Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

"Feeling ashamed": teach your dog the paw-over-nose trick

8 min read

Why your dog feels no shame (and why that's a good thing)

Let's say it straight away: your dog feels no shame at all. The "guilty look" you think you're reading isn't a confession, it's an appeasement response to your attitude, your voice, your posture. Innocent dogs told off by mistake show exactly the same sheepish face (Horowitz 2009; Hecht et al. 2012). The name of the trick is a joke for us humans, not a canine emotion.

So what is this exercise really for? Nothing practical, and we own that. Its value lies elsewhere: short sessions of gentle handling around the nose, paid for and freely given, that keep up your dog's tolerance to contact on this sensitive area. A little nest egg that pays off later for all head care. And for you, it's a wonderful reading exercise: dialling this movement in as finely as possible means learning to watch your dog.

Two paths to the same trick: which one for your dog?

The classic method uses a little prompt: you create a tiny bit of mild discomfort (a sticky note on the bridge of the nose) that the dog learns to solve. Let's be honest, that's its ethical limit. Finely dialled in and faded out over a few sessions, it stays well within the bounds of force-free training (AVSAB 2021). But for a dog who's sensitive around the nose, or a puppy, we prefer the no-sticky-note path. Here's how to decide.

The sticky-note prompt

Your dog lets you rest a finger on the bridge of their nose, relaxed, without dodging.
You can read their signals and stop at the slightest sign of unease.
It's the quickest path: a few sessions are enough.

The no-sticky-note path (capturing or shaping)

Your dog is sensitive around the nose, or is a puppy.
You'd rather have zero induced discomfort, even if it takes longer.
Same end result: you watch for spontaneous nose-rubbing, or you shape the paw rising towards the nose.

First of all, check the prerequisite: briefly touch the bridge of the nose with your fingertip, as if brushing off a speck of dust. If this simple touch bothers them (backing away, head dodging), we work on that tolerance first, never the sticky note.

The sticky-note prompt, step by step

Very short sessions: three to five placements at most, then move on to something else and finish on a success.

marquer pendant le contact patte-museau

Place the sticky note and mark the movement

A tiny piece of sticky paper, barely tacky, in the middle of the bridge of the nose, away from the eyes and nostrils. Your dog lifts a paw to remove it: mark "yes!" the moment the paw touches the nose, take the note off yourself, and reward.

Never pay for a successful removal

It's the movement we reward, not the note being knocked off. A dog who removes it by themselves learns to get rid of a thing, not to place their paw: the trick would evaporate as soon as there's nothing left to remove.

Shrink the sticky note step by step

A smaller and smaller piece with each success: the annoyance fades, the movement stays. One criterion at a time.

Mime the placement without a sticky note

No more paper at all: the same touch of the finger on the bridge of the nose. Conditioned by the sequence, your dog lifts a paw. Mark, and offer a jackpot the first few times.

Add the cue "feeling ashamed?"

Said just once, right before the finger touch. Then fade the touch into a smaller and smaller gesture: often, a finger pointing towards the nose is enough.

Hold the pose, that's the charm of the trick

Delay your "yes!" slightly: the paw stays in place for one second, then two. That hold, nose hidden under the paw, is what makes the photo.

The "hide away" variation: nose under the cushion

A version with no sticky note at all, just a cushion on the floor and a treat.

Slip a treat under the cushion

Cushion on the floor, treat hidden underneath in full view of your dog. Mark the nose burrowing in to find it, and give an extra treat while their head is under the cushion.

Fade the lure

Empty cushion this time: mark the spontaneous burrowing, then add the word "hide away".

Respect their choice

We never press the cushion onto the dog, it's the dog who burrows in. A dog who doesn't like having their head covered has every right to say no: we move on to something else.

Pitfalls to avoid

At the slightest sign of skin irritation (redness, scratching that persists after the session), switch to the no-sticky-note path for good. And a dog who shakes their head a lot or scratches at their ears may be in pain: in that case, put the trick on hold.

The real benefit: a foundation for care

This purely charming trick leaves you a quiet gift: your dog has learned that hands coming near their head mean something pleasant, never pressure. That's exactly the basis of cooperative care, where the dog cooperates instead of enduring the examination of their mouth, ears or teeth. You've laid a first brick without even thinking about it.

American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
Horowitz, A. — Disambiguating the « guilty look » : salient prompts to a familiar dog behaviour (2009)
Hecht, J., Miklósi, Á. & Gácsi, M. — Behavioral assessment and owner perceptions of behaviors associated with guilt in dogs (2012)

Going further

guideTouch: the targetThe foundation trick from which half the repertoire is derived.Read the guide guideShake it off: the school of capturingLearning to mark a spontaneous movement at just the right moment.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you teach a dog to "feel ashamed"?

Stick a tiny, barely-adhesive sticky note in the middle of the bridge of their nose, away from the eyes. When they lift a paw to remove it, mark the movement with a "yes!", take the note off yourself and reward. Then shrink the note session after session, right down to the verbal cue alone.

My dog puts a paw on their nose, how do I turn it into a trick?

That's the whole idea of capturing: if they do it spontaneously (waking up, an itch), keep your treats on you and mark with a "yes!" during the movement. After a few captures, they start offering it; you can then add the words "feeling ashamed?" just before.

Can you teach this trick without tape?

Yes, and it's even the recommended path for a dog who's sensitive around the nose or for a puppy. Two options: capturing (you mark spontaneous nose-rubs) or shaping (if they already offer a paw, you reward the paw rising higher and higher). Slower, but zero discomfort.

Is the "ashamed" trick bad for the dog?

No, as long as it's well dialled in. The dog feels no shame, it's a joke for us. The only limit is the tiny discomfort of the sticky note: barely-tacky masking paper, nothing near the eyes or nostrils, and we stop at the first sign of genuine unease.

At what age can you teach a puppy tricks?

You can start little floor-based tricks very early, in short doses. For "feeling ashamed", go straight to capturing or shaping with a puppy, no sticky note: their nose is delicate, and the result will be every bit as lovely.

Do you need a clicker to teach this trick?

Not at all. A simple marker word, a crisp and cheerful "yes!", does exactly the same job: it marks the precise instant the paw touches the nose. Your voice even has an advantage, it's always available and it nurtures your bond with your dog.

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