How to Train a Dog to High Five
- 1). Prepare your dog’s favorite treats. The better the treat, the more motivated your dog will be during training.
- 2). Make your dog sit. As with the “shake hands” trick, the “high five” trick is done while the dog is in a seated position. Reward your dog a treat for sitting.
- 3). Command your dog to “high-five” and let it put its paw in your lowered hand. Open your hand in front of your dog, near its chest and say, “high five.” Wait for your dog to put its hand in your paw. As soon as your dog’s paw hits your hand, reward it with a treat and say, "Good high-five!" Do not grab its paw. The goal is to get your dog to recognize that hitting your open hand, as opposed to your holding its paw, is the desired behavior.
- 4). Raise your hand higher so that your dog must lift its paw higher. Raise your open hand near the dog’s head and say, “high five.” As soon as your dog hits your hand with its paw, reward it with a treat and say, "Good high-five!" Notice that you will need to angle your open palm near a 45 degree angle away from your dog for a full-contact high five. If you leave your open palm straight, your dog’s nails will scratch your fingertips.
- 5). Alternate paws. Gradually change which paw you want your dog to give you a high-five. Once your dog can give you a high five with either paw, you can give your dog the extra challenge of giving you a high five with both paws.
