Q&A for How to Train a Dog to Give You Its Paw

Most dogs don't like it when people touch their paws. Start when the dog is relaxed, maybe even resting, and gently pick up a paw. Giving it a treat while doing so may also help. If you want the dog to associate this action with a specific word like "shake" say the word as you deliver the treat.

You have the dog sit and offer it a more desirable object (like a treat or another toy) and tell it to "give" you the object you want it to give to you.

To teach "give," make this a fun game of swapsies. Start with two identical toys. Play with one to make it interesting and then let the dog have it. Let the dog hold it for a short time, then show them the other (identical toy). Most dogs then drop the one they're holding, at which point, say "Give," and allow them to have the duplicate. Keep repeating this.

Clicker training is advantageous for this. Mark the moment the dog smiles naturally with a click, say "Smile," and reward him. The dog will start to realize that smiling is rewarded and then, when they hear "Smile," offer this action.

Sometimes dogs don't keep focus. Try putting her in a quiet place with no noise. If that doesn't work, get her different treats that she might enjoy!

If he stands up then keep telling him to sit. Also, don't give him the treat until he sits for the whole time.

You can train your dog not to bite when going for a treat. Whenever she nips at your hand, firmly tell her "no biting" and withhold the treat for a few seconds. When she goes for the treat again, tell her to "be gentle." If she bites again, you may have to thump her on the nose and tell her "no biting" again. It will take a little while, but when she gets it right, reward her with the treat. What this should do is associate biting with not getting a treat (and possibly getting thumped) and the words "no biting" and "be gentle" with the behavior that you want from her. You should probably teach her how to be gentle apart from teaching her how to grab paw, so the two aren't so closely associated that she only understands being gentle after grabbing paw.

It might take more time to teach a smaller dog, but yes, little dogs can learn all sorts of tricks!!

Have you tried to lure train, slowly moving the treat to where you want the nose of your dog to end up? Putting the treat here will more likely encourage the dog to go to the position you want it to be in.

Teach her the sit command first. Once she has learned sit, then you can work on the paw command. Once she is sitting, reach down and touch the paw you want. If she lifts it up in protest, quickly put your hand under it and give her the verbal command and the treat, along with verbal praise. If you practice this with your dog she will soon understand the command.

When you are telling your dog to sit put the treat above his head. He thinks you want him to lie down when you put on the floor because he sees it on the floor so he goes down to get it. Just put it above his head.

This depends on how quickly your dog learns and whether your dog is most motivated by food/treats, verbal praise, play or affection. Once your dog is doing the trick consistently with a treat--this could be as soon as a couple of sessions or it could take a week or more; just be consistent with daily training to keep it fresh in your dog's mind--then try just praising your dog and petting it a bit, then give it a treat the next time it does the trick. Gradually start supplanting treats for the next-best motivator for your dog: verbal praise, affection or both. Be patient, as some dogs are just easily distracted or can be slow learners, and those motivated primarily by treats will be more difficult to wean off of them.

When your dog nips at your paw, firmly tell it "No". If it continues to perform this act, show it the treat and back your hand away while saying "No". You can also try grabbing its paw and showing excitement when it doesn't pull away and rewarding them with the treat.

Yes. Young dogs tend to be easier and quicker to train, but yours is still able to learn.

Get your dog to sit. Then, gently pick up the desired paw and say, "Paw." Your dog will then start to understand.