I really appreciate this list, thank you! Pants was fine with the vet until she went through heartworm treatment. After that, she understandably started developing a fear response. I really like the idea of going to the vet for a purely enjoyable experience. I'm going to do that!

My most recent dog was a spaniel who loved the vet—he “never met a stranger,” only brand-new BFFs. This was fortunate because (unfortunately!) he ended up having to see a lot of vets (spoiler alert: canine kidney disease can really suck 😭). The dog before that was a huge GSD who wanted most people to just leave her alone. She was polite, sensitive, and non-aggressive, but had a scary look. I trained her to love a basket muzzle, which she wore for the vet. That safety measure calmed the clinic staff, which in turn kept my dog calmer—a better feedback loop than stress on stress. “Cooperative care” training is well worth googling… and then doing!