When this Bernese mountain dog turned up at the vet’s recently, he might have been one of the largest breeds there… but he was also the most terrified.
Kylo’s owner shared the adorable video on his TikTok page, Kylo the Berner on March 8, after his annual checkup didn’t quite go to plan. The caption layered over the video reads: “POV: When your dog is the biggest animal at the vet and also the biggest baby.”
The 18-month-old Bernie tried to hide under a wooden seat once he stepped inside, but due to his massive size it was less than subtle.
VCA Animal Hospitals reassures owners that it’s not uncommon for dogs to be scared of the vet, and they can show this through panting, drooling, growling, snapping or avoidance. If this is the case, it’s important to gradually desensitize the dog from this, making them feel more comfortable in the environment.
There are many reasons why going to the vet’s can scare a dog, so it helps to narrow it down and see what triggers a response from the dog. It could be seeing a veterinarian wearing a white coat, being around other nervous dogs in the waiting room, or perhaps they remember a previous visit which they didn’t enjoy.
Identifying the separate issues that could worry your dog is the key, then VCA Animal Hospitals suggests presenting each one individually to the dog to show it’s not as scary as they might think.
Newsweek spoke to Kylo’s owner, Kristin Valis of West Chester, Pennsylvania, about what happened at the vet’s, and how she managed to get him to come back out.
“Kylo was at the vet for his annual checkup,” she said. “I have no idea why he was so nervous! He’s generally a giant scaredy-cat though, so it’s not surprising.
“He wasn’t under there for too long thankfully. We tried treats with no luck, and we thought peanut butter would do it but he outsmarted us.”
When Kylo was offered some peanut butter to encourage him to come out, he happily took the treats—but still refused to budge.
Valis knows how much Kylo hates being left alone, so she hatched the perfect plan to make him come out from his hiding spot.
“We finally coaxed him out by getting everyone to leave the room. When he thought we were going somewhere without him, he immediately came after us,” she explained.
After Valis shared the hilarious video on TikTok, it generated over 105,000 views and 8,000 likes.
Plenty of TikTok users were left in hysterics by Kylo’s timid nature, and many pointed out how happy he was to eat the peanut butter despite not moving.
“He ate the peanut butter, and he didn’t come out—dog wins,” one comment reads. Another person commented with what they think Kylo would have said at the time: “No. No. Whatever he has to say to me, he can say right here.”
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