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Questions We Shouldn’t Answer
I’m currently working with a new client who has a teeny poodle named Mickey and she asked about flea/tick prevention while expressing concern about seizures as a possible side effect of one collar. We may step onto tricky ground if we try to answer certain questions like that. I always encourage clients to do their own research and then speak with their vet for guidance. It’s not my place to offer this type of advice.
Similarly, I’m cautious with food recommendations, though I can speak generally about the different food options available ???? – kibble, raw, fresh cooked, dehydrated, freeze dried, etc. But when another client recently asked about feeding raw chicken wings to Gracie, her little chihuahua, I did not feel at all comfortable offering advice, especially because I had a papillon who once had a choking incident with a chicken neck. I’d just about expire if I gave advice that then put one of my client’s dogs at risk.
We trainers must remember that we’re not vets (or nutritionists) and should not be advising on any topics that are vet-related. (Similarly, I wish vets wouldn’t offer training advice, especially when it’s outdated!)
Inquisitive clients are a delight to work with, but I do my best to always remain in my training lane. ????
Let’s brainstorm on how we can refer to other professionals while remaining the go-to coach for training questions.
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18 Replies
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Thanks for that reminder!
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Smart advice, Virginia! ????????
When I was seeing clients in person I had a go-to sheet of contacts for various specialities – grooming, veterinary, nutrition, rehab, etc. I even had a marriage counselor and family therapist on there! Because we are often seeing folks at their most vulnerable and as great as my people skills may be, I’m no therapist! ????
You asked: how we can refer to other professionals while remaining the go-to coach for training questions.
This is another place where I loved having scripts that I’d practiced ahead of time – something simple like this was my go-to:
XYZ isn’t really my area of expertise, but if you like, I can share some resources about that with you after our session (pause to see if they want that) For now, I’d like to see how DOGNAME is doing on our training game.
And then I’d follow up by sending a link or a contact. ✔
????For trainers who aren’t experienced in complex behavior cases like aggression and separation anxiety, you could also see if the referred behavior contact would allow you to shadow this client’s appointment. – It’s a great way to learn!
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Staying in my lane is something I have to remind myself to practice all the time. I’ve gone through both lots of doggy rehab and nutritional issues with my own dog and having specialists was key to their health.
When a client is really interested in a homemade diet and asks a lot of questions I refer them to both the balaceit website for general information and their own vet I can also help my clients track symptoms or know what specific symptoms or behaviors to relay to their vet during a visit. For instance, it can really help a client to get specific about what their dog’s stool looks like instead of just saying soft stool they are able to tell their vet ” my dog is having soft serve type stool with some mucus every day” these little details are very helpful for vets.
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@abbie , I really appreciate your input. The balanceit website looks like a great resource to share, and I LOVE that you encourage your clients to track and report symptoms accurately — that’s such a help for the vet!
I, too, encourage clients to write down details of any issues that are occurring so they have accurate info to share with their vet. (Or, if it’s behavioral details related to my work with them, accurate reporting is so important too.) Personally, I have a terrible memory for details and would not want to count on remembering everything accurately over a period of time without writing them down.
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A lot of times, I send them to the Whole Dog Journal, as their training advice is positive reinforcement and often backs up my own advice. I used this journal when I was just a dog owner. Of course, I recommend them asking their vets, but find that often vets don’t always seem to know everything about nutrition either. Similarly to doctors, lol!
I try not to give advice outside of my training realm, but when pressed, I will tell what worked for my own dogs. Always share that as a “friend” And tell them I’m not a vet or nutritionist.
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It’s a fair point about some vets and what may, at times, seem to be a limited knowledge on the nutrition side of things, @bernerlabreclectus . I grapple with that as well. It’s a great idea to mention there’s such a thing as a vet nutritionist if specialized help is needed.
And I think WDJ is a great resource too!-
Like we always say about the dog, “it depends”…
We used to have a wonderful vet. He was a crusty and tiny older man, who came off at times as brusque. But he knew animals! My Oma was the first to take her springer spaniels to him over 50 years ago. His remedy for a digestive upset (causing vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy) was usually:
equal parts of cooked ground sirloin (remaining fat skimmed off) and white rice PLUS a tablespoon of low fat cottage cheese, for a day or two, then to continue it white mixing their kibble back in gradually.
Depending on the size of the dog, it wasn’t cheap or necessarily convenient (you had to make up batches in advance for a few days). But it ALWAYS worked for my mom’s dogs and my own dogs. Needless to say, the dogs LOVED it. But, I cannot go around giving advice that that helps. It’s ALWAYS important to see a vet first, to make sure the dog isn’t dehydrated and to rule out other causes of vomiting and diarrhea.
I know most vets say “give them chicken and rice”. I’ve heard mixed results about that actually working, especially because I’ve had a few clients whose dogs are allergic to chicken!
So, as a natural home remedy from your Auntie Paula, feel free to keep the above recipe in your arsenal. It worked for us for three generations!
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I’ve recently read a recommendation that turkey and pumpkin is a better bet than chicken and rice in an article by Dr. Laurie Coger called “Stop Feeding Your Dog Chicken and Rice!”
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OMD – Bliss has been having some tummy troubles and I thought she was really ill when I put her on a “bland diet.” She completely refused to eat the rice. NOTHANKSMOM.
We’re getting back to health, after a quick consult with her veterinarian and addition of a probiotic. But yea, VETO on rice by Bliss!
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Poor girl — I hope she’s back to 100% soon!
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@jenz – Here’s the article Virginia referenced earlier – Stop Feeding Your Dog Chicken & Rice! … we were just chatting about this so I thought you’d be interested.
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Thanks!
I was thinking there was a difference between pure pumpkin and pumpkin puree. I think i was confusing pure pumpkin with the pumpkin pie filling. Thanks for clarifying!
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That fiber can “get things moving” as much as “plug it up” is always fascinating to me. ????
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@Ruth you may enjoy reading this article on chicken and rice.
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I think everyone has great advice here! I do say my picky puppy clients always do well on orijen puppy. That and petcuran are my go toos for picky eaters. But again depends on situation if I recommend. How long has dog been home? Any medical issues going on? Etc etc Are all questions I ask… All my dogs started with different food from the breeder and I never kept them on. Please let us know how the pup does and what food they go with. Just curious because I like learning as well!
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Hi! ???? @catherine I wanted to pop in and say I really appreciate you providing this general script when talking about diets with clients! I’ve had pet owners ask me this question before, not as a trainer yet but as a fellow dog mom, and I still prefer to give non-specific answers. This helps a ton!
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@lsevy Thanks bunches, you are very welcome. Yes, it comes up a LOT, and it’s helpful to know what you are going to say beforehand. Let us know if you have any other tips to share back on this or any other topic. 🙂
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