Ok, whats with the paw - Page 1

I just saw Cates fab photos of dogs, and still am in awe. One photo got me thinking about the raised paw thing. I taught my dog to wave goodbye to my kid when he got on the bus. But lately he won't, on purpose.  Other times he just does it. He seems to do this naturally in a comforting way with younger kids, he raises his paw and leans a bit, and it totally disarms everyone. Other times he'll just plant it with an air of disdain. Can anyone give me some insight on this? 

Maybe he just doesn't want to say good-bye. lol

 Only hello? LOL!

Dogs will often hold up a paw when stressed.

Drake does the same thing, but not on command.  Not when he's stressed, but a lot of times when I pet him, he leans and puts his paw on my arm.  When he does this I usually give him a head/ear massage and he just melts (I can barley reach both hands across his big old head, LOL).  Also will do it when he's being brushed.  At the same time, he also gets a look in his eye, kind of like, "Ah, I love you.", then I melt.

A trainer told me that it is a sign of insecurity, stress.  Like when you're on the field and the dog gets a correction and is unsure what to do next while waiting for a command after having done something wrong.  It's like a sign of submission, the dog is saying you're the boss, please love me, tell me I'm a good dog sort of thing.

GSDtravels, what your dog does is completely different.  It's more like a sign of dominance, or possession.  He is telling you that you belong to him and you reward him with a head massage.  He's got you right where he wants you. LOL

Well, that doesn't surprise me!  I'm such a sucker

When Ranger was having prostate problems, I took him for an ultrasound. He was a very good boy, and the vet didn't need to sedate him. A vet tech held his head, and fed him cookies while she did the exam.

When she brought him back to the room where I was waiting, she said, "I need to write up my notes, and then we'll talk about my findings."

While she did so, I sat there and stroked Ranger's head, and he gave me a paw. After a minute or two, I thought it must be hard for him to keep his balance sitting on that slippery tile floor, so I let it go. He gave it back to me almost immediately. It was like a litte kid saying "hold my hand mommy, I'm scared!"

Yeah, I kind of melted...

Chuck Eisenmann trainer of the LIttlest Hobo dogs said they would give him the paw whenever they didn't understand something, or were having trouble figuring out how to do it.

I was just watching some reruns of the show this afternoon. It wasn't the world's greatest show, and was obviously shot on a low budget, but DAMN, those dogs sure put Lassie to shame! Chuck said the dogs were so darn smart that he'd make sure the cameras were up and running for the first 'take', as they'd get bored if they had to do it again, and the shot wouldn't be as good.