Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners! Puppy Handling and Harness Tips!

Handling a small wriggly puppy takes some skill, especially when it comes to getting them used to being touched for vet visits, grooming, and other regular activities. Here are our tips to help them learn to be handled!

The Puppy Academy student, Ginger!

We LOVE introducing this topic to new puppy owners! Firstly, it’s easy to miss or overthink because of how simple it really is. But getting your puppy used to being handled and touched in certain spots prepares them for care-free vet office visits, grooming, getting their harness on, or even just being handled by people within or outside of their family! In the next few sections, we’ll cover picking the right harness and getting your puppy used to wearing one, where and how to touch your puppy, plus fun and easy handling routines you can start working on from day one of bringing home your new puppy!

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Picking the Right Harness for Your Puppy!

There are two common types of harnesses that you may have added to your Amazon cart at some point when shopping for your new puppy! The first being the over-the-head harness that buckles behind your puppy’s elbow, and the second (also our trainers’ favorite pick!) is a step-in harness that buckles behind your puppy’s shoulder blades. Both are excellent options but we often recommend step-in harnesses for younger puppies still learning to get used to wearing one and being handled. 

One major benefit of step-in harnesses if you are still shopping for one, is how much easier it can be to get on your puppy for those frequent potty breaks! Putting it on paw-first versus over-the-head tends to be much less fussy for your puppy than something going on and off over their head. Another bonus feature is the added security of the velcro and clip! Since the closure is behind your puppy’s shoulder blades versus their shoulder they are far less likely to accidentally slip out from their harness. Of course, make sure to measure your puppy around their neck and chest to find the right size! It should be a snug fit so they can’t wiggle out but with enough space for your puppy to move comfortably without any chafing or pinching. If you have a large breed puppy, you might need to go through a few harness sizes in the first year of their life until your puppy is done growing!

When you start training your puppy, especially with a leash attached to work on obedience commands at home or walking on a leash, we always recommend using a harness versus a flat collar. Your puppy may pull at first and struggle against their leash the first few times which creates uneven and direct tension on their trachea. Using a harness helps to displace the pressure and gives you the right amount of leverage to apply light pressure on the leash when training your puppy to “Come”, for example, or follow your leash guidance during a walk!

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The Fast and Easy Way to Put Your Puppy’s Harness On!

What if you have a squirmy puppy who won’t stop moving long enough for you to put on their harness? Or what if they are nervous and don’t want to go near it? We have some tips for you! Arm yourself with your puppy’s crate or playpen, a few pieces of food, or their favorite treat, and give yourself a little time to practice these routines based on whichever harness you currently are using!

It helps to have your puppy in their crate or playpen since it lessens the opportunity for your puppy to squirm away when you’re putting on their harness but this technique works well if you aren’t using them, too. For the step-in harness, take a few pieces of food in each hand and slip your hands through the leg openings. Lure your puppy toward you by letting them sniff the food. Once your puppy is engaged in eating, grab your puppy’s legs and slip the harness on, and secure the clip. Then, feel free to give your puppy the rest of their reward for a job well done! Don’t worry if this feels a bit clunky at first. After a few tries, it becomes smoother for you and far more comfortable for your puppy.

Stepping into their harness feels more natural than having one slipped over their head. Sometimes, puppies that aren’t as comfortable having something put on them or being touched yet, might start to dodge their harness making the process a bit harder and longer. If you already purchased an over-the-head harness don’t worry about exchanging or buying a new one! Instead, take some food or your puppy’s favorite treat and lure your puppy through the head opening without clipping them into the harness at first. Repeat this a few times until your puppy is comfortable standing with their head through the harness and then clip it onto them. Like we mentioned before, these harnesses also work well for puppy training but they take a little more effort to get your puppy into them!

Handling Your Puppy the Right Way!

With puppies, just like babies, they need support whenever you pick them up so the best way to do this is to keep in mind to hold both their front and hind! Slip your arm under their belly and hold your puppy’s chest. Then, tuck in their hindquarters into the nook of your elbow so their hind is supported by your hip. If your puppy seems to feel nervous or unsure, slip your other hand under their hind. Sometimes, for smaller breeds, the extra support helps them to feel comfortable and secure when being picked up!

It's so important to get your puppy used to be touched in certain areas of their body so they become tolerant of it as they grow! This will make vet visits and grooming sessions much easier for everyone involved and will lessen the likelihood of your puppy being startled and nipping as a reaction. This is especially important if your puppy will be around younger children!

Pro tip: The key spots you’ll want to practice handling your puppy are their legs, paws, paw pads, ears, mouth, belly, rear end, and tail! Each handling session should be short, anywhere from three to five minutes, and focusing on a specific area during that session. 

When it comes to direct handling your puppy’s ears, legs, paws, abdomen, and tail, start off with your puppy comfortably seated on your lap or in front of you on the ground if you have a larger breed puppy. For this routine, all you need is yourself and your puppy’s food or treats, and a few minutes a day to get them feeling comfortable! If you know your puppy is already comfortable being pet or having your arm under their belly, start there and then move on to the rest of their extremities. Give your puppy a few bites of their food and say the marker word “Good!” to start getting them associated with rewards when getting handled. 

Be deliberate when you handle your puppy and take your time when you touch your puppy’s extremities. For example, start with your puppy’s leg and leave your hand there while feeding your puppy some food. After doing that anywhere from three to five times for a few seconds at a time, then move onto your puppy’s paws and repeat the process. Eventually, you can even start to put your fingers in between their pads so they get fully used to having their paws handled. The reason for this process is because once you start to do regular nail trims or take them to the groomer, your puppy will be far more comfortable undergoing that experience if they already had a foundation and understand that handling is totally normal.

During these sessions, you might notice your puppy is more comfortable with some handling versus others. Give your puppy some breaks in between if you notice them start to squirm and then try again. You may even need to hold onto your puppy to help them feel secure and ask someone else in your family or a friend to reward your puppy with food! Not every puppy is the same so you’ll only be able to determine if you need to do this once you start working on these handling routines.

Pro tip: The best time to do a handling session is after some activity so your puppy is tired and more relaxed! Think about carving five minutes after your puppy has had some good playtime or puppy training, or even better, is relaxing with you at the end of the day before bedtime!

How did your first handling session go? Let us know in the comments! Remember, food and patience will be the two key factors that will help you teach your puppy that getting handled is totally normal and make physical interactions with them much easier. 

Check out these blogs related to puppy training and more!

Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners! How to Deal with Separation Anxiety in Puppies!

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A Puppy Parent’s Guide to Microchipping!

Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners: How to Deal with Separation Anxiety in Puppies!

Separation anxiety is a real issue puppy owners face but aren’t aware that it can be prevented! Learn how separation anxiety affects puppies, how to prevent it, and if your puppy is already exhibiting certain behaviors, how to spot them and deal with them!

The Puppy Academy student, Buster!

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people found themselves at home and wanting to spend their time with a new best friend. That sudden work-from-home shift spurred the sale and adoption of countless puppies around the entire nation! But what many new puppy owners soon realized with the transition back to the office their stay-at-home best friends weren’t prepared to handle the switch. 

We’ve seen it over and over, more pandemic puppies coming into our training school in Hermosa Beach, as well as our online students, all dealing with a surge in sudden anxiety worse than we’ve seen before. Unfortunately, it’s a common issue with puppies in general and can quickly escalate into destructive behaviors that have landed some pups into re-home situations. But our goal for all of our students and for you is to help you work through separation anxiety by understanding how to identify it, prevent it, and the proper way to deal with it until eventually, your puppy overcomes their anxiety of being left alone!

ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH SEPARATION ANXIETY IN YOUR PUPPY? LET OUR TRAINERS HELP! ASK A PUPPY TRAINER LIVE SHOW EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 1 PM PT ON OUR INSTAGRAM @THEPUPPYACADEMY!

What is separation anxiety in puppies?

Also known as “Isolation Distress”, separation anxiety is a condition where puppies showcase anxious behaviors when left alone or separated from their owner or handler. We define it for our students as an addiction to receiving constant attention. But it isn’t just physical affection that counts as attention. Your presence in the room, even without interacting with your pup, can also justify!

Why is it such an issue for puppies? It comes down to their nature. Puppies aren’t naturally predisposed to be alone. They are extremely social animals that thrive in pack-like environments. But you can prevent separation anxiety by teaching your puppy that being left alone is completely fine and safe.

Before we dive into steps to prevent separation anxiety and how to deal with it for those who are already experiencing anxious behaviors, first we want to help you identify what separation anxiety looks like in puppies!

What are the signs of separation anxiety in puppies?

The Puppy Academy student, Makai!

Truthfully, if you have a new, young puppy you may not be able to tell the difference between normal puppy behaviors from separation anxiety behaviors. Whining is probably the most common and normal behavior puppies exhibit, especially if they were just brought to their new home away from their mom and littermates. The difference between normal whining is that eventually, that whining does start to settle down as your puppy adjusts to their new home. 

Adversely, if that whining continues for hours on a regular basis, and escalates from whining to an extremely loud pitch where it almost sounds like your puppy is yelling at you for attention, that is a big indicator of separation anxiety. Other indicators would include your puppy constantly pawing, scratching, or chewing their crate, or playpen in a frantic way as if trying to get out or excessive barking when you walk away. You might even notice that your puppy is showing heavy panting, pacing, and generally looks distressed when you enter the room after leaving them alone. At this point, there’s a strong probability that your puppy has developed separation anxiety and, if it’s not addressed, will only continue.

There is one thing you should understand about separation anxiety in puppies: it’s not necessarily related to something that you did or didn’t do! If your puppy is showing any of these more severe signs at any point, there is a good chance that when you picked your puppy from a litter or shelter, they already came with a personality that may be more prone to anxiety. It isn’t something that you should feel guilty about or think there’s no solution. But you do need to work with your puppy through their anxieties and help them build up their resilience! There are other factors that you are unknowingly doing to contribute to your puppy experiencing separation anxiety and we’ll cover those as we dive deeper!

LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH SEPARATION ANXIETY IN YOUR PUPPY! ASK A PUPPY TRAINER LIVE ON @THEPUPPYACADEMY EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 1 PM PT!

Prevent separation anxiety in puppies by teaching them how to be alone!

The Puppy Academy students, Clementine, Luna, and Gigi!

As we mentioned earlier, puppies naturally don’t know how to be alone, we have to teach them! Your puppy’s crate is an incredible tool that plays a big factor in teaching this. Incorporating it in your pup’s daily routine will instantly add structure and security for them, and when it comes to separation anxiety, can have huge benefits! To teach your puppy how to be alone, we recommend designating certain times throughout the day that your puppy relaxes in their crate in a separate room away from the family. This way, they can start to get used to not always being surrounded by people, and you’re nearby to monitor if they’re barking, whining, or settling down ok.

When setting up your puppy’s crate, make it a comfortable space your puppy can go to and relax. Place the crate in a quiet room and you can even cover the fronts and sides of their crates with a light blanket to help them settle down faster, as it avoids them seeing lights and shadows that can keep them mentally engaged. You might even consider playing white noise to block out other noises like talking coming from other rooms which can pull your puppy’s attention. 

Not all puppies immediately take to their crate but that can be solved by making it a positive place to go to! What we suggest that you do is first practice having your puppy coming to you with a treat and going into their crate which we call the “House” command. Don’t worry if your puppy still doesn’t know how to come or the “House” command, the goal is really just to get your puppy used to going in and out of their crate and having fun with it! You can even toss a couple of pieces into the crate for them! By making the experience a fun game for your puppy they won’t associate going into the crate with fun time is over. You can further your puppy's positive association with their crate by giving them their meals in there, or giving them a special chew toy they only get when they're in it.

Pro tip: When it comes to crate training for separation anxiety, provide your puppy with only the essentials and that really means just the crate. Your puppy needs time to learn to settle. Bedding and plush toys can become a chew target and hazard if your puppy consumes any of the stuffing. If you really want to give your puppy something, a Kong with peanut butter is a great option. Licking actually helps your puppy self soothe and can help your puppy get used to being in their crate and left alone. Gradually if your puppy seems to feel comfortable in the crate after a few days, you can provide bedding, like an old towel with your scent. It can help your puppy settle faster however if you notice they are having accidents or chewing on it, you may need to remove it and wait before trying again. We do recommend that this is a temporary solution and eventually you should remove it.

What to do if your puppy is anxious in their crate!

In an earlier section, we mentioned that not all puppies take to their crate right away and that includes barking, whining, or trying to get out. We just want to reiterate that it’s the energy in which you approach them that helps set the stage. If your puppy is fussing in their crate, don’t get frustrated and correct your puppy rather, give the crate a quick tap, say “No” in your calm and assertive voice, then calmly walk away. Again, this is to show your puppy, “it’s no big deal being in a crate” and helps build on their resilience. Do your best to try to let your puppy work it out and settle on their own. Often their barking or crying will subside within fifteen minutes. If you have to check on your puppy, wait for a moment of calmness (in this case, a moment of silence) before going in to address it.

When you take your puppy out of the crate, make sure that their time outside of the crate isn’t all go, go, go! What this might actually do is create a highly stimulated cycle where your puppy only plays then goes back into their crate, and the side effect is your puppy can’t settle down in the crate! Before your puppy needs to go back into their crate, give them a few minutes to settle down alone. Place your puppy in their playpen with a chew toy like a Kong which can help bring down their energy. 

Any free time your puppy has out of their crate should be structured with puppy training with food for a few minutes, maybe a quick walk in the yard, or playing together, but your puppy should not be left to their own devices. This way, you can monitor your puppy and gauge if they are becoming overstimulated and need time to relax before their next crate time. As with all things with raising a puppy, consistency and practice are essential to teaching your puppy how to be confident while being alone, whether you're preventing separation anxiety or trying to fix it. Stick with it and don't get discouraged! This may take several weeks of consistent practice before you start seeing a major difference. And once you do, remember to still designate certain times of the day for your puppy to be alone (other than nighttime) so they stay in the habit. Separation anxiety can happen at any time in a pup's life, so as much as you can do to prevent it, the easier it will be throughout their life to be alone when you need them to be.

Mistakes new owners make that can actually promote separation anxiety in puppies!

Mistakes are normal especially when it comes to raising a new puppy. A big one that we advise new owners not to do is making a big deal out of coming and going! Think about it from your puppy’s perspective: you’re about to leave and giving them lots of attention, so in turn, they get excited and think something fun is happening! But then you leave and they’re left with all that excitement and nothing to do. At this point, that energy can channel into anxious and destructive behaviors and if that pattern continues, the behaviors will escalate and create full separation anxiety. Similarly, making a big deal when you come home and see them, can teach your puppy to eagerly await your arrival and build up that anxious energy while you’re gone. Again, in this situation keep a low-key, matter-of-fact, and almost business-like approach when you come home or leave to help your puppy remain calm. Don’t worry though, your puppy is still happy to see you! The best time to greet them is after that initial excitement tones down. 

 There are other instances that are less obvious but also contribute to separation anxiety in puppies, for example, if your puppy is in their playpen and you’re about to take them outside to go potty, they might start jumping or pacing, excited that you’re there! Don’t reward that behavior by immediately reaching for them, but instead pause a moment and give your puppy time to settle down. Your energy should be calm to help your puppy key into that and also calm down. Once they do, pick them up and go out for their potty break. 

Pro tip: If your puppy is still potty training and you know they really need to go, just look for a moment of calm (i.e. a break in their barking or jumping) then take them right out to avoid an accident! Then spend more time working with them settling down when you know they’re already gone potty. 

At our school, we have a saying “you get what you pet!” As your puppy’s owner, you should represent leadership and you don’t want that to be depicted in a high-energy state but rather with calm and assertive energy. If your puppy does have separation anxiety, create balance for them between moments of cuddling and loving with moments when your puppy is alone in a crate or you’re doing a structured activity that builds on their confidence like obedience training.

Lastly, a big mistake is not giving your puppy an appropriate channel for their energy. We teach our students’ parents to have their puppy earn things, including affection! So, instead of immediately giving your puppy what they want which is your attention, work on their instinct and natural drive. Remember dogs were bred for working and other specific tasks. Give your puppy something to do to channel that drive like working on obedience commands before a treat or the highly sought-after affection. It’s these small tweaks to your interactions that can help your puppy’s excitable energy from turning into anxiety!

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We hope that you found the information in this blog post helpful when it comes to dealing with separation anxiety in your puppy! Understand that it’s a difficult situation to be in but not uncommon and these techniques when applied consistently will help your puppy learn to feel comfortable being left alone. If you need more puppy training tips, be sure to visit the rest of our blog, or check out our Instagram @thepuppyacademy every week on Wednesdays at 1 pm PT for “Ask A Puppy Trainer!” live show!

Check out these blogs related to puppy training and more!

Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners: Create a Puppy Potty Schedule!

A Puppy Parent’s Guide to Microchipping!

Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners: Setting Up Your Home for a New Puppy!