#Dog training touch hands signals how to#
#Dog training touch hands signals trial#

Your dog will have to lie down to get under the object to touch the target. Or you can lure a down by asking for a touch with your hand under a stool or your outstretched legs. For example, you can teach your dog to stand by asking for a touch from a sitting position. Obedience Training With Nose Targetingīecause your dog’s body will follow their nose, you can use touch to teach body positions. As before, now you can add distance and then distractions.

#Dog training touch hands signals trial#

Next, trial by trial, move the object toward the ground until you’re no longer holding it.

Once your dog is touching the object, on each subsequent trial, slowly move the object off your palm until you are holding it in your fingertips. If they hesitate to target the object, scent the surface by rubbing it with a smelly treat and try again. As the object is in the way, your dog should touch the object instead. Simply hold the object so it covers the palm of your hand. If your dog reliably touches your hand, you can transfer the behavior to other objects like a yogurt lid, Post-It note, or piece of clear plastic. Continue to raise your criteria until they are bumping their nose into your palm. Once they do that consistently, wait to click and reward until they come a little closer.

In the beginning, click, praise, and reward them simply for bringing their nose toward your hand or even looking in that direction. If they won’t place their nose directly on your hand, shape the behavior. That will guarantee they lean in to smell your hand.

If your dog is struggling, rub your palm with a smelly treat for the first few repetitions. In the end, you want your flat hand to be a cue your dog will run across the yard for. Once your dog understands the basics, you can also selectively reward the most enthusiastic nose bumps and ignore the tentative ones. To help build enthusiasm, use exciting treats and lay on the praise. It’s an incredibly easy way to earn a treat. Start with small diversions like another family member in the room and build up to larger ones like the dog park. Try moving your hand higher or lower, closer to your body or farther away, etc. Start by moving your hand a few inches farther away.

When your dog has a reliable nose target from a few inches away, you can add a verbal cue like “Touch.” Say the cue right before you present your hand, then click, praise, and reward when your dog touches your palm.

Train in different locations keeping distractions to a minimum.

Repeat the above steps until your dog is enthusiastically bumping your palm with their nose.

This placement of the reward will emphasize to your dog the position they are being rewarded for. Then praise your dog and offer them a treat directly in front of your open palm.

When your dog sniffs your hand, click at the exact moment their nose makes contact.

Hold your flat hand, palm out, an inch or two away from your dog.

The following steps will teach your dog to nose target: A clicker or marker word like “Yes” or “Good” can be extremely helpful to communicate to your dog exactly what they’re doing right. You can expand the behavior to objects once your dog has the basic idea. So, start training touch using your flat hand.

#Dog training touch hands signals how to#

How to Teach Your Dog to Nose Targetĭogs want to sniff everything, and your hand is no exception. Read on to learn how to train your dog to nose target. It can even help redirect an anxious or reactive dog. That makes touch incredibly useful for training everything from obedience behaviors to tricks. And where your dog’s nose goes, their head and body follow. But have you ever thought about directing that nose where you want it to go? Nose targeting, often called “Touch,” is all about having your dog touch a target with the tip of their nose. You likely know your dog experiences the world through their nose.