Hand Touch for Loose Leash Walking, Recall, Reducing Puppy Biting & Jumping: Hand Target Obedience

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This video is about how to teach the foundation behavior of the Hand Target or "Touch" behavior where your dog touches their nose to your hand. This video gives a brief overview of how you can use this behavior to teach a recall, come to heel, loose leash walking position and more. This behavior can also decrease puppy biting and jumping.
Videos mentioned in the video:
Push: • Push - Teach Your Dog ...
Recall (Come): • COME: Teach Your Dog t...
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[@robinrutherfordcost4748]

Good sneezes! I taught my dogs to sneeze too so I could reward for sneezes rather deal with barking, especially when they are playing.

[@reneemckinnon5731]

The “touch” command is something I thought I’d never be able to teach my dog. Every trainer I’ve seen in person and online has said to use a treat held in my palm by my thumb to get the behaviour, and every time my dog would lick my hand, I hated it and didn’t want him to think this is what I wanted so I left it alone for at least 6 months now. I just used your method and he caught onto it immediately, within about 5 minutes I was able to add the verbal cue and move my hands to different places, almost 100% success rate. Thank you for your videos, they’re extremely easy to follow and just make sense. I’m also using your “place” training to build a correct DPT position. Your videos are basically fast tracking his obedience and task training. Having someone who understands the service dog (assistance dog in Australia) world is incredibly helpful 🫶🏼

[@DoggyU]

Renee - thank you for sending this comment. It really made my week. It's comments like this that keep me excited to create more videos

[@shiori510]

This really is wonderful Laura, thanks. You're bringing back so many memories of training Horse, I'm sure I'll be able to work with my new puppy too! Can you do a video on not judging by breed? Horse was a mastiff cross, but he was exactly what I needed. I hated all the judgemental comments ŵe got, like 'that dog can't be an àssìstance dog, it's not a pure ĺabrador.' Or 'he's a mastiff? Mine was stupid so yours wilĺ never be smart enough.'

[@johnbasedow]

Very helpful video. I use the a variation of the hand touch method to keep my dog Storm’s attention and focus during Rally competitions.

[@DoggyU]

Yes! I love using the pop up version of this for dogs that enjoy it! Rally is such a fun sport!

[@ladylove34]

Your advice in the video and the comments are top notch! 👌🏿 also that little excited puppy and his tail are 😍🥺💕

[@DoggyU]

Thank you so much!

[@katiebrad5477]

Thank you for showing us a dog that’s never learned before!!! Unlike all these other channels!

[@DoggyU]

It can be so challenging to find dogs that are *fresh* for new skills, but I do try to do it whenever possible! Not always possible due to sometimes needing a dog to have certain foundational skills. But fortunately, none necessary for this one! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@katiebrad5477]

Well I’ve been sharing your channel a bunch because you need more credit than you’re currently getting. You definitely have one of the most informative and helpful dog training channel I’ve come across yet. I’m currently self training my dog to be a service dog. So ALL your videos have been more than helpful.

[@DoggyU]

@@katiebrad5477 Thank you so much for sharing my channel! It REALLY helps spread the word! Hoping that the algorithm gives me some more love/views soon 😂. Unfortunately, good training isn't super flashy, so it's a bit harder to get an audience! 😂

[@katiebrad5477]

Period!! Well you deserve it you’ve helped me tremendously!

[@DoggyU]

@@katiebrad5477 🥰

[@shiori510]

I teach hand target and then I did armrest targeting while walking him on leash outside and he did amazing, proved to me that he was great at learning all this stuff in one lesson and contrary to what many people told me (RSPCA included) Horse was the best service dog for me!

[@learning2no]

What is the armrest target?

[@shiori510]

@learning2no teaching the dog that treats come from the wheelchair armrest, it makes huge dogs walk beside you with their butt right next to you, kept my boy in perfect step. He wasn't so happy to back up beside me, that ended up being a stand aside until I stop moving.

[@learning2no]

@@shiori510 thank you for sharing this information, I had no clue. I hope you will have another Horse in your life.

[@raufruslantagzad824]

Super ...

[@ingridlou5041]

I wiiish I found your channel when I first got my pup. My dog is a year and a half and I wish I could go back in time!

[@DoggyU]

Hey Ingrid! Thank you so much for watching! Remember, we do the best we can with the knowledge we have. It's never too late to start! That cattledog in the videos, I got him at 2 years old having been tied to a deck for 2 years and knowing nothing. Training starts the day you start training ;) Have a happy new year! :)

[@Midnightwolf1333]

This is extremely useful and you did an excellent explanation. I will be recommending this channel to others, 100%

[@DoggyU]

Thank you so much for the feedback! Much appreciated :)

[@LuckyBambi777]

Great video, wanted to like but it’s 777, my lucky number 😊

[@DoggyU]

Gotta boop that like button! 😉

[@giloribello]

I like your techniques

[@DoggyU]

Thanks! Happy Training!

[@fawng5881]

excellent thank you

[@DoggyU]

Welcome! :)

[@malibrary7053]

Oh, wow. This is really going to help me. Thank you for posting. I'm so glad I found your channel.

[@DoggyU]

Hi MA Library! Thank you so much for your nice comment! Enjoy the channel and good luck with your training!

[@fuddyduds]

Thank you! I find your videos spot on to encourage, inspire and teach.

[@DoggyU]

Thank you FuddyDuds :)

[@guntheralcerro9319]

Great!

[@DoggyU]

So glad you found it helpful!

[@AdventureTimeLoui]

Your dogs are SO cute 😍 also this is helpful of course

[@DoggyU]

Thanks! :)

[@TheKhaleesee]

Awesome thank you so much for showing step by step and useful things we can do with touch command

[@DoggyU]

Hi Ruchi! Thanks for taking the time to comment! So glad you found the video helpful! Happy Training!

[@annagorokhovskaya2972]

Really like your videos. I am going to switch careers to become a dog trainer and my end goal is to train service dogs for ptsd

[@DoggyU]

Awesome! I just did an entire Patreon live on what I'd do if I wanted to be a service dog trainer in 2024. I think it might be helpful! You can find it here: www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-become-92955621

[@channguyen6781]

i love your video!!! will try asap

[@DoggyU]

Hi Chan! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video! Hand targets can be super useful in a variety of contexts. Happy Training!

[@channguyen6781]

@@DoggyU thanks a lot!!! I will go through all your videos. I wish i knew your channel earlier. I will have to work on loose leash walking with my dog ^_^

[@DoggyU]

@@channguyen6781 I'm glad you found us! Absolutely check out my two videos on loose leash walking: kzbin.info/www/bejne/raPHaWyYf9meaJo and kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpell4iHfttmd9k

[@amchappell]

Lightbulb moment! 💡 Doing the hand target next to a wall to help shape the heel position... Thank you! 😊👏

[@DoggyU]

Yay!! And yes! Helps with muscle memory. Also check out my video on foot targeting to help with position-finding: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mafKZqubZt-se9E

[@amchappell]

We have already done it and Winnie is super solid on my left now, with a verbal cue, no foot target, no wall & no touch command! We are currently working on my right side now, using foot target and a wall, just as we did for the left side. It worked magically and made me feel like my dog and me are a great team. 😊 Thank you!

[@DoggyU]

@@amchappell I love to hear that! Amazing!!

[@Tidu27]

Can I do without the clicker? My dog has associated the clicker with the NO command. Great channel!

[@DoggyU]

Heyy! So you can absolutely use a different marker. If I am not using a clicker, I use the word "Yes" as my food reward marker. Hope that helps!

[@ariwichert9834]

Do you have a video of his sneeze trick!!??! :o

[@DoggyU]

Haha unfortunately not - first, I never bothered to put it on cue so now it's just an annoying demand behavior (but it's better than barking lol). But the way I captured it was that he used to sneeze when I lived at a particular house when he get in the car and the sun hit him so I just brought my clicker and captured it a few days in a row and then he started offering it :)

[@user-xf8mr8zx6w]

instead of a clicker, can you do a whistle or make a high pitched noise?

[@mareeivey2276]

I just found your channel and love your videos. I had already started teaching touch using an open hand but ai have not put a cue word to it yet. Can I teach both the fist and the two fingers and use a different cue word with each? Maybe touch and nose? What do you think?

[@DoggyU]

Hi Maree! I'm so glad you're finding this channel helpful! :) So, my question would be: why would you want your dog to do the same behavior on different hand signal cues? If there's a reason, definitely it's okay to do that! One reason may be that you want closed fist to be a nose bump and two fingers to be "sticky" as in the dog holds a duration nose target. In that case, go for it! :) Hope that answers your question!

[@mareeivey2276]

@@DoggyU - yes, I find he follows the two fingers as a lure but loves to bop fist as a focus or distraction game.

[@Sacredyogi614]

Do you have any videos for training adult rescues?

[@DoggyU]

Hey SacredYogi! So the black tri-colored cattle dog in this video is actually an adult rescue! There's no videos specifically for adult rescues, because all of the techniques I use work on puppies, adults, and rescues. And Jake, the black-tri is a really good example of what a rescue can do, even if you get them as an adult! :)

[@melissalevy826]

Thank you for sharing this! I was recommended to start working on a hand touch command for my high energy rescue to help unsure her recall comes to hand. She is a bit nippy (no real bites but still a behavior to work on). Should I only reinforce the boop if her mouthjs closed? If she tooths my hand, is there anything in particular you recommend I do?

[@DoggyU]

Hi Melissa - in the case of a dog that needs to learn that a closed mouth touch is needed, I might actually start with a target stick like a wooden spoon or spatula. I would initially click and reinforce for any interaction with the target stick. Once the dog understands, I would only click for interactions that are closed mouth. Once he understands that closed mouth gets the click, I would add the verbal cue "touch" and then transfer it to my hand. That way we've taught the correct behavior without sacrificing your hands and our (understandable) emotional reaction to the open mouth hand touches. If a tooth sneaks in there, I would assess if the dog is in a state that he can complete the behavior in the manner I'm asking, and yes, not reinforce instances where the dog gives your hand a tooth hug. Here is a video on how to teach your dog to close doors and drawers, the first section is about how to teach a dog to touch their nose to a target stick. Teaching this behavior may also help solidify that closed mouth is desirable :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGGuhYmDfax5kLM

[@danaphaedresoneill9784]

Thank you for your videos! Is it possible to reach a point where the dog will consistently respond to cues without the presence of treats/rewards? I noticed that Coolwhip has a solid stay, even when Jake is being trained and she isn't receiving attention or reinforcement. How do you reach that point?

[@DoggyU]

It's all about slowly decreasing food reinforcers and increasing life reinforcers, or toy reinforcers. So, if your dog now has a solid hand touch, you may ask your dog to touch your hand before putting their food bowl down, or before letting them out. While I occasionally treat Whip or Jake when they're on the KLIMB, their patient waiting is reinforced by their chance to work again. A big mistake people make is to increase the difficulty and decrease the reinforcement too soon. Do so slowly, and think about how you can incorporate your trained behaviors into your daily life, right before doing something your dog enjoys - life rewards are key!

[@malainakarpinski9499]

Would this command also work for things like signaling a cardiac alert?

[@DoggyU]

Hi Maliana! So you can use a variation of the touch cue or “boop” as an alert behavior for a service dog. I go through an outline of how to train a medical alert behavior over on patreon.com/DoggyU as well as a video of training the alert behavior. Happy training!

[@danjiang4030]

Question: when I do this with. my dog, she often lick my palm when she touches, so quick that it is very hard for me to "click" before she licks. How should I tell her that I just want her nose touch instead of licking? Thank you!!

[@DoggyU]

Hey Dan - are you doing this with open or closed palm? If open palm, I would try balling your fist and having her touch that. Alternatively, I might start with a target stick for her to touch, like a spatula so she gets the idea that she just needs to boop with her nose, and then transfer it to your hand. Hope that helps!

[@olofbjorkingolfsdottir5010]

How do you get your dogs to be so eager to learn? Is it about always ending while they are still having fun and only training when they need to channel their excitement?

[@DoggyU]

It's definitely about making the sessions short and fun! Training for 60 seconds is much better than training for 20 minutes! Time of day matters too. Training right before breakfast and dinner, as well as when they are at peek energy can be helpful! Here's a video that might have some helpful tips: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZCZi6Whiainl5Y

[@olofbjorkingolfsdottir5010]

@@DoggyU Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom Laura!

[@kristoforc]

Do you always use the treats? Or is that a point where you phase to them following the commands with no treat?

[@DoggyU]

I always *reinforce*! Whether the reinforcer is food, praise, pets, play, or access to something they like (life-reward), such as a walk, going out the door, etc. I use treats heavily at the beginning and slowly start using them intermittently and introducing other reinforcers that the dog enjoys, but I always reinforce behavior I like! :)

[@enidortiz8069]

Can I use a touch stick I can't bend down it causes dizziness so I'm just wondering if I can use a touch stick for the loose leash training with the touch command

[@DoggyU]

Absolutely! I use a touch stick a ton with clients who can't bend down for a variety of reasons and they work great. You can also use peanut butter on a wooden spoon to get them started with the loose leash walking concept, and just lift it to your belly when you're not marking and rewarding. Hope that helps!

[@donnamanning9074]

what do you do if you have a dog that wants to throw you his paw everytime when you say touch?

[@DoggyU]

Try starting with a target flag instead (like in this video): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGGuhYmDfax5kLM Or make your hand into a fist instead of an open palm, and hold it higher up while your dog is in a standing position so that using their paw doesn't make as much sense. You could also try starting with a treat in your hand so they investigate with their nose.

[@jp410]

The dog looks like it does a combination mouth nip and nose touch. That's what my pup does, and I can't seem to get her to stop the mouth part.

[@DoggyU]

The black lab puppy is first being introduced to hand targets and sometimes targets with an open mouth. With young puppies I first want to reward any interaction with the hand. Then I can make adjustments such as using a flat palm instead of a closed fist to discourage mouthing, but I can also select for closed mouth nose boops as the dog starts learning the behavior. Start by clicking for open mouth but no teeth contact and select for progressive behaviors towards your goal and only click for a closed mouth boop eventually. Hope that helps!

[@user-lm5uo3wk2o]

My dog keeps licking my hand when I ask for touch, especially when I"m trying to teach a sustained nose touch.

[@DoggyU]

Consider teaching touch on a target instead, like a spatula or flag, then once they understand the touch portion, go back to presenting the hand. You can see a flag in minute 6 of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX6un3mmd6ypjJY

[@sixfivecreedmoor]

I have trained my dog to now stalk my hand when he's hungry ;)

[@maimzrmma]

My dog only do the things he already knows when he knows I have a treat for him. He is too smart… 🫤 how to fix that?

[@user-xf8mr8zx6w]

instead of a clicker, can you do a whistle or make a high pitched noise?

[@user-xf8mr8zx6w]

instead of a clicker, can you do a whistle or make a high pitched noise?

[@DoggyU]

I would use a marker word like “yes”’or a tongue click.

[@user-xf8mr8zx6w]

instead of a clicker, can you do a whistle or make a high pitched noise?

[@DoggyU]

Instead of a clicker, you can use the word “yes” or a tongue click. You want to use something you can be consistent with. I tend to save whistles for recall.