On a daily basis we hear stories about dogs who hate having their feet touched or their nails cut, this is generally due to the owners or breeders not doing ?body desensitization? with their pups at a young age.
If you have a new pup, it?s highly important for you to do body desensitization drills with your puppy as soon as you get him/her (8-weeks old).
There are 11 key ?target? points that you need to focus on:
1: Left Ear and Right Ear
2: Muzzle (open the mouth, check teeth, grab muzzle, etc)
3-6: All 4 paws and nails
7: Neck (collar area)
8: Tail
9. Hugging the dog
10. Brushing the dog
We have dealt with many dogs who are collar and feet sensitive and can be seemingly deemed reactive in situations where their feet or collar are handled.
In our dog training practice, we see at least 1 dog a week who is collar reactive; meaning, it is a dog who is friendly but will react negatively if his collar is touched or handled. The main reason that this can be an issue is that a child (or stranger) who sees that your dog is ?friendly? will not know that these specific areas ?set them off.? If this happens, you may be left with an ?unpredictable bite?. I say unpredictable because to the person touching them, they had no idea the dog was sensitive to collar being touched? but 90% of bites are not unpredictable. So, what?s the solution to prevent situations like this?
By doing these 11 key things above on a DAILY basis (and even multiple times per day), you can prevent your dog from ever being reactive to being handled:
This is how it should break down for you and your puppy:
Touch and hold the left paw, praise or treat.
Touch and hold the right paw, praise or treat.
Touch and hold the back left paw, praise or treat.
Touch and hold the back right paw, praise or treat.
Touch and hold the left ear, praise or treat.
Touch and hold the right ear, praise or treat.
Stroke the tail, praise or treat.
Rub around the collar area, praise or treat.
Rub around the muzzle area, praise or treat.
Hug and hold the dog for a few seconds, praise or treat.
Give the dog a light brushing, praise or treat.
If you do this simple drill on a daily basis, not only will your dog NOT become reactive but they will LOVE you doing these things! Why? Because your dog has associated you touching these areas with a reward and/or verbal praise (or even both).
This routine takes about 20-30 seconds to complete; therefore, there is really no excuse as to why you should not be doing this with your pup. Simple things such as these exercises when combined with choosing the right puppy, appropriate socialization, and confidence building will ensure you never have an issue with people touching your dog?s feet or collar. If you do these 11 things with your pup: your vet, your groomer, and everyone who meets your dog will love you for it.
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