Is it bad to grab dog by collar? A Complete Guide

How to Train Your Dog to Enjoy a Collar Grab

It is so important that your dog enjoys or tolerates a collar grab as a safety measure. At some point in your puppy or dogs life, they might need to be caught while they are loose, and we want them to feel comfortable with this. Grabbing a collar can arouse some dogs who may start nipping at your hand and intimidate other dogs who may back away to try to prevent you from being able to grab their collar. You can teach them to enjoy having their collar grabbed by making the collar grab predict something they like (food). In this video above, Gwen Podulka, CPDT-ka and founder of Dog Trained, is working on collar grabs with elkhound puppy, Nova. Keep scrolling for the written steps to help train your dog to enjoy a collar grab.

Step by Step: Collar Grab Dog Training

Gwen kneels with Nova, the Elkhound puppy, during a training session for collar grabs.

Step One: If you cant grab the collar without your dog getting mouthy or frightened, you can show them what you are going to do first (the physical gesture of reaching toward them) but then give them a treat WHILE you reach for that collar (you will see Gwen do this in the first rep in the video above).

Step Two: Once your dog is comfortable, you can move to reaching and grabbing your dog’s collar FIRST and THEN giving them a treat (this is what Gwen does in the later reps in the video). That is ultimately the order we want: one reach and grab collar THEN two deliver a treat (we need that collar grab to be the predictor of good things in order for your dog to build up good feelings about it).

Step Three: You can then practice these grabs from various positions: to the side of your dog, in front of your dog, behind your dog, sitting down, standing up, etc. (As a note, you could add a step and present your hand without fully grabbing the collar followed by a treat to start making the act of reaching more pleasant for your dog before you ever work up to grabbing the collar.).

Know Your Dog

You must also know the personality of your dog. If your dog is quite submissive or fearful, they are likely to not react well to this type of training. This could cause them to become even more fearful. Grabbing the scruff should be reserved for confident dogs that need minor behavior corrections.

People often believe that dogs can’t even feel their scruff. They definitely can feel it and are very aware of it because of its association with dominance.

Remember, this type of training is not suited for every dog and you should get proper instruction before proceeding. You are trying to replicate the behavior the mother would display. You should not shake roughly or yell furiously. Be gentle and firm.

Have you had experience with this type of training? Share your tips in the comments below.

Does your dog fight the collar grab? Plus I forget what to call me fingers.

You may have seen a mama dog or a wild animal pick up their babies by the scruff of their necks. How cute!

Your dog’s mom certainly used to carry her around by the scruff at one point. So, is it okay for you to continue the tradition?

The truth is, although your dog may still have loose, floppy skin at the back of her neck, it’s painful for her when it is grabbed.

When your dog was a tiny puppy, her body weight was very tiny, and her ratio of skin-to-body was at its highest. She was not heavy enough for scruffing to feel very painful to her.

Even at 8 weeks old, when you bring your puppy home, she will already be too large to be carried by the scruff of her neck.