How to Teach Your Dog to Wave

You will need your dog's undivided attention when teaching the wave.

Teaching your dog to wave is no different from teaching your dog to sit, stay and come. It relies on positive reinforcement. This means you reward the behavior you want to train, and you ignore the behavior you do not want to reinforce. If your dog is already trained in basic obedience, teaching her to wave will be a snap. If your dog is not well trained, you will need to get her trained in basic obedience before you can teach her to wave.

Things You'll Need

• Treats

Instructions

1. Begin by teaching your dog to shake hands. Ask your dog to "sit" and "stay." With your dog in the "sit" position facing you, say "shake" and put out your hand. If your dog does not "shake," gently tap her paw. If she still does not lift her paw, tap it again. You may have to actually lift the dog's paw and hold it for a second. Understand that dogs will reflexively pull back when the paw is held in this position. Allow her to drop her paw, and then repeat the process of tapping while saying "shake." When she lifts her paw to shake, even a little, give her a treat and praise enthusiastically.

2. Decide what your vocal command will be. Consistency is important when teaching a dog a new trick, so think it through before you start. One-syllable commands are always easiest for dogs to understand and remember, so you could just tell your dog to "wave." If you want to try something a little showier, say "hi" or "hello" and accompany the command by waving your own hand. When your dog responds to your greeting by waving back, give a treat and praise.

3. Kneel in front of your dog and hold out your hand as if you just want her to shake hands. Raise your hand higher and higher each time, until you are holding your hand vertically and your dog is only touching her paw to your hand almost like a high five - no longer placing her paw completely in your hand.

4. Once your dog is reaching up high and tapping your hand, you can start using the new command by name. When she seems to have the hang of this action, back away from your dog about a foot and hold your hand up for the wave. When your dog tries to touch your hand with her paw, pull your hand away but praise her and give her a small treat.
   When you pull your hand away, she may get confused or think she's done something wrong. Giving her praise helps reinforce the action and shows her she's doing well.

5. Slowly move further away from your dog as she practices, tossing her a treat each time she performs the trick successfully. Eventually, she will stop trying to give you her paw and just raise it in the air, giving you the expected greeting.

Tips & Warnings

• When praising your dog be sure to use the name of the trick. Rather than a well-intentioned "Good dog," say "good wave, Charlie, good wave." Combining the command name with the (hopefully) familiar word "good" will help your dog understand exactly why she's being praised.

• All these treats and rewards can really add up. When using food to teach your dog a new trick stick to small treats or pieces of dog food and leave the larger treats for special occasions.

References

• Pet Wave: Behavior and Training

Resources

• Love Your Dog: Wave Command