Ask a dog trainer: 6 clever uses for your dog’s hand touch cue

Most basic obedience classes teach a hand touch where your dog learns to put their nose on your hand. Some may even learn it in puppy class. At the time, it may seem like just a cute trick, but once your dog knows the basic hand touch, there are many useful behaviors you can teach your dog – including ways to help around the house and things that could save your dog’s life. The following are just a few of the ways you can build on your dog’s touch cue.

#1 – Speed Recall

Since touch is taught as a trick with plenty of rewards, most dogs love it. Many even get excited about it, hitting your hand hard and running toward it as you build distance. This can make for an incredible recall. You can say your recall cue plus your nose touch cue, such as “COME TOUCH!” or you can simply just say “TOUCH.” For many dogs the touch cue is much stronger than their come cue because they’ve been rewarded for it more often and because it has no negative associations (you’ve probably never asked your dog for a nose touch and then given them a bath, for example).

Video: Dog Training Tutorial: Building Eye Contact & Attention!

#2 – Attentive Heel

The hand touch can make it easy to get your dog into heel position. Simply put your hand down and ask your dog to touch. In addition, if you build up duration of the touch (how long your dog’s nose stays on your hand), it can be used as an “attentive heel” to get your dog to stay right next you in places with a lot of distractions or if your dog is highly reactive. Be sure you add in a release cue for this behavior, so you dog knows when it’s okay to remove his nose from your hand. If you have a small dog, you can use a target stick instead of your hand.

#3 – Shut Cabinets

If your dog hangs around the kitchen looking for scraps, put him to work! Once your dog is touching your hand, you can use a target, like a sticky note, to teach him to touch other objects. Then, it’s easy to teach a “PUSH” or “SHUT” so your dog can close your cabinets and doors for you. Hands full of groceries? Don’t worry, your dog can shut your door for you.

#4 – Stranger Greeting

Have a shy dog? Touch can take the pressure off meeting someone new. How? It allows your dog to run up, slightly touch (and sniff) the person and then retreat back to you for a reward with no threat of being touched by the stranger. Some put this on a different cue, such as “GO TOUCH” with a point toward the other person’s open hand.

#5 – Turn Off/On Lights

This is another useful cue you can teach your dog using a sticky note as mentioned above. It’s great if you don’t like walking into a dark house or have your hands full.

Video: The 'Touch/Target' Cue with Boretz -Force Free Dog Training

#6 – Standing For Exam

You can teach your dog to stand still while the vet looks him over by using a hand touch “stay.” All you have to do is build up the duration of your dog’s hand touch while you work on building distractions (i.e., someone touching him). For some dogs, this gives them a job to focus on (keep my nose on my person’s hand!) making them less anxious about the exam. Be sure you add in a release cue for this behavior, so you dog knows when it’s okay to remove his nose from your hand.

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