Looking for a fun and simple learning exercise with your dog that will strengthen the bond between you and your pup? The “touch” cue is a great place to start. “Touch” is a cue for your dog to touch their nose to your hand, and it has plenty of uses in everyday situations.
Why Teach the “Touch” Cue?
As it’s useful in everyday situations, teaching the “touch” cue is a foundation to teaching many behaviors. It’s a reliable way to capture your dog’s attention and direct movement. The cue can be used as a recall or a way to get your dog to stop pulling while on leash.
How to Train “Touch”
- Present your hand several inches from your dog’s face. Praise and treat for any interest your dog shows, including actual touch of their nose to your hand, or just a sniff in direction of your hand. After the first few times, reward only when they complete the full action of touching their nose to your hand.
- Repeat it! Continue the exercise until your dog is reliably and deliberately touching their nose to your hand. This should look like your dog knows where to push the button to make the treat appear.
- Add your cue. The verbal “touch” cue should be said just before presenting your hand to your dog to touch their nose to it.
- Start to increase the distance between yourself and your dog, then ask for “touch!” Little by little, add more distance each time your dog is successful with the cue.
Training Tip: If your dog makes several mistakes in a row, go back a step and make the exercise easier. Even if everything is going smoothly, throw in an easy version every now and then for motivation.
Training Tip: Add more excitement to the training by tossing the treat for your dog to chase instead of handing one to your dog’s mouth. This will provide an opportunity for them to zoom back to you when you say “touch!”
*Be sure to check out our other Canine Training Tips & Tricks blogs for more training resources!
