Protect your pet with insurance. Cover accidents, illnesses, and more. Compare Plans with Petplace

Why teach "Shake A Paw"

  • Bonding

    Practicing basic behaviors is an easy way to strengthen the bond between you and your dog

  • Rewarding

    Learning new cues and tricks can be fun and rewarding for dogs, and "Shake A Paw" is no exception

  • Redirecting

    Teaching your dog to "Shake A Paw" can be used to redirect their energy when they're overexcited or anxious

"Shake A Paw"

Follow these steps when practicing "Shake A Paw"

• Have your dog sit in front of you, grab a treat, and extend your arm in front of your body. Do not show your dog the treat

• As soon as your dog starts to lift their paw off the ground say “Yes” and give them the treat

• Once your dog is consistently lifting their paw, only reward them when they bring their paw into your hand

• After 10 good reps, you can introduce the verbal cue “Shake”. To do this, open your palm and extend your arm

• As soon as your dog starts to lift their paw, immediately say “Shake”

• Once their paw lands in your hand, say “Yes” and give them a treat

• With practice your dog will associate the word “Shake”, with the act of shaking your hand

Pro tip

If your dog isn’t food motivated, substitute treats for a toy, petting or praise.


Products we love

• Lamb lung. Dogs love these and they're perfect because they're very small.

• Treat pouch. A pouch is a great place to hold your treats during a training session.