Understanding permission based dog handling makes life easier for pet parents and pet professionals. But what’s it all about? In this article we’re taking a look at this fascinating form of communication and the dog training that makes it work.
What is permission based dog handling?
Not every dog enjoys being touched, manoeuvred, injected, examined, clipped or brushed. Some pets get quite frightened by it, and can even be pushed far enough over the threshold to chance a bite at the perpetrator.
Permission based dog handling is about dog-human communication. The dog is trained to let his or handler know when they want you to stop doing something. But there’s no growling, biting or wriggling involved. Just a polite request.
Why do we need permission based handling?
If you are a vet, a nurse, a groomer, or a kennel hand, you’ll know exactly why permission based handling should be an essential part of dog training.
· Safety – nobody wants a bite and nobody wants an animal to get hurt whilst trying to avoid being handled.
· Speed – its easy to waste a lot of time trying to examine or groom a stressed and wriggly dog. Even at home, do you really want to spend 45 minutes trying to dry muddy paws when you get back from a walk?
· Stressless – the physical force needed to handle an unwilling dog is stressful for both the dog and the handler.
· Impacts on everyday behaviour: Avoids the release of stress hormones which can stay in the system for a long while and impact on your dog’s general demeanour.
Here’s a grand example of permission based handling. Buddy loves mud and needs his paws cleaned after walks. As you can see in this video he offers up his paws for quick and easy operation. Without Buddy’s permission, this job could be nightmarish.
