How to Examine Your Dog At Home With 20 Touches

Most dog parents don’t skip care because they don’t care; I certainly don’t. But when your dog is eating well, keeping up on walks, and acting like their usual self, it’s easy to assume that everything is fine. But knowing how to examine your dog at home saves lives. I know because it happened to me and my first Cocker Spaniel.

I’ve learned the hard way that the things that matter most often change quietly first. A dog’s breath, ears, skin, or behavior can shift long before anything looks “wrong,” and those small signs are the ones that tend to get overlooked until something forces your attention.

One of the best ways to ensure your dog remains a loving, loyal part of the family for a long time is to touch them with 20 touches, 10 minutes, once a week. I’ve been doing this for over three decades and it’s even saved my first Cocker Spaniel’s life.

The earliest signs of trouble tend to appear quietly: in the mouth, ears, skin, or behavior, long before anything obvious happens. As a bonus, we’re including a free printable that you can download and follow along with each week.

Why Does Touching Your Dog Matter?

Knowing what ‘normal’ looks like and feels like on your dog means that when something out of the ordinary or ‘abnormal’ happens, you, the dog parent, are ready to act.

Case in point: In preparing to write this blog post and help you keep your dog healthy, my dog, Dexter, faced a life-threatening illness.

On a Saturday in October, my wife and I packed up the car and headed out of town for a day of fun with our dog to a New Jersey beach. We had a wonderful time, and Dexter played, ran, and showed tons of energy. He ate, drank, and enjoyed the sun and surf.

Upon arrival back home about 11:30 pm, I decided to check my dog’s ears to be sure there was no sand or ticks, fleas, etc. present.

I noticed he had some lumpy-looking reddish marks on his inner ear flap. I immediately checked Dexter’s gums. They were normal in color, and capillary refill was good, but he had some bleeding along the gum line, and in particular between two teeth on the right side, the rear portion of his mouth. I noticed splotchy red marks on the inside of his upper lip flaps, too.

My spouse and I rushed our dog to the emergency vet/hospital located about 10 minutes from our house.

Dexter spent four nights in the hospital, where a diagnosis of IMT, or immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, was made. The body’s immune system attacks platelets as invaders, causing my dog’s platelet count to drop to zero. (yes, zero).

Dexter recovered, was on various medications, had weekly vet visits, and thanks to our twice-daily hospital visits, prompt attention to his medical care, and knowing that something was wrong, he survived.

If I didn’t check my dog’s gums and ears and prepare to brush his teeth, the internal medicine vet on call told us Dexter would have bled out and died overnight.

As a lifelong dog mom, I encourage you to perform 20 touches on at least a weekly basis to keep your dog healthy.

How to Track Your Weekly Touch Sessions

To help dog moms and dads keep track of their touches, we created the DogMinder, the ultimate canine health and wellness journal. For under $10, order yours on Amazon today.

Prepare to Treat Them Well

You want the experience of touch to be a positive one with your dog. There are two ways to get your dog used to being touched as a regular part of their life:

1. Go on an adventure, similar to the one you will see outlined in this post. While having a fun day at a local fall festival, I rewarded Dexter with one of his favorite dog treats. I would pet him, check for lumps and bumps, snap a photo, give him a treat, and then go about our sightseeing.
2. Touch Your Dog’s Body From Time to Time: Massage your dog gently from the tops of his feet to petting his legs, lifting or looking at his ears, and do so in a positive and reinforcing way.

How to Examine Your Dog At Home With 20 Touches

1 Examine and Touch The Gums and Look at the Mouth

Gently lift your dog’s lips and peek at his gums. Are they pink? Is there any bleeding? Are the gums a nice rosy or shrimp color? Dogs with black gums might be harder to discern, but if the gums are bleeding or white, see a vet immediately.

Take a peek at their teeth while there. This is a win-win because dogs accustomed to having their mouths touched are more likely to accept tooth brushing.

THAT is the exact ‘touch’ that saved my dog’s life.

2 Examine Your Dog’s Ears

Some dogs have floppy ears, like Dexter, and others have high-standing, erect ears. Whatever the case, look for any changes in appearance or color, and check for odor or discharge. Never insert a cotton swab inside the ear, as this can damage delicate structures.

Bonus: Here are my favorite dog ear cleaners that I’ve used successfully. What works for one dog may not work for another, so be sure to talk to your veterinarian with any ear concerns.

3 Paw and Nail Check

A broken nail can be very painful. An overgrowth of fur between the pad surfaces means dogs can slip on the flooring. Any cuts or wounds on a paw pad need immediate attention. Visually inspect the paw while using touch to feel for anything unusual.

During our fall fun fest, Dexter allowed me to check his paws as we sat and enjoyed a tasty apple cider for his moms and yummy pumpkin treats for Dexter.

Bonus: Learn more about Dog Paw Care and Tips to Keep Them Healthy

4 Face Time

Your dog’s nose touches the ground, so be sure and give his face a once-over. Feel for any lumps or bumps and look and feel for ticks or anything else.

5 Examine The Eyes

The eyes are the window to the soul, and dogs carry such love in their hearts. Look for any redness, debris, changes, or discharge.

Here are some of the more common eye problems in Cocker Spaniels and other dogs.

6 Double T’s: Tush and Tail Check

Most dogs love a good butt scratch: Ggetle, massaging across the tush and hips. Feel for any bumps or lumps. Take photos of the lumps.

Your dog’s sensitive anal glands are located in this area, so any unusual odors should be checked out by a veterinarian. Touch the tail for any bumps and ticks.

7 Jowl and Mouth Check

They vary in size, depth, and thickness, but all dogs have them: Those cheeks must be checked. Give them a good inspection and if there is any blood, debris, or odor have that checked.

Do you smell anything stinky? It could be lip fold dermatitis.

8 Belly Time

Ah, the oh so fabulous tummy rub. If your dog loves his tummy rubbed, this is a great way to gently feel for anything unusual as you run your fingers through his hair and across his skin. Take a peek at the coloring of his skin, too. Any sort of bruising or redness can indicate an issue.

NINJA DOG PARENT TIP: Take photos of anything unusual so you can show your dog’s vet at the next visit.

9 Head and Chest

Feel your dog’s chest and notice of there is any discomfort or pain while petting the chest area. Just behind the elbow on the left side of the dog’s chest is here you should be able to feel a heartbeat. Move onto the dog’s head and gently palpate, running your fingers along.

10 Lymph Nodes

The lymph nodes filter foreign invaders/particles from a dog’s blood stream. The lymphatic system includes organs like the thymus gland and spleen, so the regulation and production of cells of the immune system are involved. Touching the lymph nodes of the body and knowing where they are located is an important part of understanding your dog’s anatomy. Gently palpate the neck, legs, and groin region. Feel into your dog’s armpits.

11 Overall Look and Behavior

Look at your dog’s: Posture, stance, balance, and gait. Is your dog favoring one leg over another?

Watch for any restlessness, energy changes, hiding, or changes in overall baseline mood.

Listen for coughing, wheezing, or any noisy breathing.

12 Body Condition and Weight Feel

Run both hands along the ribs. You should feel the ribs with light pressure, not see them prominently, and not need to press hard. Stand over your dog and notice the waist behind their rib. Is there a nice abdominal tuck? Has your dog had any rapid weight gain or loss? Weigh your dog at home at least monthly.

13 Belly and Abdomen Touch

With your dog resting comfortably or belly side up, gently press around the abdomen. Don’t push but do feel for any lumps or notice if your dog has tenderness, tension, or sudden firmness.

14 Back and Spine

Gently run your fingers along your dog’s back and spine muscles. Look for flinching, tightness, and any reluctance to be touched. Any yelping, weakness in the back legs, dragging of toes, or sudden trouble jumping should be reported to your vet.

Reminder: Never scold your dog or otherwise perform these touches if your dog is ramped up, wanting to play, or sound asleep. You want your dog to be relaxed and rewarded. 15

15 Legs

Touch each leg and run your hands down each one, comparing left to right. Squeeze each toe gently and look for any changes and pain. Watch for swelling, foxtails, grass seeds, bugs, ticks, etc.

16 Genital Area

Look for discharge, swelling, more licking than usual. If your dog is having more accidents or straining to pee or poop, seek veterinary help. More accidents in the house could mean a medical concern.

17 Hydration Station

You did a gum check, but always remember that the gums should be slick and moist. You can gently lift the skin over your dog’s shoulder blades, and it should snap back quickly. Things to report to your vet include  sticky gums, skin stays tented, repeated vomiting or diarrhea.

Of note, dogs with pancreatitis can easily dehydrate. Always know the signs of pancreatitis in dogs.

18 Appetite, Thirst, Stool, and Urine Assessment

Pay attention to your dog’s appetite, if they are less thirsty or drinking more, and what their pee and poop looks like. I examine my dog’s pee once a week using pH strips using a successful method of collecting dog pee at home.

Know what normal poop looks like as it should never be black, tarry, or contain blood or specks that may be worms. Contact your vet if it does.

19 Heart Rhythm

I highly recommend all dog parents know certain vital signs in their dog. It’s important to know what is normal so that when something is not right, you can seek veterinary care for your dog.

When you know what normal is (and there are apps for that, as noted in my post), you can act when abnormal occurs.

20 Coat and Fur/Hair Sweep

Last but not least, run your hands through the coat. Do you see any flea dirt? Dandruff? Hair loss? Look between toes, armpits, groin, ears, etc.

Here’s everything you need to know about lumps and bumps on dogs.

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Video Dog Touch Tutorial

If video is more your thing, couple the above tips with this easy-to-follow video to help prepare for your dog’s next touch session:

Why Touching Your Dog Matters

My dog, Dexter, is my heart shaper, love keeper, treat beggar, hope renewer, wigglebutt wagger, bone burier, ball player, life changer.

We go on many adventures together including cross country road trips, beach adventures, picnics, sightseeing, and meeting fellow dog parents from sea to shining sea. My life is enriched for his presence in it, and any sort of treat he gets from me has to be something I feel good giving him.

Update: Our Dexter passed away suddenly at the age of 13 years and 2 months old of hemangiosarcoma, but he never had a recurrence of IMT. You cannot “feel” for hemangiosarcoma, but all the touches I gave him throughout his life helped him, for sure. I will miss him forever.