Pet World: Training shy lab to be less aggressive when guests arrive
–Patti, Nashville, Tennessee
Dear Patti,
If she will let you touch her, reach down quickly and scruff her neck. She can’t bite or scratch when you scruff her neck, and then you can put her in the carrier. A carrier that opens from the top is the easiest to use with an unwilling cat. Then let the vet staff know she is feral, so they don’t get injured trying to get her out of the carrier.
Another option for the future (when she is better and eating again) is to buy or rent a humane box trap for this purpose. Put a very smelly, high-value food in the trap. When she goes into it to eat, the trap door will close behind her, and you can take her in the trap to the vet’s office.
If you want to eventually socialize her, sit near her while she is eating maintaining a distance she will tolerate. Each day, inch a little closer to her. Eventually, if you can sit right next to her, you can try to train her to accept petting. This training will help when you need to take her to the vet again because you will be close enough to scruff her.
Once she is clear of this infection, make sure she gets spayed as well.
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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)
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