Body Handling Tips

Body handling is easily one of the most important behaviors to teach your puppy or adult dog. Dogs are not programmed to understand that humans looking into their ears, mouth and body is normal. Human handling frightens most dogs. Just like children, dogs need to be taught that body handling is rewarding.

Body Handling Goals

When touching or restraining your dog, you’re using the least amount of pressure possible. Basically, you’re not holding your dog’s head still. Rather, your dog is choosing to hold her head still while your hand rests on it. From another perspective, think about retraining zoo animals. There’s no way a human can restrain an elephant, but teaching an elephant to allow restraint is much easier than forcing him.

How to Teach Your Dog to Like Body Handling

You’ll need lots of super yummy treats, so don’t skimp here. Remember, dog training treats are your dog’s paycheck. You’ll also need some type of reward marker, so use a clicker or mark the behavior by saying “yes.”

Point and Click

In the beginning, click or say “yes,” as you’re reaching for your dog and then reward. Usually, when someone reaches toward his dog, this is a trigger that causes most dogs to shrink backwards away from pet owners. Start by pointing at your dog and, if she remains still, click and treat. Now, progress moving your pointed hand in small increments until you’re able to touch her side with your index finger. Once you’re able to touch her, click or say “yes” the moment your finger touches her. Then, draw your hand back and give her a treat.

Goal: Your dog remains still while you reach toward and touch her.

Touch Longer

Once your dog is comfortable with you reaching for her, meaning she will remain still and even walk toward you, it’s time to touch her longer. In the beginning, you quickly touched her and then immediately removed your hand away. Now, you’ll reach out and touch her, but hold the “touch” for a second. After five or six repetitions, end the practice session.

Goal: Reach out and touch your dog for 1-2 seconds.

Hand Touch

Now, you’ll reach out and touch your dog with your hand. As you place your open-palmed hand on your dog’s side, click or say “yes,” remove your hand, and give her a treat. After a few repetitions, end the practice session.

Goal: Reach out and touch your dog with your flat hand.

Restrain and Reward

Retraining means holding your hand against your dog, which prevents her from moving sideways. For some reason, we force our dogs to accept restraint, especially at the vet’s office or during nail trims. Trust me, it’s easier to teach a dog to enjoy restraint as a rewarding experience than force your dog to comply with it.

When teaching body restraint, move slowly and apply the least amount of pressure possible. Never force the issue. Soon, and with lots of practice, you can teach your dog to say “ah,” easily hold your dog’s leg for blood withdrawals, stand still while the vet examines her and so forth.

WATCH: Teach Your Dog to Enjoy Body Handling

It’s much easier to teach your dog to enjoy body handling than force her to comply–much easier.