One of the most valuable cues we can teach our dogs is the "Touch" cue.
"Touch" is asking your dog to Touch their nose to your palm, wherever it is. (This cue can be later easily evolved into touching targets as well, but for the purpose of this skill breakdown, we'll focus on touching nose to palm.)
This simple and versatile cue can be used in a variety of scenarios to help set your pup up for success, including supporting leash manners, building engagement, building confidence, and aiding in cooperative care grooming exercises.
Benefits of the "Touch" Cue:
Focus and Engagement: Teaching your dog to touch a target helps improve their focus and concentration during training sessions. It encourages them to pay attention to you and the task at hand.
Redirecting Behavior: The "Touch" cue can be used to redirect attention, and to prevent behaviors such as fixating on another dog, jumping, or wandering while walking on leash. By giving your dog a specific behavior to engage in, you can set them up for success by proactively getting their engagement OR redirect their attention away from the undesired behavior.
Building Confidence: Learning new cues and celebrating when they are performed boosts your dog's confidence and sense of accomplishment. Every creature likes to feel like they're doing a good job, our dogs included!! And who doesn't like to be rewarded with a little snack? Be sure to use the formula for cuing and communicating clearly: Name + Cue (behavior is performed) "YES!!" + reward
Physical Guidance: The "Touch" cue can be used to guide your dog physically. Imagine you are entering the elevator, and your dog doesn't know where to stand yet to be out of the way, ask for a "Touch" and guide them to stand behind you in the corner of the elevator for safety. Need to get your dog behind you to body block because you see an off leash dog approaching? Ask for a "Touch!" and guide your dog behind you, while you make yourself BIG and step towards the dog and ask them to "GO!" (Dogs have physical space boundaries, just like humans, and dislike confrontation. Most dogs running up on you are just rude and will move away when you are rude and confrontational back to them.)
How to Teach the "Touch" Cue:
Put a small bit of high incentive treat in your hand-Keep the treat tucked against
your palm with your thumb, almost cupping your hand, to encourage your dog to put their nose into your hand. Just before their nose touches the treat/ your palm, calmly say "Fido: Touch." The moment their nose touches your palm/ the treat, Mark and Reward by saying YES!! and releasing the treat.
Repeat 10-15 times, keeping your hand close to their nose when asking.
Encourage Interaction: Encourage your dog to touch their nose to your palm in different scenarios, such as when standing, ask for the Touch cue with your hand alongside your body where you prefer they walk. (Ex: I prefer Penny walk at my right side, in line with me or close to it, so this is ALWAYS where I reward from when we are working on leash.)
Begin to generalize the cue: Ask for the cue in different contexts, increasing the challenge by moving your hand further away from them when asking, asking around distractions, asking while walking, etc. You can also use Touch as a backup to your recall if you teach them during this generalizing stage that they are to run to you and Touch their nose to your palm, wherever you are. Start with SMALL increments to build up to true recall and always use a leash to be able to help them follow through with the cue. You do NOT want to put them in a situation where they are unsuccessful multiple times as they will become confused and unreliable. Help set them up for success in doing what we have asked, EVERY TIME. As they become reliable in performing the cue, begin to phase out the lure of the treat in your hand. Use the lure only 1 out of 3 times when asking for the cue for example, and phase out. Still reward, every time, but let the reward come from the other hand or simply say YES when their nose touches your palm, and quickly reward from the same hand after reaching for the treat from your treat pouch/pocket.
Repeat and Reinforce: Practice the "Touch" cue regularly in short training sessions and incorporate into your daily life. Reward every. single. time. If your pups' Touch cue is reliable, it can be your most versatile tool in your toolbelt.
When to use Touch:
Attention and Focus: Use the "Touch" cue to redirect your dog's attention during
walks or when encountering distractions.
Basic Manners: Teach your dog to touch their nose to your hand before entering/exiting the elevator/ lobby/ door/ etc. to keep them engaged in potentially challenging transitions and to reinforce polite behavior.
Physical Guidance: Guide your dog through obstacles, help them navigate a challenging situation like a dog approaching, or guide them through a cooperative care training session.
Agility Training: Incorporate the "Touch" cue into agility courses to improve your dog's precision and control.
Emergency Touch/ Magnet Hand Touch:
As mentioned above in reference to managing potential crisis situations, like an off leash dog approaching, turn your traditional "Touch" into a "Magnet-hand Touch" by returning to a lure and feeding as you move.
Example: An off leash dog begins to approach, I notice them before Penny does, I ask for a "Touch!" as I grab a fistful of the YUMMIEST snacks in my treat bag, and as her nose touches my palm and I navigate her behind me, I allow her to lick at and enjoy a couple small treats while we move. This ensures she maintains a longer period of engagement with my palm and enables me to physically feel where she is, thereby giving me the ability to focus the rest of my attention on navigating the situation at hand. It is crucial for us to advocate for our dog's physical space boundaries to ensure they don't feel the need to overcommunicate themselves.
The "Touch" cue is a valuable tool in any dog guardians' tool belt.
By teaching your pup to "Touch" their nose to your palm, you can improve their focus, redirect behavior, and even help them avoid potentially traumatic encounters.
What is your favorite way to use the "Touch" cue with your Engaged Dog?
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Checkout Norman breaking down the Touch cue (video below) and how it can be utilized for management, training, engagement, and more!
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