Several of our last Caucasians were fine at the vet. Actually in Virginia the got excited when they approached the veterinarian clinic. It could be that the vet and her staff actually loved and respected the dogs and were not afraid. The only one they were a bit weary of was Cleopatra.  So how did that happen.  When we moved to Virginia from Italy in 2000, we found a vet close by and there was a relatively young female veterinarian and her husband who ran the practice. I went and chatted with her prior to bringing our dogs there for care. We discussed the breed, their rusticity, behavior, and temperament.  What was impressive was that Dr. Mitchel actually went and research the breed and gathered better understanding of the dogs. 

The first dog that we took there was Julius who was the youngest at the time and he was being trained for showing because my wife wanted to take him out to the rare breed shows. The entire staff fell in love with him and doted on him.  Next was Caesar - same thing happened - they loved him.  Then came Cleopatra and by her wolfish intensity she made a few of the staff nervous.  Good thing is that when I am around she was very well behaved and so The visit went well. She was always aloof with them but showed no aggression.

So I said all that to say this - There was a time when treating dogs at a veterinarian's office was a challenge because the guardians, bullies, shepherds with jobs did not like strangers.  These days, however, dogs are expected to behave like toothless, no temperament bags of fur that generate money to maintain a practice. Very few vets will see a dog that has a strong attitude and don't like strangers poking and prodding them. As far as treating our dogs on property - that would really not work - so I agree with the premise of the article referenced in the opening post. 

Bottom line is that we are responsible dog owners must get to know our animals and be able to control their behavior or contain their propensity for destruction. The dog is an independent animal wired to perform a function and there must be understanding that when stressed - the dog will revert to its inherent behavior and protect itself from real or perceived threats posed by others. The stimulus response behavior is very strong in most rustic breeds that still have jobs to perform. Owners must always be aware of the triggers the prompt their dogs to action.