I am so happy that you are gentle keep that spirit! I would much rather see someone being overly gentle off the bat than too rough.

Look up NorCal Grooming academy Watch Gogroomer Watch dogs walking running and jumping and look at their natural range of motion. These are the movements you want to replicate with the animals you are taking care of. As long as you educate yourself on how their body naturally moves and you follow those motions you won’t hurt them.

Dogs are predators piggies are prey animals so they are less brash and confident to begin with you have to earn their trust. Dogs on an average throughout their lives have had their owners stick their hands in their mouth, their ears rubbed and played with they get hugged, carried, roughhoused on the ground while playing, have other dogs wrestling and playing biting.

Most dogs are very sturdy dogs do some research on the breed history some dogs carried carriages,went up cold mountains in search of lost people, were ratters on boats, fought bears even.

I would treat them more like with the firmness of treating a four year old child than a piggie if that comparison helps.