Puppies: Introducing Body Handling
Handling is one of the most important things to work on with your new puppy while they are still in their critical socialization window (between 8 weeks and 16 weeks of age). By teaching your puppy to be comfortable with handling when they are young, you can help prevent issues that may arise when they are older. Always keep in mind that touching your puppy should be something they really enjoy. The goal isn’t for your puppy to tolerate handling, the goal is for them to love handling.
Five-minute sessions just a couple of times a day is all that it should take. By putting in the time with your puppy while they are young, you will help set them up for a variety of life experiences that otherwise might be challenging or scary for them.
How To Do It 
Sit on the floor and begin dropping a few treats near you so your puppy can find them. This will convince your puppy that being near you is a great thing! Their only job at this point is simply to eat the treats, so it is best to not ask them to do anything. Once your puppy is lingering near you for more snacks, begin your handling.
Use high-value treats (cheese, hot dogs, chicken) to help condition your puppy to love having their body handled; your puppy should have the choice to participate in training or not. We want them to truly enjoy the experience and not be forced to participate.
Identify a part of the body to work on first. It is always best to start with something easy and gradually make things more challenging. For example, to get your puppy to like having their ears handled, start with touches to the side of their head. You’ll present a treat, and once they begin eating, touch their ear. You’ll want to keep your touching hand on their ear until they’ve finished the treat, then you can take both hands away.
As your puppy gets the hang of the game, you can make the steps more difficult. For instance, after an ear touch, you might try flipping their ear over (if they’re floppy enough to do so). Repeat each step 4-5 times before moving on to a harder step. You want your puppy to feel comfortable and happy before making things harder. If your puppy seems scared or upset at any time, simply go back a step and do more repetitions before making things more difficult. Keep sessions very short (5 minutes) so each session ends on a good note.
Always allow your puppy to leave if they are feeling uncomfortable with any of this training. If your puppy seems to be getting more sensitive or growls, snaps or cries at any time, stop what you’re doing and reach out to a trainer/behavior consultant.
Handling Techniques in Action
How To: Stop Puppy Biting With Handling Games
How To: Conditioning Body Handling (featuring kittens)
Want even more? Check out our playlist on Body Handling for Grooming & Medical Husbandry.
Additional Training 
Did you know that we offer training classes that focus specifically on these skills? Our 6-week Cooperative Care & Handling class is offered over Zoom and is appropriate for dogs and cats of all ages. In addition, our foundation classes for dogs and cats of all ages introduce the basics of body handling and some limited basic husbandry skills.