Victory Visits differ assist dogs that are experiencing moderate to high levels of fear, anxiety and stress (FAS), especially dogs that are stressed by specific activities i.e. physical examination, vaccination, blood collection. The goal of Victory Visits is to create more positive experiences in favour of your dog learning to like, or at least be more relaxed in the vet clinic for the purposes of veterinary treatment or care. 

Victory Visits work to create a Fear Free experience for your dog during care by familiarising them through repeated visits and training to remain relaxed with future care. These visits employ positive activities the dog enjoys doing i.e. receiving extra special treats and playing favourite games. They're designed to improve ease of general handling, and condition, train and prepare dogs for care they're likely to have during their lifetime in the environments where the care is going to happen. Victory Visits are useful for pet parents who are highly motivated to minimise the use of manual restraint and wish to teach their pets to be active participants in their own husbandry and medical care i.e. cooperative veterinary care.

Prior to a Victory Visit, it is crucial that you have completed a Fear Free Pre-Vsit Questionnaire. Based on this, our Fear Free Team may closely liaise with you to plan for your first Victory Visit.

There are no set number of Victory Visits that are recommended, as each patient will have highly individual needs. However, the more training we can do, the more successful the outcome.

The initial Victory Visit consultation may be up to 60 minutes and involves a comprehensive session with one of our team members that includes thorough history taking, appropriate management strategies, achievable goal setting and the implementation of a training plan, including muzzle training, to keep everyone safe.

Some of the essential skills we practice while preparing for Fear Free Victory Visits:

• Familiarity with the parking lot, reception area and consultation rooms

• Showing tricks for team members

• Getting on the scales

• Relaxing in the waiting room

• Practicing experiences to prepare for physical exams

• Entering a consultation room

• Spending time in the consult room

• Moving onto a mat or the examination table

• Being touched and handled by your dog's most trusted veterinary team member, and later expanding to other team members

• Targeting equipment or learning to remain relaxed while being handled with equipment use, such as:

  • Stethoscope

  • Nail clippers

  • Otoscope (ears)

  • Opthalmoscope (eyes)

  • Syringes

  • Cotton swab for mock temperature taking

• Preparing for likely care such as:

• Receiving eye/ear medication

• Taking pills

• Having medication applied to skin

Victory Visits are done at the pace that’s comfortable for your dog - some dogs are relaxed enough to move into the exam room or begin initial handling work on their first visit, others may require a slower approach.

Follow up Victory Visit sessions are 20 minute sessions in the clinic, where positive experiences and reinforcement of training exercises are the focus.