Course Details
Mary Poppins was right. Not that I’m advocating that we give our dogs (or cats) sugar! However, making the act of taking medicine a positive one is really powerful. We know that there will come a time when our dogs need to take medications; often multiple medications. Sometimes those meds even taste awful, but they are necessary. So what to do?
You might try sneaking the meds in with food, but this approach often backfires. Dogs quickly become wise to this approach and often become suspicious of offered food, which is NOT a problem we want to cause.
No one really wants to resort to force & coercion, but if you haven’t prepared ahead of time that’s often exactly what happens. Once taking medications becomes a battle it’s going to be an ongoing one without making some necessary changes.
Can we do things to make this better? Yes, yes we can! With a little preparation & practice we can make taking pills and liquid medications a non-event, rather than a fight. Even if you are having issues now, it’s possible to make things much much easier for both of you moving forward.
In this week-long workshop we will cover 6 basic lessons:
- Food covered kibble & capsules
- Swallowing as a behavior
- Kibble chain approach
- The ‘take your pill’ cue
- Food syringes & syringe practice
- Play with your meds!
We will also discuss other options for making medicating your dog a smoother process. These include asking your veterinary professional about different options and types of medications, and the use of a compounding pharmacy to change forms and flavors that will make administering meds easier.
The purpose of this workshop is to give you actionable exercises and useful tools for getting those medications in more easily! A week of concentrated effort can make a huge difference.
Watch the Trailer:
Coming Soon!
Lecture Publish Date: Sunday Apr 6th
Video Submissions Due Date: Sunday Apr 13th @ 12pm noon PT
Feedback & Questions Video Publish Date: Wednesday Apr 16th

Deborah Jones, Ph.D. (she/her) is a psychologist who specializes in learning theory and social behavior. She taught a variety of psychology courses at Kent State University for the past 20 years. Deb has been training dogs for performance events for the past 25 years and was an early...(Click here for full bio and to view Deb's upcoming courses)