- This article has been reviewed by a pet health professional. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice.
A puppy’s socialization checklist is long, and there’s a lot to get a new dog used to. One of the most important items on a new pet parent’s to-do list is body handling. A puppy who’s used to being touched and held is much more likely to grow into an adult who’s comfortable with grooming, vet exams, and more.
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just pick up and pet a puppy. Targeting handling exercises are the best way to prepare your puppy for a lifetime of care.
And if your dog is a bit older, don’t worry—adult dogs can still benefit from handling exercises. They may just need to go at a slower pace.
To learn more about puppy handling, we spoke with Kait Hembree, Head Trainer at GoodPup, and Melissa Bartoli, shelter staff dog trainer at Abandoned Pet Rescue. With their help, we’ll explore the importance of puppy handling exercises, lay out steps to get started, and review real-world examples where puppy handling exercises come into play.
Puppy Handling Technique
The earlier you start puppy handling, the better. Bartoli explains that puppies are most receptive to new experiences during their critical socialization window, from 3 to 16 weeks. You can introduce gentle handling exercises as soon as you bring your puppy home.
The goal of these sessions is to create a positive association with being touched, held, or moved in all the ways your puppy might need later in life. And it decreases the likelihood of a puppy being worried or upset about handling procedures as an adult.
To get started with handling sessions, Bartoli lays out a simple, five-step process:
- Choose a calm environment. Find a quiet, distraction-free space where your puppy feels relaxed. The best times for these sessions are when your puppy is calm, like after a walk or playtime.
- Start with light touch. Begin by gently touching areas your puppy is already comfortable with. Usually, this will be their back and shoulders.
- Use positive association training. Offer high-value treats to reward your puppy for accepting your touch and staying calm. This helps them connect touch to pleasant experiences. Hembree suggests a lick mat to keep them happily engaged during the process.
- Gradually introduce more sensitive areas. As your puppy gets more comfortable, you can move on to their paws, ears, and mouth. Continue offering treats and watch for signs of discomfort or stress.
- Keep it short and positive. End on a positive note, stopping before your puppy shows signs of frustration. One to five minutes will do. “Puppies have short attention spans,” Bartoli explains. Multiple short sessions throughout the day are better than one long session.
Hembree offers a tip on timing: “When working on handling puppies specifically during their socialization window, I always like to have them start eating just before I start the touch. And I work to remove any kind of touch I’m doing before they finish the treats. We don’t want to have our touching happening longer than our positive association (the treats).”
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Handling Exercise 1: Body Parts
To encourage your puppy to accept having different body parts touched and manipulated, start slowly and lay on the treats. Make sure they’re comfortable with each step before moving on to more invasive handling, like touching their teeth or paw pads.
Face
When you need to clean out eye gunk or wipe your pup’s muzzle after a messy meal, the process will be smoother if you’ve practiced handling their face.
To avoid startling your puppy, let them see your hand before you begin. Many dogs dislike being pet on the top of their heads, so start with gentle pets under their chin, continuously offering treats.
Once they’re comfortable with chin petting, gradually work your way around their eyes and nose. As their tolerance increases, you can introduce gentle pats on the top of their head.
Ears
It’s also important to get your puppy used to having their ears touched—especially with breeds prone to ear infections, like Cocker Spaniels and Basset Hounds.
Start by gently touching the area around the ears. Then hold each ear individually for about one second. Gradually add time until you can comfortably hold your pup’s ears for up to ten seconds. Next, lift and bend your puppy’s ears, inspecting inside.
Work on having them let you bring your face close to their ear to smell inside. (This is often the easiest way to detect an ear infection.) It may take several sessions to close the distance safely.
Teeth & mouth
Maintaining good dental health, brushing your dog’s teeth, and administering medication will be much easier if your puppy doesn’t resist having their mouth touched. Start with just touching their lips. Then, gently lift their lips to expose their teeth, making sure to do this on both sides of the mouth.
Eventually, you can practice opening their mouth by gently lowering their bottom jaw. With a clean finger, touch their tongue and gums.
Paws
Paws can be especially sensitive. Start by gently running your hand down your puppy’s leg and pause at the paw. Pick up each paw, one at a time. Handle each toe individually, and don’t forget to touch between the toes. Finally, lightly pinch the toenails as if you were clipping them to help your puppy get used to that sensation.
Body & tail
Start with gentle strokes across your puppy’s underbelly and sides, making your way slowly down each leg and to their back end. Don’t forget to gently lift their tail to check their rear; this will help them be more relaxed with handling during grooming or vet visits.
Handling Exercise 2: Being Restrained & Standing Still
Some dogs are frightened by restraint and naturally resist being held. But there will be many times when we must gently keep them still, whether it’s for a nail trim or a vaccination.
It’s helpful to have a partner to dole out treats while you hold the puppy, but you can also manage it solo by using one hand for restraint and the other for treats.
With your puppy in a sit position, squat on the ground behind them. Gently place your hands across their chest. Apply light pressure for a few seconds. If your puppy remains calm, reward them with a treat and plenty of praise. If they resist, reduce the pressure or shorten the duration.
As you work on this exercise, you can weave in different types of restraint, like hugging your puppy while they’re standing or being held on their back (most dogs don’t like this, so it will take practice).
Remember, this should never feel like a struggle. The goal is to help your puppy feel comfortable with gentle restraint. It’s not about being in charge—it’s about your puppy learning how to easily adapt when experiencing restraint.
Handling Exercise 3: Grooming
While grooming routines vary in intensity, all dogs need to be brushed and bathed. Start with introducing your puppy to the grooming tools they’re likely to encounter, like brushes, combs, nail grinders, nail clippers, and grooming clippers. Lay these items on the floor, and reward your puppy for showing curiosity or sniffing them.
Next, you can move to touching your puppy with these objects. For example, let your puppy nibble on treats while gently touching them with the flat side of the brush. Repeat this a few times. If your puppy seems comfortable, gradually introduce the bristled side. If they hesitate or stop eating, pause the session and try again later.
If your puppy belongs to a breed who typically sees a professional groomer, consider getting ready for their future grooming appointments by placing them on a table and repeating these exercises.
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Sviatlana Barchan via iStock
Handling Exercise 4: Putting on Gear
Getting your puppy used to wearing gear, like a harness, collar, rain jacket, or gentle leader doesn’t have to be a stressful battle.
Start by laying the equipment on the floor and place a treat on top. Say “yes!” or use a clicker to mark the behavior and reward your dog for eating the treat. Then hold the gear in your hand and reward your puppy for sniffing it.
Gently touch your puppy with the gear, rewarding them for staying calm. Using treats liberally, slowly begin in small steps to place the harness or collar on them. Reward them after any successful attempt, eventually ending with the final step of them wearing the equipment. Remember to reward your puppy for removing the gear, too.
Signs To Stop the Handling Session
The key to successful body handling is keeping the experience positive. If your puppy seems stressed or is shying away, it’s your cue to step back. Bartoli says it’s time to stop the handling session if you notice:
- Lip licking or yawning
- Turning away or trying to escape
- Whining or growling
- Stiffening or tensing up
- Snapping or biting
If your puppy is holding still but refuses treats during your sessions, Bartoli says this could mean they’re too nervous or distracted. Hembree agrees, adding, “Not taking treats usually indicates some level of stress, and if you keep progressing, you are running the risk of creating a negative association. It’s time to give your puppy an option to exit.”
For especially distracted puppies, it’s best to try again later in less busy surroundings.
But it’s also possible that your puppy isn’t strongly treat-motivated. You can switch to a higher-value treat like boiled chicken or cheese. For some puppies, Bartoli says calm verbal praise and gentle petting can be a reward instead. Hembree offers different breeds as a factor in influencing what a dog finds reinforcing.
Long-Term Benefits of Puppy Handling
Getting your puppy used to handling will make many common situations easier for all parties involved. Bartoli lays out some key areas where this early training pays off:
- Veterinary exams. Your dog will be easier to manage during check-ups if they are unbothered when a vet examines their ears, mouth, and paws.
- Grooming. Whether you groom at home or leave it to a professional, tasks like brushing, trimming, bathing, ear cleaning, and teeth cleaning are less stressful (and less dangerous) with a dog who accepts restraint and handling.
- Collar and harness adjustments. Getting a proper fit is more feasible with a dog who’s accustomed to putting on gear and taking it off.
- Emergency care. Should your dog ever need medication or treatment for an injury, they’ll be calmer and easier to manage.
- Interactions with others. Dogs used to handling are less likely to feel anxious when children or strangers approach or pet them unexpectedly.
- Post-outdoor checkups. After a romp outside, you’ll want to easily check your dog’s coat and paws for ticks, burrs, or skin irritation.
Is It Too Late for Handling?
The good news about handling exercises is that it’s never too late to start! Older puppies and even adult dogs can still learn to accept handling with patience and positive reinforcement, Bartoli tells us. “The process may take longer, but gradual exposure and rewarding calm behavior will still be effective.”
If your dog has previous negative associations with touch or handling, desensitization and counterconditioning techniques can help reshape their emotional response.
You can also practice cooperative care. Hembree explains, “Handling during socialization is about making a positive association. Cooperative care is about the dog making the choice to let someone do the care.” It typically involves teaching your dog a signal, like a chin rest or a stationary behavior on a mat, that they can use to indicate they’re ready for care. If they lift their chin or move off the mat, the care stops, giving your dog control over their experience.
If, despite your efforts, your puppy is struggling with handling exercises, it might be time to call in a pro. An experienced positive-reinforcement trainer can help if your puppy shows concerning behavioral signals during handling. They can also offer guidance on cooperative care techniques.
