Memes abound of pups wearing the dreaded "cone of shame" after surgery. While it might be quite entertaining for us humans to watch our dogs try and maneuver with a lampshade on their heads, it can be pretty stressful for them. Simple things like eating food or drinking water are more complicated, and their vision and hearing are different while wearing an e-collar*. Some dogs take wearing a cone in stride. For others, the increased difficulty of movement, change in hearing and vision, paired with feeling a bit "off" while medicated, can really stress them out. If you take off their cone for mealtimes, you might notice that they run the other way when you grab it or spend a lot of time trying to wiggle out of it or paw it off. If you take some time to teach your dog some body awareness and how to move while wearing their e-collar, you'll save your furniture and knick-knacks from being knocked all over the place. It's easy to help your dog feel more comfortable wearing a cone! If you know they have surgery coming up soon (such as a spay or neuter), ask your veterinarian for a cone to use for training a few weeks ahead of time.
Introducing Your Dog to the Cone in 6 Easy StepsWhat You'll Need:
Watch this video to see these steps in action as I introduce the cone to Clover the Portuguese Water Dog (to prepare her prior to her spay surgery):
Keep each session short and sweet, about 3 to 5 minutes long. Or you can count out a certain number of treats (20–30) and end the session after you've used them all up. The goal is for your dog to view the cone as something neutral or positive — not something to be scared of or run away from. By pairing it with fun, food, and praise, you prevent the cone from becoming an additional stressor on your dog during their recovery. The stiff plastic e-collars can be tough to assemble, even if you've done it before! Watch this video for step-by-step instructions on how to put the cone together: |