Load Up! How to lift your dog - properly.

In my puppy course, Perfect Pups, I teach ‘Load Up’, which is basically just putting picking your puppy up to a cue. There are lots of reasons to do so, but a crucial part of this exercise is also demonstrating the best way to do that lifting. Many owners instinctively scoop their dogs up with one arm at the rear and one underneath the chest, which ends up with the dog normally upright to some degree - while this isn’t necessarily the worst thing ever, it’s also not really doing your dog any favours!

When we hold our dogs with support under the rear and have them at any angle other than how they would normally be when standing (ie. parallel with the floor), we inadvertently place a ton of pressure on their spine, which over time can have a negative impact such as pain or discomfort in the back and an aversion to being lifted. The best and safest way to lift your dog is using what’s called a ‘fore and aft’ lift. Check out my video on this above to see me demonstrate the lift and explain further how this benefits us, the lifter, as well as our dogs, the liftees!