How to Teach Your Dog to Shake

Many people are interested in teaching their dogs basic tricks. Shake is one of the top tricks to teach your dog. The steps are pretty basic and anyone can teach their puppy or dog this trick. I taught this to Ezra after he turned a year old and it’s a really fun trick for adults and kids alike.

Are you interested in teaching your dog to shake? Keep reading to learn more.

Why should you teach your dog to shake?

You may want to teach your dog to shake if:

• You want your dog to be comfortable with groomers or vets holding his paw.
• You want a party trick to delight a crowd.
• You like to train and are getting bored of the usual skills.
• You want to obtain your AKC Novice Dog Tricks Title.

Basic principles of teaching your dog to shake

We will use food luring to teach your dog to shake your hand. It starts with holding kibble in your fist in front of your dog nearby his paw. When your dog eventually paws at your fist, you open it and let him eat the kibble. As your dog starts to get the hang of it, you slowly make modifications to your gesture, continuing to use kibble to lure you dog into the right behavior. Over time you’ll be able to hold your hand out and say “shake” and your dog will shake your hand.

How to teach your dog to shake your hand

You don’t need any special gear to teach your dog to shake your hand. All you need is to convert meal time to a training session and use your dog’s kibble as a training treat. The milestones are really simple. We break them down into detail below.

Let’s get started!

Milestone #1: Hold kibble in your outstretched fist.

Take 1-3 pieces of kibble and put in your fist. Then while your dog is sitting, put your first in front of your dog. Try to put your fist closer to one of his legs where it’ll be easier for him to paw at your fist. Your dog isn’t going to paw right away. He’s going to lick and probably nibble at your paw. He might even get up from his sitting position. But eventually he’ll start pawing your fist. When he does, praise him and open your first. Let him eat the kibble.

Then do it again. Keep repeating this until he starts to paw at your fist within a couple seconds.

Milestone #2: Hold your hand out with kibble in between your fingers.

Next, take 1-3 pieces of kibble and place them in between your fingers. Place your open hand out in a similar spot as you placed your fist in milestone #1. It may feel like your dog is going backwards because he will likely go straight to licking at the kibble. Try to cup your hand to stop him from doing that. Eventually he will paw again and when he does, praise him and give him the kibble. Keep repeating this until he starts to paw at your hand within a couple seconds.

Milestone #3: Hold your hand out flat without any kibble.

Now you are going to hold your flat hand out in the same spot and see what he does. Let him think for as long as it takes. He may be a little confused and that’s OK. When he paws at your hand, praise him and give him a few pieces of kibble.

If he isn’t getting it within a couple minutes, go back to milestone #2 and keep practicing it a bit longer. But if he seems to be getting it within a couple seconds, move on to the next milestone.

Milestone #4: Begin to move your hand in a shake motion.

Put your hand out just like in milestone #3 and have him paw you. When he places his paw on your hand, wait a second until you praise and reward him. You want to do this to get him used to keeping his paw on your hand a little longer. Repeat that a few times, and then lengthen it to a couple seconds and an upward motion. When he lets you raise your hand up with his paw on top, praise him and give him a treat. You may need to hold onto his paw a little bit while you do this, and that’s OK. Repeat this a few times.

When he seems to get the hang of it, add a downward motion to complete one full shake. You may need to hold onto his paw a little bit throughout this and that’s OK. Praise and reward him. Practice this a few times. You may need to practice this milestone over the course of 1-3 days. When he gets the hang of it, add the verbal cue “shake” before you place your hand out. Keep practicing for another week. Pretty soon he’ll know to shake all on his own!

Common questions about teaching your dog to shake

Conclusion

Food luring is my preferred way to teach a dog how to shake. Start with converting meal times to training sessions. Hold some kibble in your outstretched fist near one of your dog’s leg where it’ll be easy to paw. Hold it out firmly until he paws at your fist, and then let him eat the kibble in your fist. Keep making small adjustments by cupping your hand and then laying your hand out flat to lure your dog to pawing at your hand. Over time, you’ll be able to begin adding in up and down motions and then the verbal cue “shake.”