Cooperative Care/Body Handling (Patreon)

Here's another session where we work on body handling. I use the pile of food in a similar way as the bowl of food/clamshell game where Denver knows he can't dive into the food, but instead I will mark and deliver it to him.

The big thing here is a I work on a slow progression with the paws over several sessions. Here we start a little further down the progression, but the sequence is:

• start by touching the shoulder to elbow

• then down the leg

• then touch the paw

• pick up the paw

• examine the paw like I might cut a nail

Everything is taken at the dog's pace and I can always step back if he's uncomfortable. I never grab the paw in a way that he can't opt out. We want him to want to be handled. Releasing him in the middle gives him another chance to opt out and not come back to the platform to participate.

*sorry the camera couldn't decide where to focus!