Having a dog as a pet is one of the most beautiful feelings ever, but what brings more happiness is when your furry buddy masters a trick or two. That’s correct! We all have tried so hard to teach our dogs some tricks or the other, and to be very honest, the ‘high five’ is without a doubt, the most favorite among them all. So do you also have a dog and really want to teach them one of the oldest tricks in the book? Well, you have come to the right place. We will take you through a step-by-step guide on how you can teach your four legged friend to high five, or as most call it “give paw”!
How do you Teach a Dog to High Five
Teaching your four-legged buddy how to ‘give paw’ or how to high five you is quite straightforward, provided you follow these simple steps that we are about to reveal to you.
1. Do Not Start By Grabbing The Paw
What most of us do when we teach our dog the high five tricks is by grabbing the paw straightaway. But no, do not do that. This action will not make much sense to your buddy, and moreover, there are many dogs that have sensitive paws. And if you grab them right away, they might get afraid and doing the high five tricks could become all the more difficult to teach.
2. ‘High Five’ or ‘Give Paw’
So before moving ahead, you should know what you want to call the trick so that it becomes easy for your dog. Either stick to ‘high five’ or go with ‘go paw’. It is important to not confuse your buddy, because it might become difficult for them to understand you. Hence, take a call before you begin the teaching session.
3. Begin with A Treat
The best way to begin the teaching session is by using treats, and you will need lots of it. First up, grab hold of your dog’s favorite treat and place it in your hand and make a tight fist. Hold it close to your buddy’s nose and wait till he gets impatient and tries to paw at your closed hand. As soon as they do that, pet him on the hand and tell him he did well, and then give the treat to him as a reward. Keep repeating time five to seven times.
4. Going All In
After practising the above, it’s time to go all in now. You have to follow the same process of keeping a treat in your hand and making a fist. But this time, before your buddy lifts his paw towards your fisted hand, let out the words “high five” or “give paw”. Keep saying it till your buddy reaches your fist. Repeat this process five to seven times and do not forget to reward your buddy for doing good.
5. Repeat, Without Treats
Once you’ve managed to do that successfully, it is time to move to the next step. It’s the same as the last but this time, you’ll have to repeat the procedure without any treats in your fist. Keep doing this several times till your dog knows what ‘high five’ or ‘give paw’ actually means. And yes, you can reward him with treats only if he does good.
6. Practice Makes Perfect
Last but not least, keep practicing the trick with your furry buddy until he masters it. You might think he has gotten a hang of it on the first day itself, but you’ll still have to practice it with your buddy for a few more days, just in case.
That’s it! Go on, teach your buddy this trick and let us know through social media if you’ve successfully managed to teach your dog the ‘high five’ trick. We will be waiting to hear from you.
Also, it is important to note that while you teach your dog to ‘high five’, this can be stressful and can cause anxiety to your furry buddy. That is why we recommend using Anxitane Chewable Tablets For Dogs. These behavioral tablets help in curbing stress and anxiety in dogs. Moreover, you can get these quality tablets at the most affordable rates only on OurPetWarehouse!
About Author: Joshua Scott is a Freelance Blogger, writer, and model who live in Los Angeles. Joshua has been writing online for the past 4 years. He loves to write articles and blogs on a niche like Pets, Animal, Modeling, Healthcare & Traveling. He is passionate about spreading knowledge & tips across the world.
