Kinda ticked me off...

[Narny]

Originally Posted by Jax08

I would not expect a 12 week old puppy to be perfect in a strange place and being handled by a strange person. That, IMO, is unrealistic. I would expect a vet to know how to handle the puppy without creating extra anxiety by pinning it down or wrestling with it. Or maybe I just have really good vets that have raised my expectations on how a vet should conduct themselves.

I agree with this... I expect a vet to know how to handle puppies. I dont think most pet owners work with their dogs like the people here and I find it hard to believe that most dogs would LET a vet check their mouths easily. Its a puppy.

The vet needs to get over it.

[Jovi_Girl]

When he backed off, I was really surprised because she is a puppy (and not a huge one)...she has a ton of her obedience skills down. I had her in a down/stay position, but because she's a puppy, and we were in a new environment with lots of new smells, she wouldn't keep her head still. I did make him look at her teeth. I just had to help him pull her gums back. I'm going to start working on the "let me see" command, but I just think A) It was unrealistic for him to think she'd react any other way at that age, and B) I made the reference to the pit because both breeds have a bad reputation for being aggressive, especially in my area. Didn't mean that in an offending way. I just wonder if he treats all puppies of these so called "aggressive breeds" the same way. I didnt expect my vet to have that attitude. Don't treat my 12 week old like a potential monster. She's very well socialized, and generally very polite (she does get pretty excited when someone approaches her to pet her, so we've been perfecting the "off" command.) His reaction just bugged me. My dad called him and informed him that he would not need to worry about us having a badly behaved dog, as he trained and worked dogs for the K9 Unit (protection and tracking). I think he was a little insulted, too, because we spend a lot of time working with her together. And yea, snipped means snapped...I think my phone did that. Oops.


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[Freestep]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

Dogs should allow people to look in their mouths. Judges in the show ring MUST be able to look or the dog is dq'ed, especially if the dog attempts to bite the judge over it.

My dogs all let vets examine them, tip of nose to tail. Some fosters won't/don't and it's because nobody worked with them in that manner.

Yes. What the vet should have said was "Get your puppy used to having his mouth examined, because it will help in the future." And he probably didn't want to have a wrestling match with a puppy in a playful, mouthy mood.

But you also have to understand, vets see a LOT of poorly-bred, untrained, unsocialized GSD with poor temperaments--GSDs have a terrible reputation among pet professionals--and he was probably thinking "Oh great, another GSD pup that's going to grow up to bite me!" Never mind that a playful 12 week old pup *is* going to be bitey, and it doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to be vicious when he grows up. But the vet doesn't know that. From his perspective, most GSDs are neurotic, fear-aggressive biters. And you can't blame him for thinking that, when it's all he sees day in and day out. It's a shame.

On the upside, when you bring your dog in as an adult and he's the most well-behaved, trained and socialized GSD they've ever seen, the vet staff will be in awe of you.

[selzer]

I think a vet should not back down from a 12 week old puppy. I don't really know what he expected you to do to it. I mean, if you went all Ceasar on the poor pup, you would probably create a puppy that freaks out at the vet. That would make thinks easier down the line.

I wouldn't worry over-much about it at this point. I never conditioned Babs to have her mouth handled and teeth looked at, but when the vet was in there yesterday, she did not try to eat her.

Sometimes I think the best reaction to some things is no reaction. I teach my girls to be GENTLE when giving them a treat, and then I remind them to be GENTLE when they take a treat, from me or anyone else, and eventually, I use the GENTLE term with anything or anyone I want them to be careful around, babies, old people, vets, treats or no treats. It works.

[Jag]

Sorry, but I'd also be looking for a new vet if mine couldn't deal with a 12 week old GSD. If it were an adult, or even older...I'd expect the dog to behave. However, it's a pup! You'll know when you have a vet that's experienced in GSDs. I did when I took Grim to another vet. He tried to put him on his side and Grim came right up at him. He was quick, and avoided the bite. It wasn't a 'puppy nip', either. He didn't appreciate a stranger trying to dominate him like that. The vet talked to me about it, but wasn't nasty or surprised or scared. He's the vet for the sheriff's department, so he's well versed in this breed. It's too bad we moved. Now I think I want to find the vet for the police dogs here!

[selzer]

My vet has never tried to dominate my dogs -- they have never tried to "put them on their sides" unless they needed an x-ray and my girls have never given them a hard time with that. Usually I handle my own dog at the vet's and I will tell them to sit or down or stand.

My vet works with police dogs too. But they none of them try to dominate my dogs. I would get a new vet if they tried that. But this less than stellar reaction to the puppy probably wouldn't make me go for a new vet. In the big bad world, GSDs are just one dog breed, and not every veterinarian is versed in them. I am making sure the vets in my clinic are, using my critters. Sometimes people just need to be patient and try not to over-react about things, and if their dog becomes a good citizen, maybe they will win over the vet.

[GatorBytes]

My interpretation is, the OP is a paying "customer" and took offence to being condescended to by the buisness owner who is taking her money.

If you went out to a restaurant and your kids were restless and the server commented that you should have more control - there would be ____ to pay, you'de be all over the manager for that and expecting the meal comped...

Further, if the vet is going to admonish an owner for a 12 week old puppy and doesn't show patience, kindness and respect to them...then how can you trust in future your vet will take your concerns seriously when the dog is ill or you don't agree w/certain treatment...I think this vet will just script and usher out the door...I think a new vet is in order.IMO

[Jax08]

I don't have an issue with the idea of a vet telling a paying customer they need to get a behavior under control. Our oldest boxer needed to be muzzled for years at the vet.

My issue would be that this is normal behavior for a 12 week old puppy, especially a GSD. It could have been handled much better.

Every time I hear a story like this I think of the old vet Scott's parents used to have that was scared to death of dogs. George, the wussy doberman, had something happen and needed emergency care. Now, George WAS a big boy but like most Dobe's he was actually a dope in wolf's clothing. When the brought him in, the wife "Oh my God, George (the vet)! It's a Doberman!"

I agree with Freestep that poorly bred dogs have given our breed a bad rep. Every vet I've ever taken a puppy of any breed to never behaved like this one though. Regardless of how bitey the puppy was. I wouldn't be to keen on going back if this is the response to a puppy.

[sparra]

So maybe the vet's choice of words was not great but if what you say about them being good in the past, reasonably priced etc changing over that might be a bit extreme.
Like Freestep said, in this vets experience maybe it is something he thinks you better get a handle on as he may have experienced many badly behaved GSD's in his exam room who started out this way......not all are raised by GSD enthusiasts like us on forums
Now you know you have something to work on.....I just wouldn't get so annoyed over something like that but that is just me.
Good luck with your pup

[sparra]

Originally Posted by GatorBytes

I think this vet will just script and usher out the door...I think a new vet is in order.IMO

I didn't get that feeling from the OP.....funny how we all can take things in a totally different way.