This Month's training Challenge is Touch or Targeting. Target training is both straightforward and easy, but can be used for a bunch of really fun and handy behaviors.
We describe many of them in our podcast, and since this is the blog I'm sending those folks to for videos, I will simply let you listen. It's short, maybe 20-25 minutes, and discusses all the nifty things you can do with target training.
For example, Cody has learned to book Dice on the top of his head (it was supposed to be a hug, but this better expresses their relationship!).
Here's a video explaining the two most common ways to teach your dog to target your hand with their nose.
You can also teach your dog to target objects with their feet (like a touch bucket).
Here's a video showing how I begin training a front foot target to a bucket using free shaping. This dog has never done free shaping before, so this is pretty hard for him.
You can train targeting to anything, and almost any species of animal you see that has been trained for movies or commercials has been trained to targets.
The whole month of January we will challenge our dogs and you to train targeting in fun and unique ways, to train tricks, solve behavior problems and more.
Listen to our podcast for suggestions! Our podcast can be found here: https://www.empireridgeranch.com/podcast
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