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Handling practice

How to do puppy handling exercises

Every puppy will have its feet held, its ears looked into and its mouth opened by people it barely knows, at the vet, at the groomer and one day in an emergency. Handling exercises make those moments familiar. A minute a day while the puppy is small and drowsy saves a struggle once it is grown and strong.

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A fluffy white dog raises its paw to a person's open hand in a grassy field at dusk.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · reviewed by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist

Before you start

Before you start, pick a sleepy moment, a pocket of treats and a list of what vets and groomers handle

Timing does half the work. The AKC's advice on preventing body sensitivity is to handle a puppy when it is calm and tired, after play or a walk, and to make a daily puppy massage both a health check and an introduction to handling. A wriggly puppy fresh from a nap learns that hands mean wrestling. A dozy one on your lap learns that hands mean treats.

Make a list of what the puppy will need to accept. The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test includes letting the owner hug or hold the puppy, take away a treat or toy, and give it a brief handling exam of the ears and feet. A vet will add lifting the lips, looking in the eyes, feeling the belly and holding the puppy still for a moment. A groomer will add the tail, the face and every single nail.

  • A calm, tired puppy after play or a walk
  • Tiny soft treats within reach
  • A list: paws, nails, ears, mouth, eyes, belly, tail, collar
  • One or two minutes, once or twice a day

The steps

Touch, then treat: seven steps through paws, ears, mouth and collar

Order matters. The AKC's advice is that the touch comes first and the treat follows, so the touch predicts something good; if your puppy fusses, feed during the touch for a while, then return to touch first once it relaxes. Move from the shoulder to the leg to the paw, and from a stroke to a gentle squeeze, before you add holding. Only once the puppy accepts being touched does the AKC suggest gentle restraint, still paired with rewards.

Watch what the puppy tells you. The AKC's rule is that whenever a puppy seems uncomfortable, you have moved too far, too fast, and you step back until it calms. AVSAB adds that a learner must always feel safe and be able to opt out. Let the puppy pull its paw back, pause, and start again one step earlier. A puppy that is allowed to say no is far more willing to say yes.

  1. 01

    Stroke from the shoulder down to a front paw, give a treat, and repeat on each leg.

  2. 02

    Hold a paw for a second, squeeze it gently, touch each nail and spread the toes, with a treat after each.

  3. 03

    Lift an ear flap, look inside, rub the base and treat, then do the other ear.

  4. 04

    Lift the upper lip on one side to see the teeth, then the other side, then open the mouth for a second, treating each time.

  5. 05

    Run a hand along the belly, lift the tail and look underneath, and treat.

  6. 06

    Touch the collar, hold it for a second, then hold it and take one step together, treating each stage.

  7. 07

    Practice the vet hold: one arm under the chest and one around the body for two seconds, then release and treat.

Collar grabs

Collar grabs need their own practice, because the day you need one is rarely calm

A puppy that ducks when a hand reaches for its neck is hard to catch at a gate, a road or a busy parking lot. Whole Dog Journal's collar-grab method starts with one hand moving toward the dog while the other feeds a treat, then both hands disappear behind your back. Repeat until the puppy looks for the treat hand as soon as the reaching hand appears, and only then reach a little closer.

Close the distance a few inches at a time until you can touch the collar, then grasp it briefly. When your puppy is happy about your hand on its collar, have other family members begin again from the first step, so it learns that anyone reaching for it is good news. If the puppy moves away or licks its lips, Whole Dog Journal's reading is that you reached too close or too fast; go smaller and slower.

  • One hand reaches while the other feeds
  • Closer only when the puppy looks for the treat hand
  • A touch, then a brief grasp, then a step together
  • Every family member starts from the beginning

Mistakes we see

The mistakes we see are the wrestling hold, handling saved for the vet and a paw hold that always ends in a trim

Holding a squirming puppy until it gives up is the first. It may go still, but it has learned that hands mean being trapped, and AVSAB lists physical force and forceful manipulation among the methods to avoid. Saving handling for vet day is the second; a puppy whose ears are only ever examined by a stranger in a cold exam room will come to dread its ears being touched. Practice at home so the exam is just another session.

The third is a touch that always leads to something unpleasant. If every paw hold ends in a nail clip, the puppy starts snatching its paw away as soon as you reach. Hold the paw ten times for a treat for every time you trim. The fourth is skipping Cape Ann's own handling chores: from April to November a tick check after every walk through grass is a handling session, and so is wiping sand from between the toes after a winter beach day at Good Harbor or Wingaersheek.

  • Holding on until the puppy stops struggling
  • Handling practiced only at the vet
  • Every paw hold ending in a trim
  • Skipping the tick check because the puppy fusses

When to call us

Call us when your puppy growls, snaps or hides from hands, or when you want handling built into a class

Growling, freezing, snapping or hiding when you reach for a paw are not things a puppy reliably grows out of. Brave & Balanced, for pups from 4 months, works on handling sensitivity and cooperative care, and AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, for puppies from 8 weeks to 6 months, includes handling skills over 6 weeks and 12 sessions. For the youngest pups, Tiny Tails Puppy School runs from 8 to 16 weeks. Gabriella Pope chooses between them once she has met your puppy, and sessions start from $94.

The groomer is the other half. A puppy's first groom at Dogtown is a short, bath-only visit, $55 up to 25 pounds or $65 from 26 to 50, with nail clipping at $16 if you add it, and no evaluation is needed for grooming. Tell the groomer what you have practiced at home, so the studio on Eastern Ave feels like more of the same. A puppy that already lets you hold its paws makes that first nail trim much easier.

At Dogtown

Handling, practiced and put to use

Puppy programs that build calm handling, and a short first groom in the studio when your puppy is ready.

Australian shepherd sitting attentively during training Dog TrainingFrom $94 per session · Explore Groomer blow-drying a red goldendoodle in front of the Dogtown Grooming sign Dog GroomingFrom $55 · Explore

Every price on one page

Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

At what age should I start handling exercises?
As soon as your puppy comes home. Young puppies take new experiences in stride, and the AKC notes that the more people who handle a puppy early on, the better it copes later, vets and groomers included. Older puppies and adult dogs can learn too, but the AKC says that may take days or even weeks of slow work.
How often should I do puppy handling exercises?
Once or twice a day, for a minute or two, when your puppy is calm. The AKC describes a daily puppy massage as the routine. Short and frequent beats long and rare, because each session should end while the puppy is still relaxed and eating. Rotate the body parts so no single spot gets overdone in one sitting.
My puppy bites my hand when I touch its paws. What should I do?
Go back to a touch it accepts, perhaps the shoulder or the upper leg, and pay generously there. Then move toward the paw an inch at a time. Feed during the touch for a few sessions if needed, as the AKC suggests for fussy puppies. If the biting is hard or comes with growling, stop working that area and ask our trainers.
Do I need to practice opening my puppy's mouth?
Yes. Vets check teeth and gums at every exam, you may need to give a pill or take something dangerous out of its mouth, and tooth brushing starts with a lifted lip. The AKC includes looking in the mouth in its daily handling routine. Start with a lifted lip for a treat, and work up to a second with the mouth open.

More questions? Read the full FAQ

Sources

Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.

Keep reading

Puppy classes at DogtownA puppy's first groomCooperative care for nail trimsTeach a puppy to walk on a leash How-to guides All guides

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