If you have ever felt like your dog runs the house, Willow the Cockapoo’s video is here to confirm it — and she does it politely, with her paw. Instagram user @willowthetoycockapoo_ shared the hilarious video, showing the beautiful dog turning bedtime into a very social event, during which she uses her paw to give people in her house a handshake “pass” to go upstairs.
Owner must shake dog’s paws at bedtime
You can see Willow dramatically racing up the stairs, stopping near the top landing, and waiting like she is on duty. And maybe she is. The video shows members of the household approaching the Cockapoo one by one, and before anyone can head upstairs, the dog stretches out a paw and gives them a good handshake. Every person repeats the routine as though Willow is checking names off a list.
Her owner joked in the caption, writing, “Feel like I’m paying a fiver to get into the club,” and honestly, Willow sells it. She stands at the top step like a tiny bouncer, making sure everyone pays with a gentle handshake before they go through, and so, viewers took no time with crowning her the boss of upstairs.
One comment read, “she is the gatekeeper of the upstairs. So funny how they create these weird little routines.” Another person suggested, “You should get her a little bouncer outfit for it.”
So why would Willow do something like this? Most of the time, it’s not about control but about routine and attention, because dogs love patterns — and if Willow learned that offering a paw earns her a little reaction, she has every reason to repeat it. Besides, a paw shake shows friendly behavior. Compared to barking, jumping, or zooming around, Willow’s handshake-then-pass rule is pretty reasonable.
Hence, Willow’s nightly paw checkpoint in the video is less about being a guard dog and more about being a bedtime hostess. And it seems like her owners will gladly pay this price of entry again and again.
