How to Train Your Dog to do a Hand Target

It's useful to teach your dog to touch their nose to your hand. It is also simple. Read more.

First and Second Steps

Put some cheese or another treat for your dog under your thumb, and your dog will not find it. It's important that the rest of your hand be flat. Put your hand close to your dog's nose, around two inches away. Your pet will sniff everywhere and probably definitely touch her nose to your hand as she investigates. When her nose comes into contact with the reward, you should exclaim "yes!" and then open your thumb so that she may consume it.

If you continue to act in this manner for 10 times, your dog will begin to assume that you have lost your mind. Put out your hand in the same manner, but this time there should not be anything beneath your thumb. When your dog touches you this time, instead of saying "No," say "Yes!" and feed it from the other hand.  Continue doing this another ten times.

The Third and Fourth Steps

Now, present your hand in a standard hand target posture, with your thumb facing away from you. Your Pet Training needs to have enough faith in it for her to put her nose on it. If she does, you need to tell her "Yes!" and then surprise her with something special. If she does not, you will need to begin the process over from the very beginning.

Perform this step 10 times, and then go on to the following stage, which is somewhat more difficult. Put your hand out so that it is one foot away from your dog's nose. Perform ten repetitions in this manner, and then perform ten more repetitions with one hand positioned to the side. After that, ten more will come in from the opposite side of the room.

Including the Hint

It is time to add the cue when your dog dashes across the room to touch your hand with his paw.

It doesn't matter what you say; just touch someone. Simply select a term that best exemplifies this movement, and then move your hand to the side of your body.  Always start by pronouncing the word before extending your hand. Your dog will eventually figure out that when you say "touch!" your hand will come out, and they should approach you. This will take some time.

Always reward the dog with a goodie whenever it behaves appropriately up to the point where it has been behaving appropriately for a period of six months. After you've done that, you may choose to reinforce every other or every third one. Some of these behaviors will always require reinforcement, or else your dog will just cease doing them on his own.