More Than a Party Trick

A dog offering its paw on cue gets a smile from everyone in the room. But the real payoff is hidden in the gesture. To shake, your dog has to lift a paw, place it in your hand, and let you hold it without yanking back.

Shake also wakes up your dog's sense of its own feet. Many dogs barely notice their back paws and treat the front ones like blunt tools. This body sense has a name: proprioception.