Teaching a Dog "Paw"(Or Shake)

Teaching a dog to shake a paw is simple and fun, and the reaction is priceless! You'll need a calm, neutral area without any distraction from other humans or pets. You'll also need a bag of small treats that your dog loves. Be patient and be fun!

1. Start by feeding your dog a treat. He'll know you have treats for him to eat. Then, generate a short and cute name for your command such as "Shake" or "Paw." Some dogs automatically compare the two names, so they might be able to determine the two together. I'm going to use Shake as an example. While saying "Shake," pick up your dogs paw and hold it. Still holding it, feed him the treat and say, "Good Shake, _____(His name)"(or Paw).
2. Keep doing this for a few days until you can try to touch the dog's paw to get him to do it while saying "Shake."
3. After using 'a tap on the paw' technique, try just saying the command aloud. If he does it, immediately congratulate him with treats and praise. For the first few times he does it upon command, praise him with more treats and loving words like "Good Dog! Good Shake! If he doesn't, however, keep trying. Remember you don't need to give him treats when he does it after the few days he has been doing it, but still tell him "Good Dog." Of course, people who ask him to shake paws will be so delighted and excited with him so the praise concept is no worry. 

ALL dogs do "Shake" differently. Some dogs actually shake your hand, while others do a high-5 instead. Still others wave the paw in the air, but they usually all mean the same thing! Have fun training your dog and check for some even more challenging tricks later on.