if you're holding them, thinking that hands are toys. A nip is an upset gesture, a back off signal.


My opinion? I would not shrug it off. Does she normally use her mouth a lot? When you try restraining her or handling her? If she normally is a "mouthy" dog then I might say okay, that wasn't an aggressive reaction, she was just being her playful self (but I still would not want my dog putting their mouth on other people - just an accident waiting to happen). If she ISN'T normally a mouthy dog then I do find it a little more concerning. She should be able to be handled at the vet. If she's putting teeth on skin because she's being handled, that's not good. IF this was her way of saying "I don't like this", well she is only 6 months old so that reaction would probably get worse instead of better with time. Most dogs that we get at vet clinics are scared, confused, or in pain. Some might whine and cry when they're handled. Some might put up a fight when it comes to being held. Most of them don't put their mouths on people. (And the ones that do, yup, out comes the muzzle and a big ol' CAUTION in their file).

The thing is, it is really hard to say in this situation because none of us were there. You weren't even there. Having someone say your dog is mouthy, doesn't give an accurate portrayal of what "mouthy" actually means or what was happening at the time. Maybe she was just trying to play? Or maybe she really was ticked off? The most confusing part for me is that they say she didn't show aggression... well I would say that anytime a dog puts teeth to skin, they are showing some aggression. UNLESS it is a puppy being a silly playful puppy. So maybe they just wanted you to be aware of it so you could work on teaching her to keep her mouth off?

Wouldn't be a bad idea to get her used to a muzzle. Just in case. I don't want you to ignore it because it could certainly be "something" that is just starting. But it could just be crazy puppy behavior.

And I am sorry this probably makes no sense, I kept thinking about the scenario as I was typing so kind of came up with new thoughts as I went along...

 

[dora]

Thanks for all the responses!!

So, she is never 'mouthy' with me or friends when we play, she is very gentle. No puppy nipping during play. I just got a siamese kitten and she plays so so gentle with her too.

I am able to cut her nails and I tell her settle and can cradle her on her back like a baby with no problem.

I've never seen any aggression in her either. I too am confused by the vet's use of mouthy, the only thing I can think is she did put her mouth on skin to say 'hey I don't like this' but maybe wasn't growling or anything otherwise and didn't put pressure with teeth? But that is still bad if she is putting teeth on skin. And I definitely don't want to ignore that!

I didn't see the vet when I picked her up (vet was doing another surgery), it was a vet tech. The vet tech said she was the next shift, and wasn't there in the morning so she didn't know all the details.

I think the soft muzzle is a good idea to get her used to just in case! Thanks!!

I bring her back this Friday to have incision checked, so I will try to see if I can talk to the vet about it to find out more!! I really hope it is nothing and that it was just puppy behavior!!


I'll update when I talk to the vet!!

Thanks again for the great responses!
Jenny

 

[dora]

Update!

So we went to vet today, I asked her about the mouthing, she said that when they were holding her down to take blood she kept reaching back and licking them and putting her mouth on them, with 'gentle teeth' meaning she didn't bite down.

They said she wasn't aggressive about it. She did not show her teeth or growl. But she did reach back and put her mouth on them, however it was gentle. They wanted to let me know, so that I could be aware, in case it became more than that, but that they weren't too worried since she is 6 months old and was obviously anxious and all.

On a GOOD note, she was awesome when I was WITH her, they took her temperature and flipped her on her back to check the incision and checked her teeth and all, and she was a perfect angel

So, I'm not sure how to work on the stranger part, I guess I will just keep getting her used to being checked - teeth, ears, etc. And hopefully that will be enough!

If anyone has any other suggestions that would be great too!!

Thanks!


Jenny

 

[Brindlegirly]

I had a female get fixed and she was never the same toward the vet/staff again. When I came to get her they told me I had to follow them back to get her because she was just laying down in the pen growling. She was obviously scared and in pain and associated it with the vet clinic. Poor thing hated it from then on. Also my first boxer would mouth any vet looking at his ears by simply wining and opening his mouth toward them and sometimes "slap" his mouth shut at them, but not to bite, just to say leave me alone.
Glad to hear she was good today!