# Shake, paw trouble



## FUZBUTZ (Aug 23, 2008)

I hear you Raiko, our male spoo Rocky does exactly the same thing that your friends sheltie does. He gives us that look as if to say " how dumb is that, you give me lovin' and treats just to touch my paw"? He eventually will give us his paw, but is not really into it. Our female spoo Marlee, loves doing high fives, and give me ten. As soon as she is asked to do either one she is snapping to it. Rocky just looks at her like he thinks she is stupid for doing it. I can't understand why one loves it and the other could care less. Rocky is very smart and learns quickly, just not into paw tricks.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

I know its aweful you feel incomplete without the shake command. Especaially when all his bros can do it


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

I've had some success with those sort of guys, by waiting them out. Basically having a *really* tasty smelly treat in my hand, being prepared for slobber, and holding it infront of them, encouraging them to do whatever they want to get it out of my hand (ie NOT stopping them from trying to get the treat!) Ya gotta be prepared for it to take a while the first time though, and really meek dogs might just give up, so ya might have to keep 'teasing' them with the food, letting them lick it and then drop your hand a bit and let them keep trying to get at it. Most just sit there nibblign for a while, licking, poking, sitting nicely and *looking* at ya, but if you wait them out and keep encouraging them to try, I have had luck at them eventually trying to paw at it. MASSIVE praise and the treat etc! 

I wouldn't put him into a sit stay though, for obvious reasons!

Do you use a clicker at all? It can be useful to catch him shifting his weight from one foot or something too...


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

yeah, probably not a fantastic idea to put him in a stay  A clicker might help too. How is he with having his nails done/feet played with? 

I tried to teach Howie to shake but he just doesn't have it, I gave up after several years. He doesn't care to have his feet played with much at all either, or his nails done. He doesn't get really upset or anything but he gets this "Aww maaannn! Not again!" look on his face and kind of sulks the whole time we're doing it. 

Some dogs just don't have to trick training mindset I've decided, though Shelties are normaly pretty quick to pick them up. Howie REALLY loves it when it's his turn to do training but he seems to only enjoy doing a few tricks like dance and twist, but never sit up and beg or shake or anything like that


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

We used the clicker for Halo, but Riley is scared of the sound, he arches his back a little when ever he hears the noise so we stopped using it to keep training fun for him.
Riley is fine with having his nails and teeth done, you could flip him on his back, pick him up, anything you want to do to him he'll let you. But he does the tongue flick when you pick him up lol.


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

I did exactly what flyingduster did with a clicker for Desmond, but I'm sure a verbal cue would work just as well as a clicker since you said he's scared of it. As soon as he realized what I wanted and what would get him the treat, he was all over it. It took him a while the first time to paw, but after he did it once or twice he understood what I wanted. We use it for all sorts of stuff now: paw, high five, wave, and "pound it!" LOL.

I'm sure if you wait it out, he'll paw at you eventually to get to that delicious treat and you can give him oodles of praise and treats! Shelties are so smart that probably after the first time he paws and is immediately rewarded, he'll do it a bit quicker the second time, and a bit quicker the third time, etc until he's sure that pawing=treats.  good luck!


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

I am smiling although I know how frustrating it is to teach them tricks. 

But I am smiling because I sware shake is the one trick I have tought all 3 of my dogs pretty well and young lol. Now the problem for me is (everything else! hehe:doh a few commands COME, Down/Off 2 of the 3 are starting to jump and bark at people when they come to the house. 

Paw/Or shake. I start warming them up with others first, such as sit and lay down and come then I go to shake as it seems then its easier for them then the previous ones. 

How I trained them was by sliding my finger under their paw and pulling my finger towards myself their attention goes to their paw and I tap their leg on the side saying shake and it makes them move it back or up, once it comes up I shake it, say it and treat....I kept doing that with every dog and now all we do is hold out our hand and say shake.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

Ill try that Olie. We tried just holding his paw and he gave me a WTF... kinda look lol.
I'll also try some rrly good treats, would hotdog be good enough to get him excited enough to paw at me?


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

As much as I dislike giving crappy human food to dogs, I found that the high motivation treat that works best for me is cut up hotdogs shaken in a baggy with a little garlic powder.

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO STINKY.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Cheese or plain old hot dog or chopped lunch meat maybe. Peanut butter snacks are good too! I never fed them hot dogs to be honest (I dont like them yuck lol)


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## FUZBUTZ (Aug 23, 2008)

Olie said:


> Cheese or plain old hot dog or chopped lunch meat maybe. Peanut butter snacks are good too! I never fed them hot dogs to be honest (I dont like them yuck lol)


I don't care for hot dogs either, and when we do have them, like for chili dogs, we only use beef hot dogs for ourselves, but we always have a supply of mixed meat (cheap) hot dogs for our fur babies, who absolutely love them. When ever we have any type of meds that they may need to take, we hide it in a piece of hot dog, and they gobble it right up. Works every time.


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## Raiko (Aug 26, 2009)

Well I tried using his kong toy filled with just a peice of food. and it worked!
He loves his Kong.. he doesnt chew it though, he grabs it and throws it around and jumps on it and then when he gets tired out he chews on it to get the food out lol.

He gave me a lil whimper growl and pawed at me to give it to him =] hes still being a pain in the A though. He only does paw half the time but its a start.

I guess he was one of those play driven dogs not food driven. I never trained a play over food type dog before.. this will be interesting lol


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