Puppy Socialization Resources: Handling

Teaching your puppy to enjoy being touched and handled will make grooming and veterinary visits much less stressful! As with all proactive exposure training for young puppies, you want to start slow and pair different touches and tools with high-value treats.

If your puppy is shying away, nipping or biting, or showing other signs of stress while being handled, take a break and try again later at a lower intensity, shorter duration, and with higher value treats. Check out the videos below for tips and examples of different handling socialization exercises to try with your puppy.