Collar GrabDog stays calm when you reach for their collar
A safety fundamental. In an emergency you will grab the collar, and if the dog has never been conditioned to it, they duck, spin, or bite. Pair every collar touch with food until the reach predicts a treat, not a threat.
Also known as: Collar Touch, Gotcha
At a glance
- Tier
- 0 · Foundational
- Time to fluency
- 2–4 weeks
- Practice
- 5× per week, 3 min each
- Equipment
- Small soft treats, A flat collar already on the dog
How to teach collar grab
Lure
Touch the collar, then feed. Collar predicts treat
- Start by touching the collar lightly, then immediately feed a treat
- Repeat until the dog leans into the touch instead of pulling away
- Progress from touch to gentle hold, then to a brief restraint
- Keep sessions very short. Five reps is plenty
- If the dog ducks or retreats, you moved too fast
Verbal Cue
Add a word so the dog braces for the grab positively
- Say the word, reach, hold, treat. Always in that order
- Practise when the dog is excited, not just when they are calm
- Have other people do it too, so it generalises beyond you
- Build to holding the collar while clipping a leash
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Ducks, spins, or mouths when you reach for the collar
- In progress
- Orients to you and holds still on the word alone
- Mastered
- Stays calm for a collar grab from a stranger or mid-play
Common mistakes
- Only grabbing the collar when something bad follows (bath, crate, end of play)
- Reaching over the head instead of under the chin, which feels threatening
- Skipping the desensitisation and only discovering the gap in an emergency
- Moving too fast from a touch to a full restraint hold