How to Teach a Dog to Shake (Plus High Five and Wave)
To teach your dog to shake: ask for a sit, hold a treat in a closed fist at nose height and wait. Most dogs sniff, lick, then paw at your hand. The moment the paw touches, say "Yes!" and give the treat. After a few clean reps, present an open palm instead of the fist and say "Shake" just before. Then fade the treat from your hand and reward from your other hand or pocket. Once your dog gets it right about 8 times out of 10, move up the ladder: other paw, high five, wave. Keep sessions to 5-10 reps.
Before you start
Shake is one of the easiest tricks you can teach, which makes it a perfect first trick and a nice confidence boost for both of you. It works best if your dog already knows two things:
- A marker word, like "Yes!", or a clicker. It tells your dog the exact moment they did it right. If you've never used one, our clicker training guide shows how to "charge" it in a minute.
- Sit. Shake is done from a sit: it keeps your dog stable and stops them from jumping at your hand. Not there yet? Start with the basics in our dog training guide.
You'll also need small, soft treats and a quiet room. Pick your words now and keep them: for example "Shake" for the right paw and "Paw" for the left.
Shake in 4 steps
1. Treat in a closed fist
Ask your dog to sit. Hold a treat in a closed fist, low, at about chest or nose height, close to one front paw. Don't say anything yet. Let your dog figure out how to "open" your hand.
2. Mark the paw, not the nose
Your dog will probably sniff and lick first. Ignore that and wait. The instant a paw lifts and touches your fist: "Yes!", open your hand and let them have the treat. Do 5 reps, then take a break. If your dog never lifts a paw, try the capture method below.
3. Open palm and the word
Now hold your hand open, palm up, with no treat in it, and keep the treat in your other hand. Say "Shake" once, then present the palm. When the paw lands: "Yes!" and treat from the other hand. This is the step where the trick becomes "real": your dog is responding to the word and the hand shape, not chasing food.
4. Raise the bar
Wait for a slightly longer touch before marking, a second or so, so you get a proper "handshake." Practice in different rooms and from different positions. Then move on to the ladder.
Plan B: capture the paw lift
Some dogs, especially calm or very food-polite ones, just sit and stare at the fist. That's fine; you can capture the behavior instead:
- Lean the weight. With your dog sitting, move a treat slowly to one side of their head, past the shoulder. As they shift their weight, the opposite paw often lifts a little. Mark even a tiny lift.
- Reward the natural moment. Many dogs lift a paw when they're excited or asking for something. Keep a treat handy and mark it when it happens on its own.
- Shape it up. Reward a small lift a few times, then wait for a slightly higher one, then for a touch on your hand. Each step is small enough that your dog keeps winning.
Avoid lifting the paw for your dog with your hand. Some dogs tolerate it, but many don't like their feet handled, and it teaches them to wait for you instead of offering the behavior.
The shake ladder: other paw, high five, wave
Once shake is solid, you get three more tricks almost for free. Climb one rung at a time and only move up when the current one is reliable.
| Rung | Your hand | Ready to move on when | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shake | Open palm, low, facing up | 8/10 on the word, no treat in the hand, in 2 sessions | Reward from the other hand |
| 2. Other paw | Open palm near the other paw | 8/10 with the right paw for each word | Use a different word; present your hand on that side |
| 3. High five | Raised, palm facing the dog | 8/10 with your hand at shoulder height | Raise your hand a few inches per session |
| 4. Wave | Raised, then pulled away before the touch | Paw lifts in the air on the word, no touch needed | Mark the moment the paw is highest |
"8 out of 10" is a handy rule of thumb, not a scientific threshold: it simply means your dog is succeeding most of the time, so they're ready for a little more challenge. If they drop below that on the new rung, make it easier for a few reps.
Want to keep going? Shake pairs nicely with other tricks in our list of tricks to teach your dog, from easy ones like spin to roll over. Tricks are also great brain games for rainy days.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Only licks or nibbles the fist | Licking has worked before | Wait it out silently; if nothing after 20 seconds, try the capture method |
| Mouths or bites at your hand | Too excited, or the treat smells too good | Use a lower-value treat, hold the fist lower, take a play break first |
| Stands up or jumps at your hand | Hand too high, or sit not solid | Ask for sit again, keep your hand close to the paw |
| Won't lift a paw at all | Unsure, or physically uncomfortable | Shape tiny lifts; if your dog seems stiff or sore, check with your vet |
| Paws at you all the time now | Pawing got rewarded without a cue | Reward only on cue; end sessions with "All done" and ask for a sit instead |
| Offers the wrong paw | Both words still mean "any paw" | Go back to one paw per session, hand clearly on that side |
Whatever happens, skip corrections. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based methods only: for tricks, a mistake just means "no treat this time, try again."
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FAQ
How long does it take to teach a dog to shake?
Many dogs offer the first paw lift within one or two short sessions, because pawing at a hand is natural for them. Getting a clean shake on the word alone, without a treat in your hand, usually takes a few days to a couple of weeks of 3-5 minute sessions.
What age can a puppy learn to shake?
Puppies can learn shake as soon as they know a marker word and a few easy cues like sit. Keep sessions to 2-3 minutes for young puppies and stop while they are still keen.
My dog paws at me all the time now. What do I do?
Only reward the paw when you asked for it. If your dog paws without a cue, calmly look away or put your hands behind your back, then ask for something else, like sit, and reward that. End sessions with a clear signal such as "All done."
What is the difference between shake and high five?
In shake, the paw lands in your open palm held low and facing up. In high five, your hand is raised with the palm facing the dog, so the paw meets it higher up. Wave is a high five where your hand moves away before the paw touches, so the dog lifts the paw in the air.
Is shake a good trick for senior dogs?
Usually yes: it is a gentle trick done from a sit. Keep your hand low so your dog does not have to lift the leg high, and skip it if your dog shows pain or stiffness in the shoulders or elbows. Ask your vet if you are unsure.
Teaching a young puppy? See our puppy training schedule for when tricks fit in.
Sources
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (2021). Position Statement on Humane Dog Training.