Health
The cooperation signal: your dog says yes
What if your dog could have a say during grooming? A cooperation signal takes the stress out and makes treatments fairer.
Imagine your dog could tell you: yes, carry on, or: stop, I need a break. That's exactly what a cooperation signal makes possible. Your dog learns a particular behaviour with which it shows it's ready, and may opt out at any time. This takes an enormous amount of stress out of care and treatment.
How it works
Your dog learns, for example, to rest its chin in your hand or to look at a small bowl. As long as it shows this behaviour, you carry on, for instance looking at the ear or holding the paw. If it takes its chin away, you stop immediately. That way your dog has control, and it's precisely that which makes it calmer.