Thank you to Neil for this Ask the Behaviourist question.

From the moment you get your dog or puppy home, get them used to being handled all over their body.  Make the exercise a rewarding experience by hand-feeding them at the same time - your dog will soon love you touching them!  Body checks at meal times is a great thing to do for the first few weeks of owning a new dog or puppy.

If your pet is a little sensitive about a particular part of their body then just touch it gently for a split second at first, and give them a treat at the same time provided they are focused on the treat hand and not on the hand doing the body check.

Dogs do not understand our human way of life and so they must be “proofed” for as many different scenarios as possible, from day one.  This means that one of the most important exercises to teach your pet is that being grabbed by the collar or any part of the body is not a thing to fear.  At some time during any dog’s lifetime, it will need to be grabbed by the collar or scruff.  How many times have you seen your puppy pick up something it shouldn’t have?  Would you let your puppy carry on eating the item or would you grab it by the collar or scruff so the article can be removed from its mouth?

Every day for the first 6 months you own your dog, sit down on the floor for a couple of minutes, and practise grabbing various parts of your pet.  Start with the scruff because this is where their mother would pick them up and therefore it doesn’t hurt.  Build up until you can grab them on every part of their body, giving them a reward each time.  Initially, your grab should be very gentle but you can increase the intensity as you progress over the weeks and your pet gets used to being grabbed.

In the space of 2 seconds, quickly grab and release your dog’s scruff and give them a tasty treat.  As your pet becomes conditioned to the grabbing, you can increase the length of time you hold the various parts of their body, but to start with it should all be over very quickly.  Try not to show your pet the treat until after you have grabbed them.  With the treat coming after the grab, your pet will see that being grabbed is actually a good thing rather then something to be feared.

Food Manners Tip

If your dog is grumpy when you go near it when it’s eating, try this exercise once each day for at least 2 weeks  -  put your dog’s food allowance for one meal in your pocket or in a sealed plastic tub; sit down on the floor and hold their empty bowl in one hand; with the other hand, drop a few bits of their meal into the bowl and allow them to eat it; carry on dropping a few bits of the meal at a time into the bowl until it’s all gone.

You have just taught your dog that hands going near their bowl is a good thing!

TEACH WITH KINDNESS & PATIENCE  -  YOU WILL BE REWARDED MANY TIMES OVER

Heather Stevens  MCFBA   Dog Behaviour Specialist