Daisy had a sleepover at our house for a few days.
Her owners were in hospital with their new baby girl ... Congratulations!!!
I don't know whether Daisy has ever played the hand target game before or not but she is an enthusiastic learner!
I played around with her for a bit -- tempting her to touch my open hand and the moment her nose touched my hand I marked it with a crisp clear "Yes" and immediately placed a treat in the same target hand that she had just touched. A few repetitions and high value rewards made the game very reinforcing! Movement and happy praise and interaction came along with the package.
Daisy quickly caught on and followed my hand to the left side or right side of my body, in walking position and coming towards me. These positions could eventually have a verbal cue applied such as "side" or "close" for when encountering other users on trails or "heel" or "front". When walking on leash a hand target could also be used in distracting situations to help the dog focus on you. Using a hand target also helps your dog comes close to your body when called.
The hand target itself becomes a reward for many dogs just for the chance to play such a fun game with you.
We teach the hand target as one of the foundation behaviours in our training classes. Join us!
Step One
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html
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