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How to Get Your Puppy Used to Being Handled

Posted by Clare Bristow

Getting your puppy used to be being handled is an important part of puppy socialization . There will be numerous occasions in his life when he will be handled by people other than his owner - examples being your vet, dog groomers, and when he stays at the dog kennels.

It's a straightforward lesson to teach to your new puppy and it doubles as a quick health examination too.

After nearly three years together, Zoe, Fritz and I still spend 5 minutes doing this exercise at the end of the day. They are reminded it's OK for people to handle them, and I get to check for any unusual lumps and bumps and anything unpleasant stuck to their coat and paws. It also bring the three of us that bit closer together.

How To Do It

1. Get your dog to stand still, and then run your hands over the length of his body. I start at the shoulders and work down to the tail, repeating it a few times on each side;
2. Lift each paw with one hand, and gently run your other hand down the leg and feel the paw, checking for anything that's got lodged between the pads;
3. Lift and feel each ear; and
4. Lift his tail (your vet will be particularly pleased if you teach your dog that's it's OK to have this done).

That's all there is to it, keep it short and always praise your dog as you handle him. A treat afterwards will also help him associate being handled with good things.

If he tends to shuffle around as you are doing the exercise, stop what you are doing and return him to the standing position. It takes a few goes to get them to stand still, but your puppy will soon learn that he will only get attention from you when he's standing still.

After your puppy is used to you doing this to him, slowly teach him that it's OK for others to handle him too. Start with other members of the family, then people he knows and eventually people he doesn't know - puppy training classes are a good place to find people to help out with this exercise.

When getting him used to being handled by others, don't do all four parts of the exercise straight off, start with people just patting and making a fuss of him, and extending that to running their hands down the length of his body. Once he's used to that, move onto to having his paws felt, then his ears and lastly the tail lifted.

Always remember to praise and keep the training positive; if your puppy looks unhappy and threatened by the situation, stop what you are doing and do something you know he loves doing, like playing and come back to the exercise the next day.

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