Kroki

Question · Puppy

How do I teach my puppy to give paw?

The short answer

Hold a treat in your closed hand at your puppy’s chest height and wait. Most puppies soon paw at the hand. The moment the paw touches it, say your marker word and give the treat. After a few good tries, say “Paw” just before you offer your hand. Keep sessions to one or two minutes. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs, teaches the marker word and short sessions this trick builds on.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Pick a calm moment and tiny treats

    Start when your puppy is awake but not wild, for example after a nap and a wee break outside. Use treats the size of a pea, so ten tries don’t fill a small tummy.

  2. Let the paw find your hand

    Kneel down, hold a treat in your closed fist low in front of your puppy’s chest and keep still. Ignore licking and nibbling. Most puppies try the paw within a minute, because the nose alone doesn’t open the hand.

  3. Mark the paw, then pay

    The instant the paw touches your fist, say your marker word (“Top!”) and open your hand. The timing matters more than the treat: the marker tells your puppy exactly which move earned it.

  4. Swap the fist for an open hand

    After five clean tries, hold out an empty open palm and reward from your other hand. Now your puppy learns that the paw goes into your hand, not onto the food.

  5. Add the cue and stop early

    Say “Paw” once, then offer your hand. Stop after three to five good tries, while your puppy still wants more. Two or three short sessions spread over the day are plenty.

Teaching a grown dog instead?

A grown dog can usually concentrate longer and has steadier balance, so sessions can last a few minutes and you can teach the second paw on its own cue. Dogs that dislike having their feet touched need a slower route: reward a lifted paw first and a touch later. The page for grown dogs has the details.

Why short, spread-out sessions suit puppies

How often you train changes how fast a dog learns. Dogs trained once a week needed fewer sessions to learn a task than dogs trained five times a week (Meyer and Ladewig 2008). In a study with 44 beagles, dogs trained once or twice a week learned faster than dogs trained daily, and one session at a time worked better than three in a row (Demant and colleagues 2011). For a puppy that tires quickly, that means short sessions with breaks in between.

What you pay with matters too. Dogs stayed close to a person for much longer when that person stroked them than when the person only praised them; praise alone drew them no closer than no attention at all (Feuerbacher and Wynne 2015). For a new trick, a small treat is the clearest payment; kind words can come along with it.

Reward-based training is also the kinder choice, without costing results. A review found that aversive methods can harm a dog’s physical and mental health, with no evidence that they work better than rewards (Ziv 2017). In a trial with 63 pet dogs, the reward-based group answered “Sit” and “Come” better after a single cue than the groups trained with remote electric collars (China, Mills and Cooper 2020).

My puppy won’t lift its paw: what now?

  • It sits and stares: lower your fist to the floor between its front paws. Many puppies paw at food on the ground sooner.
  • It mouths your hand: keep the hand still and wait. If teeth press hard, pull away calmly and try again a minute later with a less exciting treat.
  • It lies down: practise when it is less sleepy, or reward the moment it shifts its weight before a paw comes up.
  • It uses the other paw: reward it anyway. Many dogs lean towards one paw (Wells 2003), and you can name each paw later.

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the paw for your puppy. It learns to wait for you instead of offering the move.
  • Saying “Paw” again and again. Say it once; if nothing happens, make the next try easier.
  • Sessions that run too long. After two minutes most puppies get silly, so end on a success.
  • Rushing into “sit pretty” or jumping tricks. Give paw is gentle on young joints, but tricks that put a puppy’s weight on its hind legs can wait until it is fully grown.

When to see a professional

Give paw is a gentle trick. Talk to a professional first if:

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

At what age can a puppy learn to give paw?

Most puppies can start learning give paw at eight to ten weeks, once they have settled in at home. Keep each session to a minute or two and stop while your puppy is still keen.

How long does it take to teach a puppy to give paw?

Many puppies offer a paw within their first few short sessions. A paw that comes reliably on the cue takes longer and grows with practice spread over several days. Short, spread-out sessions help more than one long one.

Should I use a clicker or a word?

Either works. A marker word like “Top!” is always with you, and a clicker is a little more precise. Pick one and use it the same way every time, followed by a treat.

Why does my puppy scratch me when it gives paw?

Puppy nails are sharp and the movement is still clumsy. Reward the softer touches, keep the nails trimmed and practise on your open palm rather than your arm.

Why does my puppy put its paw on me without being asked?

Pawing is an easy way for a puppy to get attention, and it keeps working if you react. Once the trick is on cue, reward the paw only when you asked for it and calmly ignore the uninvited one.

Can I teach give paw and high five at the same time?

Teach one trick first. Once give paw comes easily, raise your open hand a little higher, reward the paw that reaches it and give that move its own name, such as “High five”.

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