Teaching your dog how to shake hands is a simple task. The same as teaching your children how to shake hands, consistency and patience are the keys to successful hand-shaking. Have your dog ready for this activity by bringing along a toy and treats. Have treats in one hand and the toy in the other. This will allow your dog to learn at his own pace.
Once your dog is calm, start by shaking the dog’s paw in a relaxed manner. Don’t force the action; simply allow your pet to take the treat and approach the pet. The dog should reach out for your hand without hesitation. This shows that the dog has trust in you. If you start with a low-shake and then raise it, the dog will not be too afraid and may greet you eagerly. When you raise your hand, you give the dog the reward for reaching out.
Some dog training tricks for teaching how to teach my dog to shake hands are the “come” command and “stay”. With these commands, you are inviting your dog to come to you and stay put. These dog training tricks can be used while you are relaxing at home or going about your daily routine.
During the “come” command, stand directly in front of the dog, with its nose to the ground. As the dog gets closer to you, say the word and raise both your hands, palm upward. Your dog will most likely follow your motion. Then say the command again, and as before, raise your hands.
For the next step in how to teach my dog to shake hands exercise, touch your palm to your dog’s nose with the outside of your hand, palm up. Once your dog has reached your hand, say the word again, lower your arm, and shake your pet’s hand. Repeat this a few times, and when you feel comfortable with the behavior, reward your dog by giving it a high-value treat. Do not use any other kind of toy or food for your dog during this process.
In addition to reinforcing good behavior, there are some dog training exercises you can do to teach your dog to other commands such as “sit” and “stay”. The sitting and the stay commands are often called “come” and “down”. Again, practice the “stay” and “sit” exercise with your dog for a couple of weeks, and keep repeating the steps. Reward your dog by giving it a high-value treat when it performs the action correctly.
As you can see, these dog training tricks are really simple and fast, and can be done almost anywhere. You may even want to practice them while you are outside, such as at the park. When you think your dog has mastered shaking hands, you can slowly start to introduce more complicated actions, such as patting and praising. Eventually, your dog will learn to shake hands on command without your help.
The internet is a great source for dog training tricks, and you should be able to find videos and instructions for just about any activity you want to teach your dog. Some dog training tricks require a lot of skill, patience, and time, and if you are trying to teach your dog how to shake hands, it would be wise to start practicing early. As soon as you feel that you dog is ready to be trained, it is best to start in small environments, such as in your backyard. Remember, these are skills your dog is going to have to learn on its own, so if you have the time and the commitment to learn how to teach my dog to shake hands, do so with your full dedication and focus.