How To Teach Your Dog ‘Peekaboo’ For The Cutest Photos Ever

Before you start your training session, it’s a good idea to have everything you need on hand. This keeps the session flowing smoothly and your dog focused. The great news is, you don’t need any fancy equipment!

• High-Value Treats: These are the special snacks your dog absolutely loves and doesn’t get every day. Think small pieces of cooked chicken, cheese, or their favorite smelly training treats. The key is to use small, pea-sized pieces so you can reward them frequently without filling them up too quickly.
• A Clicker (Optional): A clicker is a fantastic tool for marking the exact moment your dog does the right thing. If you’ve never used one, don’t worry! You can use a simple marker word like ‘Yes!’ or ‘Good!’ spoken in an upbeat tone instead. Consistency is what matters.
• A Quiet Training Space: Choose a comfortable, quiet area of your home with minimal distractions. A living room or hallway without other pets or people walking through is ideal. This helps your dog concentrate on you and the task at hand.
• Patience and a Positive Attitude: This is the most important tool of all! Training should be fun for both of you. Keep sessions short (5-10 minutes is perfect), stay positive, and always end on a good note. Your dog feeds off your energy, so a happy trainer makes for a happy learner.

Alright, let’s get to the fun part! We’re going to break this down into simple, manageable steps. Remember to go at your dog’s pace and celebrate the small wins along the way.

Step 1: Introduce the Paw-to-Nose Target

The foundation of this trick is getting your dog to voluntarily touch their face with their paw. We’ll start by using a little lure.

1. Sit in front of your dog in a comfortable position.
2. Take a small, sticky treat (a tiny piece of cheese works great) and hold it between your thumb and index finger.
3. Hold the treat near your dog’s nose. When they lean in to sniff or lick it, gently move your hand towards the side of their face, near their eye.
4. To get the treat, your dog will likely lift a paw to investigate or try to pull your hand closer. The instant their paw makes contact with their own face (or even just comes close), click or say ‘Yes!’ and give them the treat.
5. Repeat this several times, always on the same side to start. We’re building a muscle memory connection: paw touches face equals reward.

Step 2: Fading the Lure

Once your dog is reliably lifting their paw to their face to get the treat, it’s time to remove the food lure from the equation.

1. Pretend to have a treat in your hand and use the same hand motion you did before, moving your empty hand from their nose to the side of their face.
2. When your dog lifts their paw to touch their face, click/say ‘Yes!’ and then reward them with a treat from your other hand. This teaches them that the reward comes after the action, not from the hand guiding them.
3. Gradually make your hand signal smaller and more subtle. Your goal is to eventually just point to their eye to cue the behavior.

Step 3: Adding the Verbal Cue

Now that your dog understands the physical motion, we can attach the verbal cue: ‘Peekaboo!’

1. Just before you give the hand signal, say your cue word ‘Peekaboo!’ in a clear, happy voice.
2. Give the hand signal. When your dog performs the paw-to-face action, click/say ‘Yes!’ and reward them enthusiastically.
3. After many successful repetitions, start to test the verbal cue alone. Say ‘Peekaboo!’ without giving any hand signal. If they do it, throw a jackpot of treats! If they hesitate, that’s okay. Just go back to pairing the word with the signal for a few more reps before trying again.

Step 4: Shaping the ‘Cover’ and Generalizing

The final step is to shape the paw touch into a more deliberate ‘cover’ and practice in different locations.

• Start rewarding only the best attempts—when their paw lingers on their face for a split second longer. This is called ‘shaping’ the behavior.
• You can also teach them to do it from behind objects. Have your dog sit behind a chair or a couch cushion. Say ‘Peekaboo!’ and reward them when they peek their head around the object. This adds another layer of cuteness to the trick!

Sometimes training doesn’t go exactly as planned, and that’s completely normal! Every dog learns differently. Here are some common hurdles and how to clear them.

My dog just licks my hand instead of using their paw.

This is very common! Try using a less ‘licky’ treat. You can also hold the treat more securely so they can’t just lick it out of your fingers. Another trick is to place a small sticky note or a piece of tape on their snout near their eye. Their natural instinct will be to use their paw to remove it. As soon as their paw goes up, click and treat! After a few reps, they’ll start offering the behavior without the sticky note.

My dog seems frustrated or bored.

This is a sign to end the training session. Always end on a positive note, even if it means asking for a simple ‘sit’ they know well and rewarding that. Keep your training sessions short and sweet—5 minutes is plenty, especially when learning something new. You can always do multiple short sessions throughout the day.

Expert Tip: If your dog is getting frustrated, take a step back. Are you asking for too much too soon? Go back to the last step where they were successful and practice that a few more times before moving forward. It’s all about building confidence!

They only do it on one side!

Dogs don’t generalize well, meaning they don’t automatically understand that a trick learned on the left side also applies to the right. Once they have mastered ‘peekaboo’ on one side, you can start the entire training process over again for the other paw. It will likely go much faster the second time around!

You’ve done the training, and your dog is a ‘peekaboo’ pro. Now it’s time for their photoshoot! Getting that perfect shot requires a bit of planning, but the results are so worth it.

Set the Scene

Choose a location with good, natural light. Near a large window is perfect. A bright room helps avoid blurry photos and captures the sparkle in your dog’s eyes. Also, consider your background. A simple, uncluttered background (like a plain wall or a neat patch of grass) will make your dog the star of the show. Grab a fun prop, like a colorful blanket or their favorite toy, to add a pop of personality.

Get Your Camera Ready

Whether you’re using a smartphone or a DSLR, make sure your settings are ready to go. If using your phone, tap on your dog’s face on the screen to ensure it’s in focus. Using ‘burst mode’ (holding down the shutter button) is a great way to capture a series of shots quickly, increasing your chances of getting that one perfect moment where their paw is in just the right place.

Cue and Capture

Here’s how to get the shot:

1. Get down on your dog’s level. Photos taken from their eye level are much more engaging.
2. Have your camera in one hand and a few treats in the other.
3. Get your dog’s attention, and then give the ‘Peekaboo!’ cue. As soon as they start the motion, start snapping photos!
4. Reward them with a treat and lots of praise right after, whether you got the shot or not. This keeps them excited to participate in the photoshoot.

Don’t be afraid to be silly! Make fun noises to get them to look at the camera. The best photos often happen in those spontaneous, joyful moments between the posed shots.