Trick: Shake, give paw or high five

I’m a big fan of this. A good solid “paw” can really help with handling and nail trims. Check out my previous tip on trimming nails.

It’s also pretty endearing, dontcha think?

Your dog or cat may offer their paw, and if so it’s pretty easy to capture and put on cue. Even if they only lift the paw slightly at first, you can pop your hand in there and mark it, then add your word of choice later. Lucy (pictured left) was trained this way and we created a bit of a monster with it! Mummacat was also trained this way.

If it’s not offered, you can teach it other ways too. I taught Winston (pictured middle) by starting with the cue – offered my hand and said “paw” – I’d then pick up his paw and mark. It didn’t take him long!

Bonus points: use one cue for left paw and another for right. And try both “shake” and “high five” – a different verbal cue and hand signal will differentiate it.

Confession: I’m not sure who the pictured cat is, but it was on my phone and is pretty much the position we started capturing with Mummacat. Thank you if it’s yours.