ShakeDog lifts a paw into your hand
A gentle trick that teaches paw awareness. Most dogs paw naturally when frustrated, so capture it. Dogs that do not paw can be shaped by rewarding any paw lift, however small.
Also known as: Paw, Give Paw
At a glance
- Tier
- 1 · Basic
- Time to fluency
- 1–3 weeks
- Practice
- 4× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- Small soft treats
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach shake
Lure
Hold a treat in a closed fist low in front of the sitting dog
- Present a closed fist at chest height. Many dogs will paw at it
- Mark ANY paw lift, even a twitch, in the first sessions
- Once the paw lifts reliably, add your open palm underneath to catch it
- Keep the dog in a sit so they lift the paw rather than standing
Hand Signal
Present an open palm at the dog's chest height
- Offer your palm and wait. Do not grab the paw
- Let the dog place the paw; you just hold still
- Gradually raise the hand slightly so the dog reaches up more
Verbal Cue
Name the behaviour once the paw lift is reliable
- Say the word, present the hand, mark and reward
- Practise with both hands so the dog does not only shake on one side
- Keep it gentle. If the dog is slapping hard, lower the hand
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- No paw lift on cue
- In progress
- Lifts paw on the word alone, sitting, without the palm presented first
- Mastered
- Shakes gently on cue with either paw, in any environment
Common mistakes
- Grabbing the paw, which makes many dogs pull away
- Asking for shake when the dog is standing, which throws off their balance
- Only ever practising with one paw
- Rewarding increasingly aggressive pawing instead of shaping gentle placement