One of my favorite behaviors to teach a dog is hand targeting. We make a game of your dog running up to you and touching your outstretched empty hand with his/her nose. A marker (a clicker’s click or a verbal "yes!”) happens just as the dog’s nose touches the hand, and then a reinforcer (tasty treat) is given to the dog. We call it the “touch” game.
The “touch” game is a great way to get your dog focused back on you, and also an excellent precursor for a reliable recall. When you practice it every day, it becomes like a reflex for your dog to race to you and touch your hand when he/she hears “touch!”
You can play the “touch” game back and forth between two people, slowly moving farther apart until you’re out of sight in a different room. Your dog hears the word, and races off to find you. This is a fun game that reinforces your dog coming when you call.
We were playing the “touch” game with Max, a rat terrier who needed to develop some focus. His owner, Rick, had moved into the living room (I was in the kitchen), and we were calling Max back and forth with the “touch!” cue. Max was having a blast running back and forth between us, touching our outstretched palm upon arrival (for a click and a treat).
The whole time this game was going on, their small black and white cat named Fig was observing from a chair in the kitchen. Max had just touched Rick’s hand in the living room, and I put my hand down and called “Touch!”
Before Max could run back into the kitchen, Fig the cat hopped out of the chair, walked over and touched my outstretched hand with his nose. I laughed, clicked the clicker and gave him a small pork chop treat. Then Max raced into the room, touched my hand and got a click and a treat. Rick yelled “touch!” and Max ran back out of the room. Fig sat off to the side, staring at me.
So I said “Fig, touch!” and put my hand out. He walked over and touched my hand again with his nose. I clicked the clicker and handed him treat, which he let drop to the floor.
Just then, Max, who’d heard me say touch to Fig, came racing around the corner. He saw my hand out, but also saw the pork chop treat on the floor and headed for the treat. Suddenly, the little cat swatted Max across the head, picked up the treat and calmly walked away.
Max – confused – looks back at me. I laughed and held out my hand once again and he rushed to touch it with his nose. He got his click/treat and then heard Rick say “Max. touch!” and he ran back to the living room.
I looked over at Fig, who’d hopped back onto the chair, and was chewing on the pork chop treat. He looked at me, and seemed to smile as he chewed. I thought I heard him mumble, “Stoopid dog…”
Commenti