This is how you teach a dog to feel good about being handled.
Make being touched a predictor of good things – in this case, steak is the good thing (lucky dog!)
#1 – charge a marker word (or clicker)
#2 – gentle hands on the dog (if they flinch, change your approach)
#3 – mark and reward whilst your hands are on the dog
#4 – when appropriate, introduce cues for each part of the dog
#tips …want to make your dog happy with you opening their mouth? People tend not think about this until they have to shove a pill down their dog’s throat. I frequently open my dogs mouth and put a super tasty treat in there…voila, they’re cool with having their mouths opened.
