Cooperative Care: Seven Steps to Stress-Free Husbandry

Wish I had been introduced to this book a year ago. Great fundamentals for getting started with a dog. Book leaves me hopeful we can make progress

Don’t just skip to the chapter on nails. Really do the work. It’s an investment into skills you will treasure for life!

Completely changed the way I handle my dogs for grooming and veterinary care.

This is a good book to help train your dog to let you do things like trim nails and clean ears. It has good photos in it. I am glad I bought the paperback and not the kindle version as I can refer to a page or chapter easily. .

If you have a pet that isn't cooperative for general husbandry like grooming, simple injury care, or veterinary visits, or, you want to prevent such problems, this is the book for you. To help a pet not have so much anxiety about grooming and veterinary exams and to learn to tolerate and cooperate is so valuable for the pet's emotional health and both the pet's and its caregivers' stress reduction. This book gives thorough guidance. Keep in mind, however, the process is a long one. It could take a year for a pet that already has a lot of anxiety. But, it is a small percentage of the pet's lifespan.

This book was enormously helpful in teaching me to train my dog to become comfortable with husbandry. My dog couldn't accept having her teeth or ears cleaned. After I followed the instructions, step by step, after two months I approached her with tooth wipes, unasked, and she rolled over to have her belly rubbed while I intermittently cleaned her teeth. What had been an unsuccessful struggle is now a casual routine. Ear cleaning training is beginning and I am confident that the Ms. Jones' instructions will work to get my dog to accept it. I am buying this book for other family members who have dogs.

This book has been an important addition to my training toolbox. While I felt I did some handling and husbandry type conditioning when my papillon was a puppy, I have not been good keeping up with it...I didn't have any formal instruction at the time...all I did, which wasn't bad-but didn't progress in an organized way (as this book helps you do), was give her treats when I had to do her nails or brush her teeth, etc. I think, at most, she learned to tolerate grooming. She is now five and recently had an infected tooth removed. I was determined to get back on track with her cooperative care and help her love her grooming time. The first step involves helping the dog love their grooming space. My dog will now be found sitting on her grooming chair, waiting. I can do her nails, teeth and some light trimming all on my own now (I used to need my husband to hold her). I love how the book shows how to let the dog opt in for grooming...she always has a choice to leave. You will need some patience and it is recommended to have several short sessions a day...which has been easy to fit in.

I have 6 dogs, all of them with different patterns of learning and methods of dealing with stress and anxiety. This book helps me to work with each of them. I recommend this book to just about everyone. If you have a pet that you need to assist with grooming or handling, you really need this book! It will explain how to establish trust and let your pet have a say in what they are comfortable with. I know it might sound weird, but it will make things so much better in the long run!

Wish I had bought this before I really needed to teach my dog the skills. Better late than never

Cooperative Care Book by Deb Jones is excellent. I love how it breaks things down in small easy ro follow steps, Deb gives great explanations in lamens terms, provides great case studies great photos.I am very happy with the purchase and reccomend this to all dog owners to work on cooperative husbandry in a postive way!!

In this book various basic exercises are comprehensively explained and also the ideal way to train it. There are also many practical examples that make the successful use of cooperative care even clearer. The book should not be missing in any dog household, because carefully trained, the exercises reduce the stress during vet visits considerably - for the dog and also for the owner.

I recommend this book to owners of dogs at any age. (Many of the concepts would apply to other animals, too!) I wish I'd read it years ago. It lays out the steps for handling a dog -- for vet procedures, grooming, and home care -- in a way that engages the dog's brain and helps the dog feel willing to participate. The book's format is simple and clear. It begins with a primer on safety, learning theory, and choice. Then each step is explained and broken down into a checklist. Helpful case studies provide a context: real dogs who struggle with handling in specific ways. My own dog is wary of most kinds of touch. Deb Jones's instruction has been very helpful in moving us toward better and kinder care.

This book is wonderful. A step by step guide to cooperation instead of fear. We've turned around 2 dogs who were not cooperative with nail trims using this book.