Pet Talk Training Course #2 - GIVE PAW

[elizabethann]

Okay, here is a trick we can all teach our dogs this week. Give paw. Fenway will not give me his paw for the life of me. I've tried & tried. He just won't do it. Does he have something against giving his paw? Maybe I should try the other paw? He could be left handed and I don't even know it.

If you have pictures of your dogs giving you "the paw", post it.

And if you have any suggestions on giving "the paw", post that too.

[borzoimom]

How I train give paws, is to put a treat in one hand- let the dog sniff-then as the dog gets close enough, I close my hand, and turn my hand over- sniffs are ignored. at some point the dog will paw at the hand- turn the hand over and present the treat..

[Husky_mom]

I´ve tried several ways.......

with some dogs just placing my hand palm side up flat and ask "dame la pata" which is "give the paw" they paw.......with some I had to "pat" the inside of the leg of the paw i wanted to be given and as they lifted it i grabbed it and said the vocal command..........

later on I could say "give me the paw" and they give then "give me the other" and they switched paws.......so cute......

perhaps Fenway doesn´t likes to be touched in the paws (some dogs just don´t like that) you can try the "patting the leg" and see if he lift it (this is in a gentle way and then you can give a treat afterards.......

[Anita Cholaine]

with some dogs just placing my hand palm side up flat and ask "dame la pata" which is "give the paw" they paw.......with some I had to "pat" the inside of the leg of the paw i wanted to be given and as they lifted it i grabbed it and said the vocal command..........

The command I use with Anita for this is "dame la manita" or just "manita" (that means hand in spanish) because her front paws always seemed to be hands for me
Anyways, what I did to teach her this is very similar to what you said, Isabel. I didn't need treats here, only verbal praise. Once she learnt how to give one paw, I started trying with the other one. She now knows which paw I want by the hand palm I place.

I think I have a few pics of Anita giving the paw, I'll try to find them.

[critter crazy]

Rocky knows give paw very well, unfortunateky he gives paw all thetime! wether i ask for it or not!

[Kfamr]

I taught "paw" or "shake hands" by:

Putting the dog in a "SIT."
Taking the paw in my hand while saying the command of my choice.
Once I had the paw in my hand, I'd praise them.

They quickly learned that if thier paw is in my hand, they get rewarded.


Some dogs just don't like thier paws being touched. Kiara is one of them. She'll often give me her paw but only let me have it for a SHORT time and then she quickly pulls it away.

[Suki Wingy]

He learned it so long ago I can't remember how. We do shake and high 5. I'll have to get a video of shake this week. He'll only give me his left paw though, He'll barley let me touch the right one.
Attached is high 5.

[cyber-sibes]

I taught Star very early on to give paw. I would have her sit, then say "shake", then pick up her paw & shake it, followed by a treat. She caught on real quick.
Sherman was already an adult when we got him, and he HATES having his paws touched. So far I have been unsuccessful in teaching him anything but sit, which he does most beautifully, I might add!

I think Star is really a "south-paw"! It's the one she offers first.

[Canis-Lupess]

I find the method somebody else posted to be the most effective where you put a tasty treat in your hand and close your hand up when the dog tries to get it. Sooner or later, they try to displace your hand with their paw and then you praise them and open your hand up for them to have the treat.

Mine learnt within minutes. It might help to put your hand on the floor at first then gradually raise it up as the dog gets the idea. That way, the dog does all the work his his/her paw on their own rather than having it physically lifted by yourself. They get it much quicker if they do it themselves.

Now, my dogs automatically ask for any treats offered to them by giving a paw for it. They have to obey that command in order to get the treat. They do it to other people too and other people don't expect it, lol. They wave their paws frantically trying to touch the persons hand with them, lol. I have to explain what they are doing.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Put the dog in sit.

quickly poke the paw which will startle the dog into lifting it.

Tell her what a good girl she is. (or he, sorry everything is feminin for me )




It was pretty simple for Jenny. Just keep doing that over and over until you can remove the poke and use the word. I just used the word paw instead of give paw. Yea, I'm lazy and proud.

[Kfamr]

Hey - where's #3?