You might be surprised to learn that the "touch" skill is often one of the first things a positive trainer teaches any dog they work with. This is because it's such a versatile skill for dogs to learn and can be used in many different and powerful ways.
The Touch skill isn’t as well known as other cues, but it's a very useful skill for dogs to learn. "Touch," sometimes referred to as hand targeting, happens when your dog moves towards or follows your hand, eventually touching it with his nose.
Imagine being able to prompt your dog to walk next to you on the leash, move him away from the front door with a simple hand motion, or come to you when you call. The touch skill is a foundational cue for all these behaviors and is a great first cue to teach a new puppy. It can be used to help dogs tolerate the approach of a human hand, (something that is likely to happen many times throughout their lives) and to move dogs away from situations that might be overwhelming. The applications for Touch are endless!
See how it’s done! Enroll now in Victoria’s Touch course to learn and teach this important life skill.
How to Teach Your Dog to Touch on Cue
- You’ll begin by teaching this skill in a quiet place using small food treats.
- Begin by lowering your hand to the height of your dog's nose. When your dog naturally performs the desired behavior (touching his nose to your hand), reward that behavior with a treat and the word “yes!” This is called “marking” the desired behavior.
- As a next step, you’ll associate a cue word with the desired behavior and then give a reward.
- As the association becomes stronger, you can practice the cue when there are low levels of distraction.
- As your dog becomes more proficient, you can practice the cue starting at a farther distance. Continue to mark and reward with food.
Troubleshooting
- If your dog just sits and doesn’t sniff or touch your hand, remove your hand, wait for a few seconds, then present it again, possibly a little closer. Never push your hand into your dog's nose or face. Allow him to come to your hand. You can also toss a treat, so your dog can move about, then try again.
- You might need to encourage him a bit to begin with when you first start adding distance. Tossing a treat on the ground helps reset him, so that when he’s standing, you can try again.
