Clicker 5 - Targeting

This one is really fun & easy! You are going to teach your dog to touch something with his nose on cue. Do this because: it's fun, it's a good way to teach finishes, it can be used to desensitize a dog to nail clipping time, to teach agility, musical freestyle, & obedience trials exercises as well as for teaching service dog type behaviors. I teach it first because I think it is the best behavior for teaching both the owner & the dog just how clicker training works.
Here's what you do:

Stand in front of your dog (or kneel in front of a little one). Have a bunch of little treats in your right hand (just hanging at your side).

Quickly bring your left hand, empty, palm forward almost right up to his nose. I guarantee the first time he'll poke it, hoping it contains that treat he smells. Super! He touched you! C&T (Click & Treat), giving the treat from your right hand. Be sure you clicked just at the exact moment he touched your hand! If you aren't in time, don't click at all, just praise.

Do again & again, gradually moving your left hand a bit farther back so eventually he is reaching out or walking to touch it. But do it gradually - over several sessions. I knew my Rottie Teddy had the concept when she would reach out to touch my hand, but keep eye contact with me the entire time.

Now... at the seminar where I learned this from trainer Leslie Nelson, she said that many dogs will do this excitedly about 6 times, then lose interest & just look at you. Don't quit - just put your right hand (with the treat) behind your left for a time or two.

You can add the command (or "cue") pretty quickly because the behavior is so easy. As soon as your dog reliably touching your hand when you offer it, begin saying "Touch!" as you put your left hand out.

Next steps are to have your dog touch your right hand instead (treat from left) and start to become variable with rewarding.

Also have the dog start to jump up to touch!

To use it to teach a finish to the left, you swing your left hand way back with "Touch!", then after the dog has touched it back there immediately bring it forward again for another touch at heel position. Perfect finish! My obedience school partner, Susan, just taught her GSD puppy to do a great flip finish by using this by having him jump up to touch before coming around.

You can also then use the command "Touch" to mean touch other things. The first time or two you will need to point closely to the desired object but he will get the idea quickly.

Now you're ready for Attention, Please!

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continue on to clicker training 6 - "loose leash"