Body Handling and Settle Tips

Here are some fun 5-minute training sessions to help your dog with body handling and settling while being groomed.

Hold Still: You can grab the dog’s collar and feed a treat. Grab-feed a treat. Gradually work to catch the collar, feed one treat, wait a second, feed another treat, wait, feed another treat. Work towards getting the dog to stand still when you grab its collar. Do this in different positions- in front of you and beside you.

Self-Control Settle: Have the dog lie down on its mat and set a bowl of food about three feet in front of it. Tell him to stay, and while he is settled, take a piece of food out of the bowl and bring it to him. If he gets up, the food bowl gets snatched up. When the dog is first learning, avoid moving around a lot, as this reduces distractions. As he gets more stable and less likely to jump up when distractions occur, he begins moving around more and adds harder distractions. Real-life applications include having him settle while eating dinner or relaxing in front of the TV.

Another way to practice self-control: Sit on the couch with a bowl of food or treats and ignore him until he lies down. When he does say "good settle,” give him some food. Toss a few pieces away so he has to get up to get them. Then wait for him to lie down. When he is “good settled," they'd give him some food.