Dogs read body language much better than verbal cues such as ‘Paw’, so try to teach your dog not just the word Paw but team it with a hand signal. You’ll soon get to a point where all you need to do is turn your palm up/or show your hand and they will know you are asking them, even at a distance.
Imagine your dog is off lead and across a field, out of range to hear you, you need to make sure you have a hand or body signal which indicates what you are asking.
Equally important is to get your dog to understand the importance of ‘Touch’. You need a verbal and hand signal which indicates you letting your dog know you are going to touch them. Whether this means checking their ears, clipping their nails, or looking at or brushing their teeth. Teaching touch is important at an early age.
To start, say ‘Touch’ and stroke the dog’s shoulders and chest gently. Repeat until they are comfortable with you doing so. You shouldn’t rush in and stroke the dog’s head as you need to build up to sensitive areas like the head, the paws, and ears etc.
Next say ‘Touch’ and stroke the dog’s back. Repeat until the dog is comfortable with this.
Now try the same with the dogs back legs, their tail, the front legs, the paws, and eventually the head. Next you need to work up to their ears, around the face, and lastly, the mouth.
Patience is key.
Keep repeating these steps over the course of a few days. It’s important that your dog learns that the word ‘Touch’ means you are going to touch them, it means they know what is going to happen before you do it and they are less likely to react badly.
This is really important if the dog has to go to the vets or groomers to have their nails cut or around their eyes/face groomed etc.
Give it a go!
