Puppy Handling Exercises, part 2

Continuing on with our basic handling of our puppy:

Now that we have him sitting quietly on our mock exam table, it's time to start introducing our puppy to being handled all over. Touch your puppy everywhere (yes, even on his "private parts.") Lightly comb or brush him. Tug on his tail, pull his ears, rough up his coat, mess with his face and his nose and every other part of him. Some day, somewhere, somebody is going to touch your dog in the "wrong" way. Won't you be happy when your well-mannered dog just looks quizzically at you as if to say, "Mom, why in the world did that kid poke me in the eye?" It's much better than explaining, "Well, he bit because he doesn't like his (face, feet, tail, etc.) touched. Sorry."

I especially want you to focus on the "Big Three" places - areas that no dog likes being touched and at the same time areas we often have to work with. The taboo body parts for dogs are: their ears, their mouths, and their feet. Don't wait till your dog has a bone wedged between her upper teeth to try to get into her mouth. The first time you mess with her ears shouldn't be when she has a painful infection. And trimming toenails - Code Red for most dogs. But, if you get your puppy accustomed to having these areas touched in a non-threatening way, it makes it so much easier for you to medicate, clean, trim, or treat these sensitive spots.

With your puppy sitting as previously shown, flip the ear flaps up so you can see the opening. (if you have a dog with upright ears, like a Husky or Shepherd, this doesn't apply to you. Your pup's ears are already up.) Lightly touch the ear openings with your finger tips and wipe them with a dry cotton ball, tissue or gauze sponge.


There are two goals here: First, to get you used to what is normal for your dog's ears. Healthy ears should be clean and pink, with no odor, discharge, redness or pain. Second, to get your puppy used to having somebody fooling with her ears. If she does well, praise and treat. Otherwise, SAY NOTHING.

Next, the mouth. It is very difficult for a puppy to understand why we can touch their mouths, but their mouths can't touch us. Still, we must be able to get into our dog's mouths, so they need to learn the difference right away. Not only must we medicate our dogs, we should be brushing their teeth (yeah, I know - I don't do it regularly either. But, I have good intentions, and my dogs will let me do it, when I remember.) They should even allow strangers, like veterinarians and kennel employees, in their mouths, because sometimes there is an emergency. My favorite illustration of this involves one of my own dogs.

Gracie was at a doggy day care one hot day. They had wading pools set up and hoses with running water. Grace got so excited, snapping at the water and grabbing and shaking the hose, that she bit her own tongue, hard enough to draw blood. Because I had taught her to allow people to handle her mouth, the staff was able to grab her tongue and put pressure on the spot until the bleeding stopped. They told me about it at the end of the day, and I was both proud of her, and glad I didn't have to leave work in the middle of the day to pick her up. (So much for the vicious Rottweiler rumor!)

To get a puppy used to having her mouth handled, start with her in the basic Sit position. Lightly touch her lips, running your fingers from the tip of her nose back towards her eyes. (Don't go the opposite direction; it bends the whiskers the wrong way, which is annoying.)


If she nips at you, tell her "No" or "No Bite." Use one or two words only (Rule 3, Dogs don't speak English,) say it once (Rule 3A), use a stern, Mom-dog tone (remember paralanguage in Rule 4) without being loud (Rule 3C,) say it quickly (Rule 9, Timing is everything) and as soon as she stops biting, praise her with a "Good puppy!" (Rule 7 - Praise more than you correct, and Rule 9 - Timing.)

Go back and do it again. If she nips again, repeat above process (Rule 10 - Consistency.) If she struggles, squirms, or tries to get away, return to the previous lesson on collar pressure and self-control. If this turns from a lesson on handling into a power struggle, stop. DON'T coddle her ("Oh, poor puppy! I'm so sorry, I won't do that again." Paralanguage, remember? Whining makes you weak.) DON'T reward the puppy with treats or playtime. Put her in her crate or bed, and let her settle down. Maybe she's tired or cranky, maybe she is teething, or maybe she isn't ready for this lesson. You don't have to win every battle, sometimes a draw is the best you can expect. Try again tomorrow.

Once she is comfortable with that step, proceed by lifting up her lip, just enough to expose her canine ("fang") tooth. Repeat on both sides and stop. Praise and treat. Correct nipping behavior as above. Stop before she gets fussy, when you can end on a positive note.

Repeat daily till you can do this easily, then move on to lifting the lips along the length of the mouth, exposing all the teeth. Praise and treat.

(Notice no one is holding my model still.
He has learned the self-control needed to accept
that people sometimes do crazy things.)

Small steps are the key here, don't push her too far too fast. It is human nature to want to get through all the steps at once, to get to the end. We humans are goal-oriented, but the point here is the journey, not the destination. You don't win any prizes if you can open your dog's mouth faster than the next person.

Finally, we are going to open puppy's mouth. DON'T do this by grabbing the tip of her nose and the bottom of her jaw and prying her mouth open. The end of a dog's nose is sensitive.

WRONG!

Instead, use your thumb and finger tips BEHIND the canine ("fang") teeth, avoiding the tip of the nose, and she will practically open her mouth for you with very little effort on your part. Eventually, you can open her mouth wide. Praise, praise, praise - this is a really hard thing for a puppy to tolerate.

Good Dog!

Feet. I know, you were all hoping I would skip this part, but believe me, it is the most important bit. I don't know a dog in this world who likes having his toenails trimmed, but we can at least make it tolerable for him by handling his feet A LOT. Every time I put my hands on a young puppy, I touch one or more of his feet. During our handling exercises, we will be a little more formal. Hold every one of his feet, one at a time. If he pulls back or nips your hands, correct him (gently, we don't want to make him fearful) and HOLD ON until he relaxes. SAY NOTHING. (Are you sensing a theme here?)

Hold firmly, but don't pinch. Massage each foot. Play with his toes, spreading them apart. Wipe his feet with a rag or paper towel, as if you were wiping off the mud or salt from his paws.

Rub his feet with a pair of toenail trimmers or something similar, in preparation for trimming his nails (But, DON'T trim them yet.)


Why do I keep repeating SAY NOTHING during handling? Talking to a puppy is distracting, not productive, and at worst, may be self-defeating. If you are anxious or stressed, you will communicate your unease through your voice. Tension results in a tight, higher pitched voice which says to the puppy "Worry. Fear. Stress." (Paralanguage again.) Remember Rule 2, Dogs are physical, not verbal. Let your hands talk to him. He will learn better. Save your words for your praise at the end of each step.

I thought I had a unique thing going with my handling exercises until I read this book, "A Dog in Hand, A Guide to Hands-on Puppy Parenting." It turns out, someone else had the same idea I did - to help clients help their puppies through physical handling.


It is by Dr. George Gates, a veterinarian who came to the same conclusions I did, and who uses very similar methods to teach puppies (and their owners) exam room manners. It doesn't have the "zing!" of a certain high profile and flamboyant popular TV dog trainer's book, but I think it is a lot more practical. I highly recommend it if you want more information on puppy handling.

Final word: These exercises are for puppies of 2 to 4 months old only. DON'T try this with adult dogs who already have phobias about being touched. Seriously. I'm not kidding about this.