2 Strategies for Effective Communication

While The Dog Gurus often talk about the best ways to deal with dogs in daycare, it’s every bit as important to learn the best ways to help those on the other end of the leash: the pet parent. Dogs are like family members and when you need to convey difficult news to a pet mom or dad, there are 2 strategies that can make the communication go more smoothly.

1. Use pictures, not the dog. To help pet parents understand their dogs better, it’s useful to use the body language of the dog. Focusing on appropriate versus inappropriate behaviors (based on canine body language) is usually much better than talking about breeds, breed characteristics, or age of dog. If a dog is displaying appropriate body language, then by all means, point to the dog and describe the wonderful canine body language you see. However, if you need to describe inappropriate behavior to a pet parent, it’s best to use photos rather than point to the actual dog. Psychologically, it’s much easier for an owner to learn about inappropriate behavior if they are not looking at the pet they know and love! For instance, let’s say you have a dog that doesn’t play well in daycare. When other dogs get near him, he stiffens, shows his teeth, and attempts to move away from the dogs. It’s best to show the pet parent these behaviors in a photo, poster, or video of another dog. That will help the owner to process the problem with the behavior independently of his or her own dog.
2. Follow up on any difficult conversation. Oftentimes, the initial difficult conversation with a pet parent doesn’t provide enough time for the owner to process all their feelings. Time is needed after an owner hears negative things about their beloved family member. The fact that we are sharing the truth doesn’t always mean it’s easy to hear. This is especially true if it’s the first time an owner has been told something negative about their dog. So always take time to call the owner on the phone the next day to check in with them. Sometimes that next contact will result in anger or hostility, so be prepared to allow the owner to express their feelings and empathize with them. You’ll need to be sure they feel valued and that their voice is being heard even if you don’t necessarily agree with everything they might say. This is not a time to be defensive or argumentative. If needed, you might need to do a second follow up about a week later, particularly if you don’t expect the dog to return to your facility.

Taking these two extra steps can really help to increase your customer support to a pet parent during difficult times. You may find that you keep the pet parent happy even if you lose the dog as a client at your facility. That is good for everyone.