Teaching your dog to shake hands is a fun trick. You can train your dog to shake hands with any new person he meets or use it as a greeting for any time he greets you or others he already knows. Teaching your dog to shake hands can help keep him calm when you open the door and greet him after leaving him all day to go to work. 'Shake' is not only giving you his paw but keeping it long enough to connect and move paw and hands in unison. You can impress other dog owners, friends, neighbors, and people along your walks stop by teaching your dog to shake. Think of how impressed everyone will be when they see just how smart your pup is!
Teaching your dog to shake is an easy trick as long as he knows how to sit. So be sure your dog has basic obedience commands such as sit well under his belt before you move on to shaking hands. This is an easy one, so you and your dog will both have lots of fun with it. With a few different methods to try, you can pick the best one for your dog. If your dog already knows 'give me your paw', shaking is not much different it just takes a little bit longer to perform. Keep your sessions short and straightforward so your dog does not lose focus and you do not lose his attention.
To train your dog to shake hands, you are going to need some high-value treats. These might be cheese or hot dogs or something with a strong scent that will keep him interested until he earns the treat. Keep your training sessions to 5 to 10 minutes long just a few times a day until he gets it. And be sure to have lots of fun with your pup. Once your dog has shaking hands down, he can have fun with other people, shaking their hands.