Introducing Your Dog to Handling

First, consider all the ways your dog may experience touch and need to tolerate it.  Think of vets and groomers.  Things your dog will need to do during their lifetime will probably include:

• Nail trims
• Ear exams and cleaning
• Having their tail raised for temperature taking and fecal exams
• Having their teeth or mouth examined
• Having their body examined or hair cut

With this in mind, create mock scenarios and help your dog get used to any way that they might be handled.  Create positive scenarios and practice them.

General Touch

• Gently place your hand on your dog.
• Click and treat while you are still touching your dog if your dog does not pull away.
• Move your hand around your dog’s body and repeat.
• Start at your dog’s least sensitive areas, and try not to put your hand directly over your dog as that can make them uncomfortable.  Sensitive areas vary by dog, but if your dog is pulling away or flipping his head around to see what you’re doing, the area is likely sensitive.  Do these areas last.

Paws

• With your dog relaxed next to you, gently run your finger under his/her paw bringing it from the elbow to the tip of the toe.
• While you still have your finger under your dog’s paw, click and treat
• Repeat this with each paw a few times
• Look for body language (ears back, wide eyes, leaning away from you, etc) to tell you that you are making your dog uncomfortable.  If you see it, stop what you’re doing and go back to whatever you were doing before your dog started to look uncomfortable.
• Work on this for a few days until your dog is totally relaxed.
• Work on all four paws.
• Once your dog is easily relaxing while you touch his/her paw, begin putting pressure on the top of the paw.
• Do the exercise again, but gently lay your thumb on top of your dog’s leg.
• Do not put pressure on at this point.
• Work at this level for a day or two.
• Finally, begin applying pressure.  Over the next few training sessions increase the pressure until you are holding the paw.
• If at any point your dog becomes uncomfortable or struggles, go back to the last point at which they were successful and try again.

Ears

• Start with your dog in a sit or a down.
• Place your hand next to your dog’s ear and click and treat (while your hand is next to their ear).
• NOTE:  Do not have your clicker in the hand that is near your dog’s ear.  They are very loud when right in the ear!  If you need to use a different marker, find a word that you can say or a noise that you can make that is very distinct and succinct, and remember it for use in these situations.  “Good” or “yes” said in a very happy, high pitched voice can work, as can a click of the tongue.
• Repeat this a few times for each ear, and then move on to the next step.
•   Touch your dog’s ear lightly.  Just a brush, not a grab.
• Click and treat while you are still in contact.
• Repeat this until they are not moving away and are remaining calm.
• Take one finger and touch your dog’s ear.  If your dog has floppy ears, lift the ear a little.
• Click and treat while still in contact with the ear.
• When your dog gets used to this, move on to gently taking hold of the ear.
• Gradually increase the pressure, clicking and treating at each successful trial, only moving on when your dog is comfortable.
• Work until your dog will let you hold, look into, and manipulate their ears.