How to Teach Your Dog to Paw with Louise and Ivy

Written by Crystal Moore | Last updated 22/11/24

There are various benefits to training your dog, and learning how to teach your dog to paw is one of the easiest tricks for your dog to grasp. Along with the paw command, there are other basic commands that can be beneficial for your dog to learn, such as sit, leave it, stay, and lie down.

Having your dog learn these basic commands strengthens the bond between you, builds their confidence and is a great mentally stimulating activity. Moreover, it ensures your dog's safety in everyday life.

If you want to learn how to teach your dog to paw, continue reading the blog. Your dog will give their paw in no time with consistency and patience!

Train your dog to 'paw' using this video

5 steps on how to teach your dog to paw

Step one:

To start, get your dog into the sit position. Grab one of your dog's training treats and hold it in front of them in a fist. Your dog will sniff and raise their paw towards your hand holding the treat. Immediately mark with a clicker or verbal cue like "Yes!" and reward them with a treat.

Step two:

Repeat step one as many times as needed until your dog touches your fist confidently. Don't forget to keep each training session short and sweet, and remember, each dog learns at their own pace.

Step three:

Once your dog is confidently giving their paw, offer an open palm and begin to use your command word "paw". When your dog gives their paw, mark and reward this behaviour.

Step four:

Again, repeat step three as many times as needed until your dog consistently gives their paw.

Step five:

When you think your dog is ready, try using your command word "paw" before offering your open palm. If your dog performs the behaviour, mark and reward it.

It's essential that you keep training sessions fun for your dog, as this will help them stay motivated and make training easier and more efficient. If you find that your dog is struggling to pay attention, take a break and revisit the training session again later in the day or the next day. If your dog is continuously struggling on a step, ensure you are following the steps correctly or revisit the previous step to make sure your dog is confident. Remember, practice, patience and positive reinforcement are key to success!

Our Experts Top Training Treat Picks:

With dogs that are food-motivated, using treats as part of your training sessions is crucial! Just as importantly, choosing the right treats for training is vital. For example, a lot of dog owners use cheese when teaching their dogs to heel. However, cheese is high in fat and wouldn't be the best option to use in every training session as there is a possibility of overfeeding and unintentionally causing the dog to gain weight.

For everyday training sessions, especially those that are easier, it's best to choose treats that are low in fat and tasty, such as fish treats.

Natural fish treats can have a strong smell that dogs find incredibly enticing. Not only that, whitefish treats typically contain around 2.56% fat and are low in calories.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a dog to learn paw?

Overall, it usually takes a few days for a dog to fully grasp and learn how to paw consistently. However, some dogs may pick it up instantly, whereas others may take a little longer than a few days.

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