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"Holding a pup's feet and toes is also a good way
to reinforce dominance and instilling cooperation and rapport
with a young dog," Rieser believes. "Most pups initially
resent the intrusion, resist the restraint, and struggle to be
free. But, again the now familiar pattern of my pretty much
absolute control over his immediate desire to escape wins out.
Another spinoff benefit of this early training procedure comes
later in the adult dog's life when the time comes to trim toenails.
As with teeth-cleaning this is not a fun or easy process, but
it is something you can successfully do because of the bond,
trust, and obedience begun when the pup was being trained in
your lap," Rieser emphasizes.
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Friendly Hands
"At this time also use the opportunity to accustom your
pup to your hands as the instrument of force and pleasure which
will be both familiar and respected. Don't allow your pup to
jump into your face or bite your fingers even in play sessions.
When he tries to bite, use your hands to hold his upper lip
between his teeth and he will soon 'teach' himself that biting
is uncomfortable and unnecessary," Rieser suggests.
"I use these early training sessions to get a pup 'used
to' my hands by putting my fingers over his muzzle and eyes and
in his ears and mouth. I also put my hands on the pup's feet
and toes lightly rubbing and squeezing them so he becomes familiar
and comfortable with this attention later in life when I need
to inspect his feet for injuries in the field or if I need to
trim his toenails back home. All this is best done now rather
than waiting until the dog is an adult unaccustomed and unwilling
to be touched for ear, eye, or tooth cleaning or examination,"
Rieser says as a veterinarian with many years of experience with
some clients' "hand-fearing" canines.
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Sit Command
"Next, I put the pup into an upright position forcing him
to sit while I give the "sit" command. This isn't
easy to do because the pup in an upright posture has his best
opportunity to leap and squirm. There is no need to get 'brutal'
here, but do get 'physical'using both hands to maintain control
of the pup in the sitting position until he accepts this posture
without major protest," Reiser points out.
Whoa or Stay
"This phase of lap training is also a good opportunity to
introduce the 'whoa' or 'stay' command which can be enforced
with both hands providing a total restraint on the pup. I have
to admit, this step is difficult because the pup, while standing
on all four feet, is sometimes a real challenge to handle,"
Rieser admits.
Training For Retrieving
"When a pup is comfortable with all these training procedures,
I also do short sessions on preparation for retrieving lessons
by giving preliminary experiences for 'holding.' For brief periods
of just a few seconds at first, put your hand in the pup's mouth
to give him the sensation of a foreign object on his tongue and
between his teeth. Tell him 'hold' at the same moment you insert
your fingers and pull them back before he gets too excited,"
Rieser says. "Whether you later 'force train' him or use
some other method to teach and develop retrieving, this introduction
to the 'hold' concept now will be valuable in the future."
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