The first time shouldn’t be when you HAVE to do it.

There’s something stuck in between their toes.
An ear that suddenly droops and they’re shaking their head.
There’s a sore patch buried under all that fur that you need to get a proper look at.
Maybe that eye needs a bit of an inspection.

But right now?
The vet needs you to keep their head still for just a moment.

That’s a pretty difficult time to discover your dog really doesn’t like having their head kept still.
Or their ears lifted.
Or somebody looking closely at their eyes.

Maybe they’ve never really had any handling?

Because now it matters.
And perhaps it hurts too.

We practice so many things with our dogs that they'll use throughout their lives.

Sit.
Wait.
Come.

But there are other crucial skills that might sit in our minds that we don’t act on, but know we should.

Handling is one of those “I really should start” skills to have.

It can literally be seconds.
Lift an ear. Reward. Finished.
Hold a paw. Reward. Finished.
Part the fur and have a quick look at the skin. Reward. Finished.
Briefly hold the muzzle. Reward. Finished.

Then, once those things are easy, we can gradually make them a little more realistic.

Hold for slightly longer.
Look between the toes.
Bring a warm damp cloth near an ear maybe even make contact.
Reward.
Finished again.

All these wee rehearsals for things that may one day matter.

And there's another important bit.

Your dog doesn't need to prove they can tolerate it.
If they're becoming uncomfortable, stop.

Go back.
Make the next attempt much easier.

Because the goal here isn't to see how much handling they'll put up with all at once.
It's to make the handling itself increasingly familiar, predictable and normal.

Because if the day comes when you really do need to help them?
Or they need to see the vet?

It won't be the first time.
It’s just “another” time.

Every dog seems to have their own “absolutely not” bit, sometimes for reasons we’d never have guessed.

“They just want to say hello” 😍
Do they?

We’re so keen to read that swishing tail as friendliness.
A little bounce towards, but then maybe a back off. Playing?
Quick, fast wee feet. Full of excitement?

We have a habit of focusing on what we really want to see, and then we may use a movement or one part of a dog’s body to confirm we were right.

The reality is, it’s tough to read sometimes.

Truly it is.

Those fast wee feet can happen because your dog is very unsure.
That wee bounce?
Same thing.

If you’re not sure, the majority “rules”.

Take a minute to look at everything.

Not just a moving body part, but the body as a whole.

The environment.
The context.
The interaction in its entirety.

And a dog backing away, scooching backwards?
Going behind your legs?
Hiding under that chair?

They’re not ready for their new “friend”.

If you have to force it?
It’s not what we want it to be, at all.