Teaching your dog to shake hands is a great way to show off your training skills and strengthen the bond between you and your pet. It also has practical purposes if you ever need to get your dog's attention or redirect his behaviour.
There are a number of ways that you can teach your pup to shake, but the following three techniques are the most effective. It's important to remember that while some shake training may be easy, it may take time for your dog to learn how to shake on command so don't get discouraged!
Hold your dog's paw and shake
This is the simplest technique for teaching your dog to shake hands but it has the most practical applications. If you have only a few paws of space, you can simply hold onto one of your dog's paws and get her attention with the other. If you have more hands, it's fine to help her walk toward you, but it's still preferable to just let her walk into you (as your dog might perceive it as a neutral thing to do).
Once your dog has made it to you and gives a little wiggle of her tail, gently lower your hand and then gently press down on her paw with your other hand. In a firm but reassuring manner, say "shake" three times and if she's still not trying to walk into you, try a second time. If she is still hesitant, try with both hands, raising your hands to chest height and starting again.
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Teach your pup what "shaking" means
One of the first things you can teach your dog is what the command shaking means. Your dog will need to learn that a "shake" means to bring your paws together and make a circular motion with your fingers. If your dog loves to lick people he may also be able to get your attention by licking you. Gently tell him that when he's excited or wants to show that you're paying attention that he can show you that he's excited by licking you, otherwise you can expect your dog to work on his technique.
Treat rewards and play
It's important that you make the task fun and interesting for your dog, as well as rewarding the dog with treats. Many dogs are able to learn the command shake within a day or two.
Reinforce the behaviour with rewards
In general, if you have a dog that likes treats, giving him a few treats to do a behaviour is a great way to get him to do it again.
Of course, you don't want to give your dog too many treats because it will simply end up rewarding him for doing the behaviour. For this reason, it is a good idea to use training treats instead of giving your dog the treats directly. These treats should have a high fat content that will help your dog be more motivated to participate in the behaviour.
Make the behaviour something you can practice anywhere
When you first begin to teach your dog to shake, you'll want to first develop the behaviour on a consistent basis at home and in your own yard before you even think about taking him out into public.
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