Touch
Teaching a dog to touch your hand or an object can be an incredibly useful skill. You can teach your dog to heel, to go to his bed, to wave, to spin, to retrieve, to put his toys away and even open the fridge: these are all behaviours that start with a target.
Hand Target
To teach your dog to target your hand, count out 10 cookies in your hand and have a watch or clock nearby. Hold the clicker in the same hand as the cookies. Present your other hand and your dog should reach out to touch it; when he does, C/T (click and treat). If he doesn't, look for any leaning or moving toward your hand and C/T that. Present your hand again and continue until all 10 cookies are gone or until 30 seconds has passed. It is important that you keep your hand still and that you resist the urge to push your hand toward your dog.
Your goal is to have your dog touch your hand at least 7 times in 30 seconds. If he hasn't, simply repeat until he does. When your dog reliably touches your hand (7 out of 10 tries), move on to the following steps:
1. Dog will touch either hand
2. Dog touches your hand when it is held several inches below him
3. Dog will touch hand held several inches above him
4. Dog will touch hand held out to the side of him
5. Dog will do this in 6 different places
Once your dog is reliable at the above 5 steps (he is right 7 out of 10 times), it is time to put the behaviour on cue. To add the cue, simply say Touch before you present your hand, then C/T as normal for the touch. Obviously, your dog must be reliably touching your hand when presented for him to learn the Touch cue. Do this several times in several different locations.
Once you add the Touch cue, you will no longer C/T your dog for touching your hand unless you give him the Touch cue first.
Object Target
A plastic lid makes for a good target although any object will do. To teach your dog to target an object, have your ten cookies and clicker ready and sit in a chair with your dog in front of you. Place the target down on the ground and your dog should at least look at it immediately. When he does, C/T and feed him several feet on top of the target. Now wait for the slightest head movement downward, toward the target and C/T. Keep going until you are finished your 10 cookies or your 30 seconds. If your dog is consistently bobbing his head down, increase your criteria by asking for a larger head movement downward toward the target. If not, stay with the head bob until he offers it 7 out of 10 times. Once the head bob is reliable, continue to increase your criteria until your dog is touching the target reliably. Once he is, move through the following steps:
1. After the dog touches the target, toss his cookie behind him instead of feeding him
2. Toss his cookies out to either side
3. Toss his cookies between the target and you
4. Toss his cookies behind you
5. Toss the cookies in all directions, to a distance of 10 feet or more
You are looking for the dog to gobble up his cookie and immediately move back to the target for another touch. Once you get to this point, it is time to add the cue. Even though your dog will touch your hand on cue, you need to shape the object target before putting it on cue as well. To do so, he must be predictably touching the target after he eats his cookie.
To add the cue, C/T for the touch a few times, tossing the cookies as usual. Now, wait until he eats his cookie, then say Touch (or whatever you wish the cue to be). Wait for him to touch the target, then C/T. Do this several times in several different locations. Begin to vary your body position and move the target further away from you. Once you have the Object Target on cue, only C/T your dog for touching if you give the cue first.