Training a Hand Target for Confidence and Connection

Have you ever heard of teaching your dog a hand target? This is where your dog “targets” your hand with her nose. In the most basic terms, the way it looks is you hold your hand flat with your palm facing your dog, and your dog touches her nose to the “target” – your hand. Usually, we use the verbal cue “touch.”

It’s a neat trick – but why teach it at all?

The truth is hand targets are more than a fun party trick. The hand target is actually a building block for lots of other useful behaviors. Once she’s learned hand targeting, it’s easier for your dog to learn:

• Targeting other objects, like touching a bell with her nose or paw to indicate she needs to go out. (Or strumming the ukulele just for fun, like I taught my dogs to do — see gif.)

• Moving and positioning – for example, you can move your dog to your side by having her follow your hand, or move her away from something by cueing her to target your hand instead.

• Recall (coming when called). Once you’ve strengthened this behavior enough, you can cue your dog to “touch” from a distance and she should come running over to touch her nose to your hand. This is a great way to call your dog to you.

This is just scratching the surface of what you can do with a solid hand target, and how it builds the foundation for other, more complex behaviors.

Most of all, I love teaching this behavior because it creates connection between dogs and handlers – both literal, physical connection, and emotional connection. It’s such a great first behavior to start out with when you’re first learning clicker training because it’s simple but powerful. Plus, I’ve seen this behavior help to build confidence in anxious or sensitive dogs, allowing them to take the first steps toward really blossoming into a dog who’s excited and eager to train.

Ready to give it a try? If you want to get started on feeling more connected to your dog through learning behaviors like this, reach out!