Low-Stress Handling Activities for Your Puppy
At Little Paws Academy we know that there will come a time in your puppy’s life where he will have to be brushed, trimmed and bathed by you or a groomer. For many dogs this is a scary moment, but it doesn’t have to be that way for your puppy. We take pride in teaching our pet parents about proper body handling techniques that will build positive associations with these potentially scary experiences, in turn making both yours’ and your puppy’s lives easier.
One of the simplest ways to start creating positive associations is to practice our low-stress handling activities with your puppy in your home. What are low-stress handling activities? Let’s break it down.
Start by grabbing your puppy’s favorite treats or toy. When we say favorite treats we mean something that your puppy will go to the end of the world and back for. These could be hotdogs, cheese, chicken, or even salmon. When we say a favorite toy we mean something that your puppy will calmly chew on for 5-10 minutes at a time. Chew toys such as No-Hide Rawhides, hooves, antlers, or a frozen kong are good options. Every puppy has her own preferences so you might have to spend a little time figuring out your puppy’s favorites.
Once you have your best treats or toy, take your puppy to a quiet space in your home. We want to practice this when your home is calm. If there is a lot of activity going on it will be hard for your puppy to relax.
There are two ways to practice low-stress handling that we recommend. We will call them activity A and activity B.
Activity A: In this low-stress handling activity, you will give your puppy his calming toy and let him chew. You will then gently touch him in different areas on his body letting him continue to chew as he wishes. You should touch his feet, toes, legs, tail, undercarriage, ears, etc.
Activity B: In this low-stress handling activity, you will gently touch your puppy on her body and give her one of her favorite treats immediately after each touch. These touches should be short 1-3 seconds and she should get a treat for every single touch. Practice touching her feet, toes, legs, tail, undercarriage, ears, mouth, etc.
We recommend you try both activities and see which is most appropriate for you and your puppy. You might notice that during one activity your puppy is able to stay relaxed while during the other he gets excited. If you notice your puppy pulling away, growling at you, or mouthing/biting you during either of these activities you should stop immediately and contact us for additional help.
Now that you know the how to start teaching your puppy to be comfortable with low-stress handling what will be your next steps for raising her? Not sure where to start? Contact us at Little Paws Academy for more information about our socialization and training programs.
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