How to Teach Your Dog to Give High-Fives! And Other Fun Tricks

How to Teach Your Dog to Give High-Fives! And Other Fun Tricks

Woofin’ It Pet Concierge is here to give you ALL the “How To’s” on teaching your dog to give High-Fives, plus some other fun tricks! 

The perfect time to start good habits! Whether you have a new puppy, recently homed a shelter dog, or want to brush up the skills of your older dog, make a resolution to teach your furry friend something new.

 

The key to training a well-behaved dog is consistency

Establishing predictable, acceptable responses to each situation helps your dog understand what behavior is expected. Since dogs do not generalize, teaching them to learn with consistent language, rituals and expectations will help them become a well-behaved companion.

Come, let’s explore some key fundamentals and fun tricks in dog training!

 

How To Sit  

Teaching your dog to sit is one of the most basic commands making it the perfect one to start with. It’s easy to teach and gives a positive experience to the training sessions for both you and your dog.

  • hold a treat by your dog’s nose
  • lift your hand and the treat until his head follows your hand. This will naturally cause his butt to lower to the ground in a sitting position. 
  • After he’s sitting, say the word “sit,” and give him a treat and praise.

 

Teaching Your Dog to Come When Called

One of the most important commands is come. With this command, you are teaching recall which is important for your dog to come back, on your first call, every time!

  • put a leash on your dog
  • get down to his/her level
  • gently pull on the leash commanding “come”
  • when he/she gets to you, reward with a treat

 

Asking Your Dog to Stay 

Once the sit command is mastered, stay is a great follow up command to teach.  Stay helps to establish more control over your dog’s actions.

  • command “sit” position
  • hold your hand up, palm forward, and say “stay”
  • Slowly take a few steps back
  • reward stay behavior with a treat
  • if he/she moves, start again!

 

Teaching Your Dog to Heel 

Make walking the dog a fun part of your day! Teaching the “heel” command eliminates leach tugging and allows for an enjoyable loose leash walk for both you and your dog.

  • with food/toy in hand, command “heel” and begging to move forward (the food/toy will encourage your dog to follow staying close to your side)
  • walk a few steps, if he/she gets ahead of you or tugs, stop and command sit
  • reward your dog with praise and food/toy once he can sustain a short distance, gradually grow the distance 

 

Asking Your Dog to “Leave It” 

Finally, “leave it” or “drop it” command is necessary to help keep your dog safe from ingesting unwanted substances as well as establishing self-control, ignoring the behavior.

  • place a treat in both hands
  • show one enclosed hand, command “leave it”
  • ignore attempts to gain the treat – barking, licking, scratching
  • once he/she stops trying to get the treat, give him/her the treat from your other hand
  • repeat until your dog moves away from your first hand when commanded “leave it”

All work and no play makes for a long day! Now that your dog has mastered some essential skills, it’s time to have some fun with a few super fun tricks.

 

“Shake Hands” 

A super fun and easy trick to teach is “shake hands”. Generally, dogs will raise their paw in anticipation of a treat so take their lead and with a little training they will gladly shake hands.

  • as the dog raises a paw in anticipation, command “shake”
  • gently place the dog’s paw on your hand and give the treat 
  • continue to raise hand your hand until the dog’s paw reaches his/her chest height
  • practice using the same paw until the trick is mastered, then you can add “other” command to switch paws

 

How to Teach Your Dog to Give a High five 

Everyone wants a high five! Once your dog has mastered the shake command, high five is a natural next step.

  • start similar to the “shake” command
  • hold your palm out and command “high five”
  • as the dog hits your hand, treat and praise him/her
  • the goal is to have your dog reach as high as possible to touch your open hand

 

Teaching Your Dog to Wave Bye!

So, you want to see the cutest thing ever! Staying with the paw tricks, teaching the say bye command is a combination of leave it and shake commands.

  • with your dog in “sit” position, show him/her an enclosed hand with a treat inside
  • he/she will paw, immediately give him/her the treat
  • repeat the process just out of reach, then by taking a few steps away 
  • the motion will resemble a wave

Pet parents who take the time to train their dogs enjoy a more fulfilling relationship with their canine companion. Training, along with exercise contributes to a happier, healthier, and more stimulating life for your dog.

 

Woofin’ it pet concierge loves giving you the pawfect tips and tricks for your pups!

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