Teaching your dog to shake is a classic dog trick that most dogs learn very quickly and will delight your friends and family.
Watch our dog trainer’s video to teach your dog to shake. (Natasha, email me before publishing this article, so I can send you the link.)
Before your workout, gather your supplies:
- small pieces of treats that your dog is happy about
- a clicker if you practice clicker
- an area with minimal distractions like a quiet room inside your home
Teach a dog to shake in 5 steps:
Step 1: Hold a treat in a closed fist to your dog. Wait for your dog to explore your hand by sniffing, rubbing his nose, and eventually digging into your hand to try and get the treat. When your dog shakes your hand, praise him (click if you’re clicker training) and give him the treat. This is the basis of what will become the shake trick.
If your dog sniffles and licks your hand trying to get the treat, ignore it and be patient until he uses his paw.
2nd step: When your dog constantly pats your hand for the treat in your clenched fist, start introducing your verbal cue of choice like “shake” or “hello.”
Step 3: As your dog improves, gradually remove the treat from your hand. Hold out your empty fist to your dog and give your verbal signal to shake him. When your dog puts his paw on your hand, praise him and give him a treat.
Step 4: When your dog consistently offers the shaking behavior with your empty fist, reach out with an open hand and give him the verbal cue to shake. When your dog’s paw connects with your hand, praise, click, and treat.
As you train, hold your hand out to your dog at chest level so he’s comfortable for him to reach out and shake your hand.
Step 5: Start adding a few seconds of duration with your dog’s paw on your hand, and gently move your hand up and down in a handshake motion. Be sure to praise and reward your dog with treats after he completes the trick!
Next steps
The more familiar your dog becomes, practice shaking him in areas where there are distractions, such as on a walk. Also try increasing the duration of your dog’s paw shake. If your dog is sociable and loves interaction, shaking him is a great trick that other people can tell your dog. Don’t forget to praise her and treat her after she shakes your hand!