The Importance of Handling Your Dogs

I met with a client recently who needed help getting her dog to cooperate.  Even with yummy treats, she couldn't brush his body, or even consider brushing his teeth.  And clipping his nails? No way, she said.  She even thought he might bite her if she tried.  Given that she had gotten this dog as an 8 week old puppy, I had to figure out what went wrong.  After speaking with her at length, one thing became very clear.  She had rarely handled him as a puppy other than petting him and putting on and taking off his leash. She sent him to a groomer, so she didn't really think about brushing him at home.  She hadn't done any puppy classes, so she missed out on the kind of handling exercises routinely taught and done there.  We had a lot of work to do!

If you have a puppy, or are getting one this holiday season, don't neglect to handle them daily and A LOT.  Puppies should be picked up, turned over, and examined thoroughly every single day.  Look in their mouths, ears, around their tails, and between their toes. Don't forget to check their armpits and groin area too.  Pull on their ears, feet, and tails.  This isn't mean; someone is sure to pull their body parts at some point in time and you need them to know that it's no cause for concern.  Clean around your puppy's eyes too.  Surely there will be a time when you have to clean sleep out of those eyes, or maybe even put eye medication in there.  Same with the ears.  And everyone should be able to clip their puppy's nails or dremmel them.  Puppy nails grow fast and starting the trimming early and routinely decreases their sensitivity to having it done.  Even if you intend to send your dog to the groomer, you should be able to do their nails and brush their bodies.  Start brushing your puppy's teeth early too. Even though they will lose those baby teeth, if you teach them that teeth brushing is fun, you will have no problem keeping their adult teeth (and gums) healthy.

It isn't just your veterinarian and groomer that will thank you for doing these handling exercises daily.  You will thank yourself when your dog steps on something that hurts and you have to remove it, or has a mat you need to comb out, or you need to treat their eyes or ears with medication!

For my client's now adult dog, we started out very slow, using pieces of steak, and very gentle handling.  We will work up to more invasive handling over time.  If we reach a point where we just can't handle her dog as we'd like, I will discuss muzzle training with the owner.  Muzzles aren't bad things.  They are training tools like leashes, collars, harnesses, etc.  Used properly, that is taking the time to teach a dog that wearing a muzzle is fun and rewarding, a muzzle can be the saving grace for a dog who might behave aggressively if they feel provoked.

As always, if you have questions or need my help, you know where to find me.

I've been doing handling exercises with Freddie since he was 8 weeks old.  Goldendoodle hair mats easily, so he has had his hair pulled and tugged.  He revels in body exams, smiles for teeth brushing, and tries to avoid nail trims, but does them!