How to Teach Your Dog to Shake Hands

Teaching your dog to shake hands can have benefits beyond just being a fun trick. Once your dog understands how to sit and knows when it's time to do so, you'll improve their obedience and strengthen your bond with them. Start training your dog to perform this simple trick.

Choose a treat for your dog. You'll need to reward your dog when it performs the trick correctly. Make sure to bring treats your dog enjoys while teaching the shake hands trick. Small-sized treats are ideal for training because you can give multiple rewards without worrying about obesity. Also, consider what kind of food your dog prefers: does it like soft or crunchy snacks? What flavors does it enjoy? Discover your dog's favorite treat and have it ready for training.

• Make homemade treats for your dog. You can offer small pieces of cooked meat, fruits, or vegetables.
• Don't overfeed your dog. Keep the portions as small as possible.
• Never feed your dog these items as they can cause poisoning or illness: avocado, chocolate, raw dough, fresh or dried grapes, hops, alcohol, moldy food, macadamia nuts, xylitol, onions, and garlic.

Teach your dog to sit before attempting to teach it how to shake hands. A dog can only shake hands when it's sitting down. If your dog doesn't understand the sit command yet, you must train it to understand that sitting is the prerequisite.

• Don't reward your dog with food just yet, as you're training it to shake hands, not to sit.

Next, make sure your dog sees the food. However, don’t reward your dog with food at this stage. Instead, hold the food in your left hand. Present the food in front of your dog’s nose and make sure it notices. Once you have its attention, close your hand to hide the food.

• Don’t let your dog snatch the food from your hand.
• Place the food between your thumb and palm.

Now, give the verbal cue "Raise your paw." This is the command you'll use when you want your dog to shake hands (you could also say something like "Shake hands"). Say this command while holding its favorite treat in front of it.

Say "Good job" when your dog starts to get fidgety. Once your dog realizes you have its favorite treat, it will attempt to take it. When it performs the desired action, such as lifting its paw to get the treat, enthusiastically say "Good job!" and reward it with the treat.

• As soon as your dog performs the desired action, immediately reward it with the food.
• Ignore any other actions your dog might make, such as sniffing or licking your hand.
• Be patient.
• Practice repeatedly until your dog reliably raises its paw every time you say "Raise your paw."

Reward your dog for shaking hands. Once your dog lifts its paw upon command, move to the next stage. You’ll start rewarding your dog when it performs actions close to the desired shake. For example, if the dog lifts its paw higher than before, say "Good job" and reward it with a treat, but never reward it before the action is completed. Continue practicing until your dog consistently raises its paw when you give the command.

Hold your dog's front paw. This step is useful if your dog isn't reaching for the treat in your hand. By gently holding your dog's paw and praising them during and after the action, you'll help your dog understand that pawing at your hand can lead to a reward.

• Hold the dog's paw for a few seconds before giving the treat.
• Be gentle and slow.

Introduce the command. Once your dog understands how to paw at your hand to get a treat, you can start teaching them to respond to a verbal cue. Wait until your dog paws at your hand, then give the command and offer them the treat.

• You can use any word, but usually simple ones like 'Shake!' or 'Paw!' work best.
• Make sure your command is clear and loud enough for your dog to hear.
• Give the command at the moment your dog begins to paw at your hand.
• Once you've chosen the command, don't change it, as doing so may confuse your dog.
• All commands should be brief. One-word commands work best.

Start giving the command before the action. After you've been giving the command at the moment your dog paws at your hand, now you can start giving the command just before the action happens. When you bring your hand with the treat toward your dog, give the command.

• This will help your dog associate the command with the action of pawing for the treat.
• Ideally, your dog will paw at your hand immediately after you give the command.
• Only reward and praise your dog after they've successfully performed the action.
• If your dog doesn't respond to the command, repeat it until they do. If there is no response after 15 minutes, stop and try again later. You don’t want your dog to become frustrated.

Only reward your dog after completing the command. If you reward your dog for actions that aren't part of the command, it may become confused. Never reward your dog unless it has successfully completed the command; otherwise, it will start to see treats as a bribe.

• Avoid giving rewards inappropriately by ensuring your dog is focused before each training session.
• Don’t rush into rewarding your dog if it hasn’t performed the 'shake' correctly. Doing so may teach your dog that it gets a reward for ignoring you or sitting down instead.
• Remember that dogs are intelligent. Any treat given will be associated with the action the dog was performing at that moment.
• Your dog will learn that performing certain actions leads to treats. This can apply to both good and bad behaviors, so be mindful when rewarding.

Stop rewarding with food. Eventually, you will need to stop rewarding your dog with treats when they shake hands. Gradually make this transition every time the dog offers a handshake. Replace the treats with praise or other rewards like a walk or playtime.

• Continue practicing until you feel confident that your dog will shake hands without needing a treat.
• You might try not offering your hand when starting this step.

Increase the Challenge. Once you notice your dog has mastered the handshake trick, introduce new challenges. Wait for a situation that could be distracting, such as walking through a crowded area or when someone is approaching the door, and then give the command for your dog.

• The more you practice in various environments, the better your dog will perform the handshake trick.

Try the Other Hand. Follow the same steps as with the first hand. The only difference is that you will hold the treat in your other hand and reward your dog only when it shakes with that hand.

• You can use a different command. If you’ve been using 'Shake!', you can try 'Paw!' for the other hand, or simply use 'Left' or 'Right' to differentiate the hands.

• It's essential to be patient. Consistently reward your dog's actions, and ensure the timing of the rewards is spot on.
• Don’t get upset if your dog doesn’t follow your command right away. Patience is key.
• Offer treats with your opposite hand, not the hand you used to shake its paw.
• Always stay upbeat and cheerful with your dog. Shower it with praise and affection.
• Be firm but avoid being overly harsh. Patience and consistency are what you need most. Reward your dog every time it listens to your commands. Your goal should be for the dog to follow orders, not to perform tricks for a treat.