Shake A Paw → Back to You (Bowl)
Shake → Back to You (Bowl) takes a familiar trick and turns it into a clean engagement loop. Instead of just doing a behaviour and that’s it, your dog learns that finishing the shake is followed by re-orienting back to you for another step.
This game blends a known behaviour with structure, helping dogs practise follow-through, and smooth transitions without adding speed or pressure.
What You’ll Need
An open, quiet space
Small, tasty treats
A small bowl or plate to place the food on
How to Play It
Place a bowl on the ground a short distance away from you.
With your dog nearby, ask them to shake a paw.
When their do, mark and place a treat in the bowl— 🚫 no treat to mouth.
Repeat the pattern Shake → Bowl → Back to You
3 in 3 Breakdown
Skills
Engagement
Your dog practises finishing reinforcement and immediately re-engaging with you as the food appears at every angle around you.
Re-engagement with delayed reinforcement
Because the next treat is placed rather than tossed, your dog learns to re-engage without relying on visible movement to pull them back.
Focus and attention
Your dog needs to pay attention to where the food will show up but also focus on you and your movements to earn the reinforcer.
Enrichment
Cognitive enrichment (mental stimulation)
Your dog tracks the pattern, remembers what comes next, and stays engaged in the loop. It’s simple, but it still requires focus and thinking.
Social enrichment
You’re actively doing this together. It’s real one-on-one time that feels more like fun than work, building communication, cooperation, and connection.
Confidence building
The predictability of the game creates fast, easy wins. Your dog knows what’s coming and how to succeed.
Movement
Single-limb weight shifts
Paw shake asks your dog to momentarily balance on three legs, shifting weight and stabilizing through the rest of their body. Repeating this in short, predictable reps builds coordination and body awareness.
Body awareness
Shifting from balancing on 3 legs back to 4 while moving to the bowl requires a a lot of coordination.
Controlled movement away from a stationary food source
Moving to and from a fixed bowl helps your dog practise turning away from food and reorganising their body smoothly without relying on motion to guide them.
