How do you work with a baby beardie on handling?

I've been trying to get my little Titus to get used to me holding him, and resting on my shoulder, how do I get him there further? I've hit a dead end

Some will not stay on the shoulder, and really it's a very unwise thing to encourage anyway UNLESS you are
>> sitting on a nice soft bed
>> sitting on a nice soft lounge
>> sitting on a carpeted floor
>> sitting on the grass.
they are prone to leaping off when young , and can easily loose their grip and slip or roll off when larger and do very serious injuries to themselves when they hit the hard ground or a hard unforgiving floor.

Best to encourage safe spots to sit on you ie
>> the lap
>> along your forearm
>> in the crook of the elbow
>> on the tummy
>> on your chest
where you can give good support and prevent them from falling / leaping off.

As to getting him comfortable and relaxed with being handled by you , let Titus take the lead , he'll let you know when he's ready for more handling , so patience and small steps are the way the way to go.
Giving food treats each time as the start helps , they learn the handling is associated with something pleasureable to them , and it's a good way to build trust.

Hello!
My beard seems to be a natural shoulder cuddler but I do agree that baby beardies might fly off or run off your shoulder because they have weird depth and perception meaning they don't really know that your shoulder doesn't go on forever (if that makes sense) My baby beardie nearly jumped off my shoulder today which was terrifying. Make sure your dragon nuzzles/grips down onto your shirt before carrying it around the house. Every dragon is different and I was lucky enough to have a calm baby.

Also, show no hesitation. My dragon tends to hate shaky fingers or shaky hands or hands waving above him. Talk to it, approach from the front, and scoop with confidence. Use both hands to make sure he doesn't fall. If your baby puffs or goes black, handle and pet him/her until they go back to normal colour. Reward your dragon with a piece of fruit or veg whenever it hops onto your shirt or when it relaxes while you pet it.
If he/she runs away or hides, don't move the rocks/log it's hiding behind, that usually makes them feel insecure. Wait a while and try again.
Soon the little guy will come around! Best of luckkkk

How old is little Titus? I'm hesitant to offer advice without knowing specifics

A lot of people make the mistake of forcing handling, if your beardie absolutely hates handling don't try forcefully handle him as this is not progress and if you continue doing this it might come to the point where he will literally freeze in fear, now when he does this you might be thinking that you have tamed him but its the exact opposite. work your way up to handling by offering food and getting your hand as close to him as possible without him freaking out or if he allows you, you can pat him, once you start making progress work your way up to handling. Now i'm not trying to be a negative Nancy but I've seen all these behaviors in one of my dwarf bearded dragons Pedro. he detested handling so much but i thought it would make the situation better if i continued to handle him regularly, but it didn't. but don't get me wrong if hes comfortable with you and you see progress, handle him to your hearts content. Another tip i highly suggest is putting a sock in his viv that you have worn that day so he is completely use to your smell. I've heard they are dodgy breeders but Backwater reptiles have a really good article about handling: http://www.backwaterreptiles.com/reptiles/how-to-tame-a-lizard.html
Goodluck to you and your beardie! :mrgreen: