Teach Your Dog to "Shake Hands"
This trick consists of teaching your dog to offer a paw so that you (or someone else) can Shake hands with him. The only equipment needed is your dog's leash and some good treats.
- With your dog on leash, hold the leash in your left hand along with some treats. Have your right hand empty.
- Depending on the size of your dog, bend over, sit, or kneel in front of him. You need to be able to reach his paw.
Dog Talk
Shake means lift your right paw toward me so we can touch hand to paw.
Troubleshooting
Some dogs are not ticklish and will not lift their paw when you try to tickle it. For these dogs, lift the paw in steps 3 and 4 of this trick.
- With your right hand, reach his right paw, and with one finger, tickle the hollow behind his paw (most dogs are ticklish there).
- As he lifts his paw slightly, tell him, “Fido, Shake!” Touch his paw with your hand, and praise and reward him.
- Repeat for a total of five times.
At your next training session, repeat all five steps.
Your goal is to teach your dog to lift his paw toward your hand when he hears “Fido, Shake,” so watch for him to begin lifting his paw toward your hand as you reach toward him. When he does, offer him a jackpot reward: more treats, enthusiastic praise, and some petting. At each subsequent training session, withhold the rewards for a second or two until he is reaching toward your hand a little more each time.
Offering the Other Paw
When your dog will shake hands (and paws!) well each time you ask, reaching that paw out toward your hand, you can then teach him to offer the Other Paw. When alternated with the shake trick, this makes your dog look very smart. People will be amazed that he knows the difference!
You will train this trick exactly as you did Shake, except reverse hands and paws. You will reach with your left hand toward your dog's left paw. Follow the same training steps; most dogs pick this up very quickly. As you train this trick, do not train Shake at the same time; you will confuse your dog. Instead, drop the Shake while training the Other Paw.
Dog Talk
Whereas Shake means offer me your right paw, Other Paw means offer me your left paw.
Troubleshooting
If your dog tries to lift his right paw to your left hand, pull your hand back; do not shake his paw. When his paws are back on the ground, repeat the training step to his left paw.
When your dog knows Other Paw well and will do it on command, then you can bring back Shake. Challenge your dog to listen and respond correctly. Ask him to Shake, then Other Paw, then Shake again. Reward each correct response. Then do three Shakes and two Other Paws, and then at another training session, four Other Paws and one Shake. Make a big fuss over him when he can follow your commands and do five repetitions correctly. “Yeah! Super Dog!”
Waving at Adoring Fans
The Wave is a great trick for showing off. Therapy dogs can wave good-bye at the people they have visited and you can ask your dog to wave at guests leaving your house. It's also a fun trick to combine with other tricks as part of a routine.
Dog Talk
Wave means lift your paw as high as your shoulder and move it up and down as if waving.
For this trick your dog must be able to Sit on command and hold still, and Shake paws on command. The only equipment you need are a leash and some good treats.
- With your dog on leash, hold the leash in your left hand as well as some treats. Have your right hand empty.
- Have your dog sit in front of you. Reach toward his paw as you tell him, “Fido, Shake.”
- As his paw moves toward your hand, pull your hand back so his paw just touches the tips of your fingers, and at the same time tell him, “Fido, Wave!” Praise and reward him.
- Repeat for a total of five repetitions.
At your next training session, repeat the four steps for five repetitions. Begin emphasizing, “Fido, Wave” rather than Shake. “Fido, Shake. WAVE! Shake.”
If your dog is reaching well toward your hand, begin lifting your hand higher so he has to reach higher than he did for the Shake. Continue having him just brush the tips of your fingers. Stop saying Shake and tell him only, “Fido, Wave!”
Bet You Didn't Know
As you're teaching this trick, make sure your dog is praised and rewarded when his paw is in the air. If you reward him late, he might think he's being re-warded for putting his paw back on the ground rather than waving it in the air.
Repeat these training steps for five repetitions each for two to three training sessions.
When your dog is reaching well, begin pulling your hand back completely when he is reaching up. Praise him enthusiastically when he completes the Wave without touching your hand.
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Tricks © 2005 by Liz Palika. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.
