How To Train A Dog To Shake Hands

Introduction

While learning to shake hands is not one of the essentials of puppy behavior, it is an easy trick to teach and a good place to start when training your dog. The reason that it is an easy skill to teach is that it is a natural response in dogs. If your dog is sitting down, when you hold up your hand, your dog may naturally match that movement. If the dog doesn't "shake� naturally, you will be able to teach the movement with ease. Dogs just naturally take to "shaking�. I don't know why it works like this but it does. The great thing about teaching your dog to shake on command is that it is easy for the dog to learn and once they have learned that command, they will be more ready to learn other commands.

Instructions

Difficulty—Easy

Steps

Step 1— Get your dog's attention. Doing any kind of training with an inattentive dog is a waste of time. It's even worse than a waste of time because it can teach your pet to ignore you and ignore your commands. If you are trying to teach your dog something, and they are trying to chase after a cat, you are going to have to remove either the cat or the dog before you continue with the training. I recommend removing the cat.

Step 2— Use treats. During the time that you are training your dog, doggie treats will be your best friend. Dogs learn by a process called conditioned response. Conditioned response means that dogs will repeat a behavior if they associate it with a reward. In order to get your dog to repeat (or learn) a new behavior, you should have a food reward to offer instantly. Let the dog see that you have a treat when you begin the training session.

Step 3— Have the dog sit. If your dog has not yet learned the "sit� command, you can push him into a sitting position while you say, "sit�. Make sure that once he is sitting, he is paying attention to you. The best way to ensure your dog's attention is to make sure that he can see the treat. Your dog will be ready to do what is necessary to get the treat.

Step 4— Say the word "shake� while holding out your hand to shake hers. Your dog may instantly reach up to let you take her hand. If she does, respond with "good dog� and give the dog the treat. If the dog does not reach up to take your hand, gently reach down and pick up her front leg near the elbow and move into a hand shake position. While you shake hands, say "good dog� and give her the treat.

Step 5— Replace the treat with the verbal praise. Once your dog has learned to shake when you ask him to, you can slowly start to phase out the treat. The goal is to eventually have the dog obey without treats. To slowly withdraw the treat, continue to say "good dog� each time he obeys but start giving the treat every other time and then every third time. Your dog will associate the verbal praise with the food reward and, in time, one will be just as good as the other.

Step 6— Practice. The keys to training dogs are repetition and enthusiasm. You will want to have your dog practice her new tricks over and over again, until they are automatic responses to the verbal commands. The whole time you are training your dog, stay enthusiastic and positive. Your dog should want to please you just about as bad as she wants her doggie treat.

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