He Taught His Dog To 'Shake' — The Dog's Unstoppable New Habit Is Now Ruining Every Dinner Party In The Best Way
The trick took one afternoon to teach. Undoing it may take years.
It was his first trick, taught in a single triumphant Saturday: shake. Paw meets hand, treat appears, everyone celebrates. What his owner failed to anticipate is that the dog would conclude, permanently, that shaking hands is currency accepted everywhere, at all times, by everyone.
The dog now shakes unprompted and relentlessly. Sitting quietly? A paw lands on your knee. Ignoring him? Paw. Holding a plate of appetizers at a dinner party? Paw, and now your crab cake is on the floor, which the dog considers a bonus transaction.
Guests are targeted with special enthusiasm because new humans might not know about the deal. One friend was 'paid' fourteen times in an evening. The dog has offered his paw to a delivery driver through a cracked door, to a toddler who fell over, and once, solemnly, to the vacuum.
Trainers say this is a classic case of a behavior 'self-reinforcing' — everyone laughs and shakes the offered paw, paying him every time. His owner has accepted the situation: 'I taught him one trick. He turned it into a career. Honestly? Respect.'
