Teach Your Dog to "Shake" - One Key to an Obedient Dog

Somewhere towards the bottom of most dog trainers' Obedience Command Priority List lies the concept of 'Shake'. It's often thought of as a trick, or parlor game - something to do to show your dog off in front of the neighbors. But it isn't thought of as critical to your dog's learning as Stay or Come. Right?

At Riverdog, we invite you think of 'Shake' as a key component of your dog's obedience repertoire! It has to do with ensuring your pet is safe and comfortable when meeting unfamiliar people, and an absolute 'Must!' if your dog is going to be around kids.

You see, most people approach a dog by leaning over the animal and reaching out to pet the head. This is quite intimidating to most dogs. (To get the idea from the dog's point of view, imagine an unfamiliar, towering giant lowering a gigantic hand towards your own head. Wouldn't you be a little nervous?) So the key to helping your dog think of this type of greeting as a pleasant, rather than perilous, action is to teach your pet to 'Shake.'

The reason 'Shake' works is because the hand signal for 'Shake' - leaning over a dog and reaching out a hand - is nearly the same gesture as the one described above that most people use to greet a dog anyway. When people lean over and outstretch a hand, instead of being intimidated, the dog recognizes the signal as an invitation to 'Shake.' The animal then leans his/her body weight backwards in order to raise up a paw. The raising of a paw is a submissive gesture in the dog world, and helps keep the dog calm, friendly, and safe. This is super helpful if the dog is going to be around a lot of kids!

'Shake' is easy to teach - simply kneel in front of your dog, and using a small treat, place it in front of the dog's nose. Move your hand to the left and when the dog follows the treat with his head to the left, most of his/her body weight will also end up on the left front leg. When this happens, the right front leg will be nearly weightless! Gently place your hand behind that weightless leg and lift forward; the paw will come up in your hand. Let it rest there and simultaneously, say 'Good Shake!' and give your pet the treat. Soon, in anticipation of your hand lifting the paw, your dog will begin lifting it him/herself in order to receive the treat reward.