Ensinar seu cachorro a tocar sua mão pode ajudá-lo a entender que as mãos humanas são ótimas! Isso pode aumentar a confiança dos humanos em cães que podem ser um pouco tímidos e também pode ajudar na preparação – essencial para cães de pêlo comprido! Targeting is also a way to move your dog around hands-free, as you can teach them to follow your hand, so you don’t need to push or pull them into places or positions, such as sitting on the vet’s weighing scales. Isso significa que eles podem confiar em você e que suas mãos são sempre vistas como coisas boas.

Teaching your dog to place their paws onto a mat can help them out at the vets as you can simply pop their mat onto the weighing scales and they’ll confidently step onto it, knowing they always get a tasty treat for doing so!

Targeting can also help your dog focus on you rather than distractions, such as other dogs or people, including joggers or cyclists, when you’re out and about. Once your dog has learned that following and touching a target is always thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding for them, they will want to focus on that and ignore potentially scary or tempting things.

Before you start any training, your dog needs to be in a familiar environment that is calm and quiet, so you know they are starting off feeling happy and relaxed and will be able to concentrate. Escolha uma palavra marcadora curta, como “sim” ou “fab”, que diga ao seu cão que o que ele está fazendo é exatamente o que você deseja. Teach your dog this is the special word that will earn them a treat by saying the word “fab” and then giving them a treat straight away, every time. Your dog will soon learn that “fab” = treat! Você também precisará de muitos pedacinhos de guloseimas saborosas que seu cão adora.

When your dog is consistently touching their nose to your hand as you hold it out, add a special word to this action – most trainers say “touch” as it’s easy to remember! Em primeiro lugar, diga esta palavra no momento em que o seu cão fizer contato com a sua mão para que aprenda a relacionar a sua ação com esta palavra. Repeat this every time you practice so that your dog learns that when you say “touch”, the quicker they touch your hand with their nose, the quicker they’ll hear you say your marker word, and then give them the treat!

You’ll find that over time you can start to say the word “touch” as soon you start to hold out your hand to your dog, because they have learned that it means that you want them to touch your hand, and there’s a treat in it for them when they do!

The next step is for your dog to keep touching your hand with their nose for a little longer.

Encourage them to do this by waiting slightly, just a second to begin with when they make contact with you before marking and rewarding them. Once your dog is consistently keeping their nose on your hand for one second before hearing the marker word and getting their treat, hold on a little longer still, so for two seconds now, before saying the marker word and giving the treat. Repeat every small step several times, so your dog can be confident that to keep touching you is what you want, and then very gradually use this technique to slowly increase the length of time they will remain touching you!

When your dog can reliably wait for five seconds while touching your hand with their nose, introduce a very slight distraction, for instance, hold a bit of kibble or a toy (but not their favorite, don’t make it too hard!) in your other hand. Hold your target hand out and ask for the “touch”, and if they touch your hand with the distraction present, mark and reward with an extra tasty treat.

Now you can try practicing in different places but be prepared to repeat some of the early steps while your dog adjusts to all the distractions of the great outdoors! Lembre-se de que quanto mais distrações houver, mais difícil será para o seu cão, portanto, mantenha as sessões curtas e divertidas com muitas recompensas saborosas.

Once your dog has learned that touching your hand is thoroughly rewarding, you can use this in situations that might naturally be a little more uncomfortable for your dog, such as grooming. Grooming while your dog is targeting your hand means they can be absolutely confident that it is worth their while and nothing to worry about because they will have trust and faith in what you are doing, as long as you take time to introduce it in a gradual and fun way!

Once your dog can happily hold their nose to your hand for a few seconds, introduce a gentle stroke to your dog’s side while they are still targeting your hand. Your aim is to get your dog to stay on target while you stroke their body, so start by gently stroking them for a very brief second and then say your marker word and reward them. Progrida aumentando gradualmente a duração da braçada, enquanto o cão ainda segura o nariz na sua mão.

Quando seu cão estiver fazendo isso felizmente, você poderá começar a introduzir uma escova. Make sure your dog isn’t worried by the object, to begin with, and when you introduce the brush, start the same way you introduced your hand with very light, short strokes. Gradually increase the length of time and brushstroke. Se o seu cão tirar o nariz da sua mão a qualquer momento, volte e pratique um pouco mais em um estágio mais fácil.

Your dog should always appear happy to engage with you and the training sessions. Se o seu cão parece querer evitar o treinamento, você pode estar indo rápido demais para ele. Mesmo que estejam indo bem, eles precisam aprender no seu próprio ritmo!

Don’t worry if your dog gets something wrong, there’s no need to say ‘no’ or get upset, just remember to be consistent and clear so you don’t confuse them. Tudo faz parte do processo de aprendizagem, pois eles descobrem o que lhes vale e o que não vale.

Mantenha as sessões de treinamento curtas e simples para que sejam sempre divertidas. Remember you are competing with distractions that may make it difficult for your dog to focus. Gradually introducing distractions is the way to go!

If your dog is short and/or you find it difficult to bend you can use a wooden spoon instead of your hand and teach your dog to place their nose on that when you hold it out to them.