To Teach Paw, or Naw? That is the question.
During initial consultations, owners often exclaim their dog knows a handful of behaviors really well, but struggles with others. Unfortunately “shake” or “give paw” is typically one they know well. I’m always cognizant to be kind when informing them how this trick could be counterproductive and often contributes to the problem behaviors. Like anything else, it takes time and effort to train this trick, and owners are usually proud of their accomplishment. Not to mention it’s pretty adorable, so why wouldn’t people teach it?! I’m not here to shame, so let me explain….
I’m not saying to never to teach paw/shake. But at a young age I would much rather see owners working on proper handling and husbandry exercises than asking for “shake/paw” for things like nail trims or wiping off paws. Get the puppy used to having their legs, paws, ears, mouth, etc. touched and manipulated regularly.
The real downside to teaching paw/shake comes when owners do so at a young age. I never* recommend teaching it to a dog that’s younger than a year old OR that rehearses any undesirable habits/behaviors. Aside from potentially being annoying, teaching shake/paw to a dog that hasn’t mastered basic manners and obedience skills can be dangerous. Some dogs paw softly and sweetly, and others paw like they are Thor dropping the hammer (Bera). Depending on the owners (or a visitors) age and size, this seemingly innocent, nuisance behavior could lead to scratches, bruises, or even loss of balance/footing.
Unless several skills are already established, once the dog learns good things happen when they give you their paw, you may very well be pawed at for everything.
You ask for a down? Naw, here’s my paw.
You look at them? Hey friend! Here’s my paw!
They want attention/affection? Love me please, here’s my paw. Now please?! *Offers paw again*
They want what you’re eating? Paw paw paw paw paw (and maybe a bark)?!
It also can encourage them to jump up and put their paws on you (cute while they’re a puppy, but not as a full grown dog).
Again, I’m speaking from experience. I used to joke and say Bera was aggressively affectionate, sad but true. I’ve been pawed in the eye, given a fat lip, and gotten claw marks so deep they’ve left nearly foot long bruises. We’ve done a lot of un-learning, but at times some of those old habits still surface. We’re not perfect, but if our (my) mis-steps can help others learn, I’m here for it.
Now, you might be thinking: that all sounds a bit extreme… I can deal with some annoying behaviors from time to time. They’re so sweet and I love them so much, I don’t really mind some pawing here and there.
But here’s the big issue — it’s a correlation not many people see. This issue lies more in how your dog perceives this. Allowing the adorable requests for affection (them pawing at you) clouds the line of communication and level of expected behavior. The dog learns it’s okay to be “pushy” in one context, but what about the others?
Picture this… You have an injury and cannot allow your dog to pull on the walk. You need them to walk at your side because if they don’t your injury will get worse. The more they rehearse their un-requested pawing, the harder not dragging you up the street becomes when they see something they want to see/sniff/chase. This is just one example. Everything matters, it’s all connected.
Now, if you MUST, or WHEN you want to teach paw/shake… these are the things I recommend having a handle on first:
Your dog has a solid sit and a solid down (preferably on just a verbal—often when you point to the ground for down is when they’ll paw)
Your dog should know the difference between sit and down
They no longer jump on you/guests
They have good impulse control around food (you’ve probably taught a release word/permission)
They don’t paw at you/others for attention, or if they do, you can successfully have them stop
Having a dog that knows how to give paw/shake CAN be beneficial for things like nail trimming, wiping off muddy/wet paws, putting on a harness, trimming grinch toes, inspecting paw pads for injuries, using mushers balm, or putting on doggie boots, etc.
Once your dog is well behaved and understands this “shake/give paw” trick, it’s a nice lead into consent based training. For a very brief explanation of consent based training let’s take nail trims for example. You present the nail clippers and hold out a hand. They offer you their paw and you trim-trim-trim, until they move their paw away to which you stop. You continue to trim only once they offer their paw again, and stop again when they remove it. The idea is, now that they understand what you want, we give them more of a say in it, and consider how they feel. I will say, this has been a game changer for me and my personal dogs on the topic of nail trims.
Just like most things in life, there’s a time and a place for everything. Let this be a reminder that the time for teaching paw isn’t until your dog is at least a year old.
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*Disclaimer: Almost everything in dog training is nuanced — meaning there’s SO many exceptions, “it depends,” and case-by-case scenarios.
It’s hard to use the words never and/or always. There are usually outliers, but keep in mind when I type, I’m referring to the bulk of dogs & owners.
Some dogs can differentiate between understanding pushiness for pets is OK but pushiness on the walk is not / Some owners can enforce rules around only one topic and it may not affect the other.
Owners that have taught an “ending” cue like “all done” or “enough” may be able to turn their dogs pawing “off” and it may not be an issue
So much of this is nuanced. If you give into requests for pets once does it mean your next walk is going to suffer? Not necessarily. A lot of this is a sliding scale. But hopefully if you are struggling in some areas, this puts things into perspective with how the dog may be viewing things.
