At PupStart, my day school just for puppies, we frequently do handling work. Here Sarah, my assistant, demonstrates what it’s like to try to brush a puppy the typical way which results in a struggle and a mouthy puppy. She then shows us The PupStart Way: keeping that mouth busy! It’s very simple: puppies want to mouth any object that gets in their personal space. Sometimes it’s just a matter of keeping the puppy mouth busy in an appropriate way. Saint, the puppy, is skilled at perch work (putting his front feet on a slightly raised object). Inviting him to perch stills his body; offering him some food from a squeeze tube keeps his mouth busy.
There’s no reason to struggle while handling your dog – it can be a cooperative process!
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