Touch

This is a command to get your dog to touch their nose to your hand.

It’s a useful foundation for many more advanced behaviors and gives you a way to capture your dog’s attention and direct his movements.

How to Teach Touch

Present Hand with Treat
Place a treat between your fingers and present your flat hand, palm facing the dog. When the dog’s nose touches it, mark and reward. If they don’t go for it, mark when they look at it, reward, and encourage them to engage with the treat.
Repeat the Process
Repeat until your dog reliably touches your hand.
Remove the Treat
Remove the treat and present your hand. Mark and reward when they touch it. Once they reliably touch your hand 5/5 times, start naming the behavior (below).

Add the Verbal Command
Before presenting your hand, say “Touch” and then offer your hand. Pause briefly between the command and the movement.
Increase the Distance
Once your dog reliably responds, gradually increase the distance between their head and your hand, and switch hands.
Move to Different Positions
Slowly increase the distance and change hand positions. Once your dog performs the behavior 5/5 times each session, move on to Phase 3.

Generalize the Command
Now that your dog touches your hand reliably, show them that "Touch" means the same everywhere. Refer to the Phases of Learning page for more ideas on generalization.
Add Fun Variations
For added fun, hold your hand up high to encourage jumping. This can break up training sessions or walks.
Make it Engaging
Run backwards with your hand out, prompting your dog to chase and touch it, making the exercise more dynamic.

Practice Phase 1 (Luring/Learning) and Phase 2 (Naming) every day 1-3x a day.
Once they are reliably touching you hand, increase distance they need to travel, move away from them so they have to chase, raise the height of your hand, etc. Make it fun!
Add the “Touch” command after you’ve done a few reps of something else to break up the repetition, keep things fun and keep your dog thinking.