Puppy Training: Playing with Paws

I have met a lot of dogs who don’t like their paws handled. This dislike of paw handling usually comes from one of two things, never having people play with their paws as a puppy or something painful happening to their paws that motivated a dislike of them being handled. If your puppy pulls away fast when you touch its paws, I recommend having them checked by your vet, just in case. But it is crucial to teach your puppy that having its paws handled is normal and comfortable. Let’s take a quick look at how to do this.

One Don’t

1. Don’t handle your puppy’s paws if it has asked you for space (moves away and curls up or returns to playing by itself. This does not include nail and paw care. But if your puppy dislikes paw care, please contact me here and we can set up an appointment).

Four Do's

1. Do handle your puppy’s paws while it is asleep.

2. Do handle your puppy’s paws while it is in your lap.

3. Do handle your puppy’s paws for only a little bit at a time at first.

4. Do make sure you rub gently so it feels good and get in between the toes and even handle the nails as if you were going to trim them. This process will help a lot when it comes to trimming nails.

If your puppy has already developed a dislike of people handling its paws, or if you are having a hard time with nail trims and other paw care, contact me here, and we can set up an appointment!

Next week I will be taking a break from posting. But I will be back in September! So may sure to come back and visit or go to the home page of this site and click on "Get your FREE Puppy Training Check List" in the top left corner to subscribe to my email list to get updates when new articles are posted!