Things You'll Need
- Puppy treats
Instructions
Make sure your puppy is the right age. You can start training your puppy when he is between 10 and 12 weeks old. While your puppy is not ready for complicated tricks at this age, he can handle simple tricks like waving.
Find a quiet place, free of distractions. To make sure that other people or animals don't get in the way of your lesson, work on training your puppy where you are unlikely to be bothered.
Have your puppy sit down and pay attention to you. If you have not trained your puppy to sit yet, gently push his bottom toward the ground until he is sitting. Make sure your puppy has his eyes on you to ensure he is paying attention to you. If your puppy is distracted, you can keep his attention by letting him see that you are holding a treat in your hand, then keeping your hand by your face.
Say the word "wave" while giving a hand signal. The combination of words and motions will do two things: It will reinforce the trick and it will eventually give you two ways of getting your dog to do the trick -- either by hearing the command or seeing the hand signal. For the hand signal, you may want to wave yourself or hold your hand up in a high five position.
Show your puppy what a wave looks like while repeating the command. Gently grab your puppy's paw and move it in a waving motion. Release the paw while it is still in the air so your puppy gets used to its paw being up while you're saying the word "wave." Repeat this a few times before stepping away from your puppy. Repeat the command to see if your puppy does it on his own.
Reward the wave. When your puppy does do a wave -- even a small one -- give him a treat and lots of petting and affection to reward his behavior.
Work for about 10-20 minutes at a time about two to three times a day every day. Working in short sessions will keep you and your dog from getting bored or frustrated. The consistent sessions will also ensure that your dog won't forget what you are working on.