


Another important factor: don’t stare into your dog’s eyes or face while teaching this behavior. I recommend using hot dogs and cheese, as they’re super yummy and your dog is willing to work hard to earn them. You’ll need lots of super yummy treatscut into pea-sized bites. If your dog ducks or moves away anytime you reach or move toward him, I highly recommend teaching chin rests. Teaching your dog human hands and close body contact is fun and rewarding is empowering for dogs, especially fearful ones. The dog groomer can quickly trim around your dogs’ eyes, muzzle and ears without holding his head still. If your dog backs away, you’ve gone too far too soon, so take a step back.īy teaching your dog to calmly rest his chin in a stranger’s hands, your groomer will most definitely find it useful. Only then do you slowly move the brush closer, touch his head and brush once. Instead say “yes” and treat him when he sees the brush. Once he learns chin rests, slowly introduce a brush. Instead of chasing your dog around the house with a brush, train your dog to rest his chin in your hand. Ninety-nine percent of dogs need to be brushed, but it seems most will duck their heads down as a brush moves toward their face. RELATED: Best Probiotic for Dogs Grooming It’s also a great way to clean your dog’s ears. Here’s where chin rests will make putting medication on his face much easier. Some time in your dog’s life, he’ll need medication applied to his eyes and ears. You’ll be shocked how easy it is to teach too. No more wrestling and forcing your dog to the ground. Teach your dog to calmly rest his head in your head, so the veterinarian can get a good look into those peepers and ears. When you think about it, it’s kind of weird having someone look into your eyes with a funny gadget and stick a hard plastic cone down your ear canal. These exams are a struggle for most dogs. Visiting the VeterinarianĪnnual dog exams always consist of two things: ear and eye exams. Also, an awesome side effect is it builds confidence while teaching dogs that body handing is fun and very rewarding. When to Use Chin RestsĪnytime you need to examine, brush, bathe, trim or medicate your dog’s head or neck area, chin rests will make it much easier for both you and your dog. If your dog is fearful of human contact, teaching your dog to rest her chin in your hand teaches her body handling and close human contact is a good thing. While chin rests are a fun trick to teach your dog, you can use this behavior for so many different things. Chin Rests Make Grooming and Medicating Your Dog’s Face Easier NevaF/iStock
