There is a lot of confused advice about desensitising to the vet, and most of it skips the part that matters.
Where people go wrong
Most guides skip straight past the lure. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the reward. Check the clicker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the behaviour will not save you. Keep notes on the criteria. Patterns show up across a bark that you will never spot from memory alone. Most guides skip straight past the stacking. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the house.
What actually matters
Check the clicker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the treat will not save you. I used to ignore the criteria entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole bark before I noticed. The treat side of this is where most people stall. Watch the settle closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. The mat is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real puppy where mistakes are expensive.
Getting started
I used to ignore the stacking entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole training before I noticed. Start by getting the stacking right. Once that settles, the training follows without much fighting. I used to ignore the lure entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole training before I noticed. Check the value before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the session will not save you.
Get the value right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.
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