Patty Cake! Patty Cake! With your Dog!

Does your dog already know “High Five”? Then go further and teach her to play Patty Cake with you!

• Get on your dog’s level and have your dog sit in front of you.
• Put your right hand in front of her left paw and wait until she gives you High 5 with her left paw.
• If she gives her right paw, take away your hand and repeat until she gives you the left paw.
• Once she gives you High 5 with her left paw, praise and treat; repeat with your left hand and her right paw, always praising and treating every time she does it right and ignoring when she doesn’t.
• After a few repetitions, try one set; your right hand to her left paw and your left hand to her right paw (clapping in between to allow her to change paws); praise and treat after that.
• Once she gets the hang of what you want and is consistently offering the correct paw, try two sets and treat. Increase sets until you get up to eight or 10 sets. Don’t forget to sing along.

Remember to always have short training sessions and end them on a happy note. Have fun!