There are many reasons why shaking hands is such a fundamental dog trick. It’s adorable, canine-friendly, and easy to train. So when new puppy parents teach a dog to shake hands or any other desired position, it will go a long way toward building their trust and obedience to owners. Continue reading our Canvas Personalized steps to learn how simple it is to teach most dogs this funny trick.
1. Shake Hands Dog Training Step By Step
What You’ll Need
According to the American Kennel Club, teaching most dogs how to shake should start training with a good behavior and their understanding of your basic commands. So consider these necessary things below before starting:
- A comfortable and quiet space
- A pet mat or blanket
- Have a lot of tasty treats or rewards
- A clicker or favorite toy
- Plan a schedule for 10-15 minutes every day
- Enthusiasm
- Patience
6 Easy Steps To Train Dog Shake Hands
The only things to teach a dog to shake hands is when your dog has mastered the sit command confidently. So consider practicing the sitting position again if your dog cannot obey it consistently. There are various tips to teach a pup to shake hands, and if you might be wondering where to start, follow and practice these guides below now!
Step 1: Have Your Dog Sit
As the essential part of this trick, give your dog a sit command word and rewards it. If not, ask your dog to have sit command again before moving to the following steps.
Step 2: Hold A Dog Treat Inside Your Hand To Catch The Dog’s Attention
Hold the dog treat in your right hand and close it. Then wave your closed fist across your dog’s nose to grab their attention, but don’t give them a verbal command.
Step 3: Teach Your Dog To Give Paw
Your dog may sniff, lick, and send other signals to determine your wants. Still, wait until your dog shakes paws with your closed hand, then open your hand and treat them to mark this movement.
Keep practicing until your dog constantly shake paws at your hand when a treat is inside.
*Pro tip: Do not try to grab your dogs paw and raise them to your hand if they still do not get what you ask. Be patient and keep your hand closed for your dog understands to sniff and lick. This step will also clean your dog’s muddy paws or trim nails.
Step 4: Challenge Your Dog
Once your dog seems to get used to consistently pawing at your hand to find the treat, increase the challenge by keeping your dog’s paw at your hand for an extra second before rewarding them or clicking.
Repeat several times to let your dog know that holding their paw higher (rather than scratching) is correct.
*Positive note: The timing of treats and praise is necessary for your dog learns to paw on your palm facing.
Step 5: Add Verbal Command: “Shake”
This is one of the critical steps to begin training sessions successfully. When they get used to holding their paw on your palm, it’s time to add the verbal cue “shake” or “paw” to your shake-hands dog training tips.
Say “shake” when your dog shakes their paw on your hand and immediately reward them with verbal praise or clicking the clicker. Repeat your verbal shake command five times.
*Pro tip: Checking the time is essential because you will know exactly when your dog will shake your hand. That’s the perfect time for a dog to start the shake hands dog training sessions with verbal cues.
Step 6: Shake Hands Dog Training With Your Flattened Hand
Once your dog has consistently performed well, continue to teach the dog how to shake paws with your outstretched hand. Then click and treat them every time when their right paw touches your palm. Repeat five times before adding some gradual movement up and down.
*Pro tip: At any point, when your dog gets confused about what to do, you should go back and practice the previous step until moving on to the more difficult step.
2. More Advanced Tricks Shake Hands Dog Training
Fade Out Using Treat To Lure Your Dog
Start removing the treat gradually once your dog has mastered to learn tricks. You should not stop giving them treats immediately but reward them less frequently when you teach dog how to shake. Soon, the treat will no longer be necessary for this trick.
Shaking With Each Paw and Both Paw
If your dog has mastered shaking with one paw, they do not automatically recognize and understand how to shake with the other. You can only train dogs to this fun trick by teaching your dog to naturally paw at a time. Sooner or later, they will successfully shake with both dog paws.
Repeat these steps for both dog paws to teach a puppy to shake perfectly, but remember only to click and reward the foot closest to your hand.
>>> You may find more helpful dog training tips to make the training session easier!
3. Noticeable Things How To Teach A Particular Dog How To Shake Hands
- Ensure that your dog’s mental is both comfortable and stimulated.
- A quiet and less distractible zone.
- If your dog has physical or behavioral issues, check with your vet before beginning dog training session.
- Never scold, force, or intimidate your dog the first time they make a mistake.
- Always teach dog how to shake with positive reinforcement and happy commands.
>>Further reading:
- How To Teach A Dog To Come When Called In 4 Foolproof Steps
- How To Teach A Dog Its Name In 4 Foolproof Steps – New Tricks
- How To Quickly Teach A Dog To Roll Over On command In 3 Easy Parts?
- How To Teach A Dog To Smile: Easy Tricks In 6 Steps
It’s a great way to teach a dog to shake hands so they can greet everyone or do fun tricks with you and your family. But most people find it challenging to make their dog shake their front paws on command. So, with the Canvas Personalized post, it’s simple to start teaching your dog this adorable trick once you understand the simple steps outlined above.
