Recently we’ve been focusing on teaching your dog to be comfortable being touched and handled. In an earlier blog, we covered checking your dog’s body, tail and genital area. Today we’re focusing on legs and feet.
During a wet weather spell, and as we come into the winter with its grit, ice and snow, checking your dog’s legs and especially his feet is vital.
Today’s Training Tip is: Handle your dog’s legs and feet
On the legs and feet, you are checking for lumps, bumps, cuts, heat, swelling and ticks. Checking between each toe is vital as that is where dogs build up ice and snow balls and trap grit which can work into the foot and cause all sorts of problems.
Here’s what you need to practice:
- Check each front leg and paw, feeling from the shoulder gradually down the leg
- Check each back leg and paw, feeling from the hip gradually down the leg
- Check the foot all over, including the pads underneath
- Check between each toe carefully
If your dog pulls his leg away or looks unhappy, try just a simple touch on the leg to start with and build up slowly, treating each time until he will happily let you run you hand down his legs. Some dogs can be very skittish about having their feet examined if they are not used to it, so take your time to build up this training at your dogs pace, giving lots of yummy treat and fuss for all tiny progress steps.
Keep training,
Carol