Socializing your puppy to veterinary exams and grooming is extremely important, not only for your pup, but for whomever is going to be handling him. Some dogs become aggressive at the vet’s office or grooming salon and will require a muzzle, which is likely a result of a traumatic experience early in puppyhood. Some dogs exhibit other fear behaviors, like whining and drooling – terrible for the pup, not to mention embarrassing for the owner. Here’s a good protocol for getting your dog used to being touched and examined.

1.     Touch each of your pup’s feet for a moment, and click/treat each time you touch. Eventually, you will up the ante to picking up each paw for a moment, then putting it down. The dog should ideally show no fear or resistance. Touch each pad on the paw, putting slight pressure on the area near the nail. Click/treat each time the pup is calm and allows this handling. If he resists, go back a step. Brush a regular nail file lightly over each nail – click and treat. Get him used to the sound of nail clippers by clipping your own nails or bits of plastic near him. Work up to clipping the very tiniest tip of his nail. You may not be the one to ever clip his nails in earnest, but you want him to be used to the feeling and the sound.

2.     Do the same for ears and tail (without the nail file or clippers, of course!). Take your time with each part of the pup’s body, getting him used to you touching these sensitive places.

3.     Hold the muzzle lightly shut for a moment – click and treat for no resistance. If you get some resistance, hold the muzzle lighter and for just a fraction of a second. Work up to being able to hold the muzzle shut for five seconds. Remember, you’re not doing this to make the pup uncomfortable! Make it fun.

4.     Lift up the pup’s jowls to reveal the teeth. Click/treat for allowing you to look at all of his teeth without resistance. Smear peanut butter very lightly on your fingers and offer them to him to lick. This way he’ll be happy that your hands are near his mouth! Work up to being able to touch all of the teeth and gums.  Don’t force any of this – remember, clicker training is about small steps toward a larger goal using positive reinforcement.

5.     If your pup has long hair or a coat that sheds, he’s going to need to be brushed and combed. Get him used to the brush and comb by click/treating when he approaches them (a little smear of peanut butter on the objects never hurt), and then when he lets you touch him with them, then when you’re brushing, and so on. Be extra generous with treats when combing the face.

6.     If he’s very reluctant to the brush and comb, start more slowly. Run your hands all over the pup similar to how you’d brush him. Massage his back, legs, abdomen, and head. Gradually, bring the brush and comb into the area to get him used to their presence.

7.     If your pup is a breed that’s regularly professionally groomed, socialize him to the sound of a clipper. Your best bet is to take him to the groomer for a bath and a little light grooming every couple of weeks to get him used to the process. You can even take him to the groomer’s salon just to get a treat, which will show him that it’s a fun place to go, not just a place where he gets his matts brushed out.

8.     And speaking of b-a-t-h time . . . some breeds and individual dogs take well to water and some would give their right paws to avoid it. If you’ve got a water-phobic dog, or one that just hides when you break out the doggie shampoo, use the clicker method to get him used to approaching the water, then sniffing the water, then having water lightly sprinkled on him, and so on, until you’ve got a dog that doesn’t mind a full-on bath. Give lots of happy jackpot treats to make the pup understand that grooming is fun.