Teach Your Dog to Target for Easier Loose-Leash Walking

Targeting is one of the easiest behaviors to teach your dog, and it’s adaptable to training many different dog behaviors.  Learning to train your dog loose-leash walking with a target keeps him by your side when walking through crowded areas, in a competition arena and around other dogs. The target stick gives your dog an object to focus on and ignore distractions. This helps him stay calm and relieves any excitement or stress caused by distractions.

Teaching Your Dog Targeting

Your dog needs to learn exactly what targeting is, and how to focus on an object before learning how to heel with a target stick. The easiest way to teach targeting is using your hand. Begin training by holding your hand in front of your dog and wait until he touches or sniffs it. As soon as your dog touches your hand, click and treat him from your other hand.

Targeting Hand

If you’re not using a clicker, you can use the word, “Yes” and then treat your dog. Make sure you don’t give him a treat from the targeted hand but always from the other hand. This is because he might touch your hand just because he knows it’s holding the treat. You want him to target the hand, not sniff the treat.

Keep holding your hand in front of your dog, and giving a click and treat whenever he touches your hand.  When he’s touching your hand reliably every time, start moving your hand into different places above his head, to the sides and below his face. When he’s confident touching one hand, switch to the other hand and continue with the same training. Once your dog excels at touching your hand in any position, add the cue, “Touch”.

Training Loose-Leash Walking with Targeting

Take a step away from your dog, holding your hand by your side and say, “Touch.”  Your dog will automatically step toward your hand and touch it. Click and treat your dog when he does this. Gradually add more steps until your dog targets your hand as you walk along. Use the cue “Touch” every few steps to keep him by your side.

Teaching Your Dog To Use a Target Stick

When he’s reliable walking by your side and targeting your hand, it’s time to start training him to touch a target stick. You can use anything as a target stick:

• Pointer
• Pen or pencil
• Finger 
• Ruler

Target sticks designed specifically for targeting are available at pet stores and some models fold up for easy carrying.

Targeting Stick

Once you have your target stick, start teaching your dog to touch the end of the stick with his nose. 

Putting a small Styrofoam ball onto the end of the stick helps your dog focus on the tip of the stick. Remove the ball after he learns to touch the tip of the stick confidently.

Begin training him in the same way as you taught him to touch your hand. Click when he looks at the target stick, sniffs the stick and touches the target stick. Keep the stick only a few inches away from him at the start.

When he learns to touch the tip of the stick, start moving it around in the same way as you did your hand. Keep the training session to only four or five minutes, several times a day.

The final step to train your dog to heel with a target stick is to get him walking beside you while following the stick. Take a step with the target stick at your side and tell your dog to touch the stick.

Click and treat when he goes to the stick. Continue adding steps and telling your dog to touch. Eventually, your dog will heel in whatever position you choose, whether on the right or the left.  Once he knows how to target the stick, you can train him in any obedience position,agility, freestyle handling and Canine Good Citizen training.