# Need help with teaching a target



## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

Cherokee has great running contacts but today my trainer briefly talked to me about teaching him to use a target so we can put it at the bottom of the a-frame. I haven't done a lot of free shaping with Cherokee. Today I started with the plastic lid in my hand and he was great at nudging it with his nose, probably because I have taught him touch using my palm as the target. When I put it on the floor, he was very reluctant to touch it and just kept looking at me, like I had secretly told him to "leave it", though of course I hadn't. 

When he finally got the point that I wanted him to touch it, he then thought I meant pick it up and play with it or bring it to me to trade. He did everything except nudge it with his nose.

I could use some pointers. Right now he has gone from bashing me with his paws to stealing stuff out of the garbage to shread because he wants me to feed him more treats. He likes training for treats but, he is not very clever with figuring things out and he shuts down very easily if he thinks he is doing something I don't want.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

Put it on the floor and put a treat on it. Click when he goes for the treat. Do this a couple times. Then pretend to put the treat, and click and jackpot when he goes for the target. 

In the beginning you need to give a lot of very fast clicks and treats for any attention to the target. Once the dog is stoked to touch the target, with nose, or whatever, then you can frustrate him a little and wait for him to touch it with his foot. Be patient. Click as much as you can. He will get it.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Agree with above.
I also found using something like a small computer mouse pad much easier.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

MegaMuttMom said:


> Cherokee has great running contacts but today my trainer briefly talked to me about teaching him to use a target so we can put it at the bottom of the a-frame. I haven't done a lot of free shaping with Cherokee. Today I started with the plastic lid in my hand and he was great at nudging it with his nose, probably because I have taught him touch using my palm as the target. When I put it on the floor, he was very reluctant to touch it and just kept looking at me, like I had secretly told him to "leave it", though of course I hadn't.
> 
> When he finally got the point that I wanted him to touch it, he then thought I meant pick it up and play with it or bring it to me to trade. He did everything except nudge it with his nose.
> 
> I could use some pointers. Right now he has gone from bashing me with his paws to stealing stuff out of the garbage to shread because he wants me to feed him more treats. He likes training for treats but, he is not very clever with figuring things out and he shuts down very easily if he thinks he is doing something I don't want.


You may know these things but . . . be sure YOU are looking where you want him to concentrate. Look at your target, not your dog. If you've worked on eye contact at all, you'll just end up with a staring match otherwise. If he's wanting to pick it up, click him a little early - as soon as he is committed to interacting with it, but before he can pick it up. If he's already targeting fingers you can teach him to generalize "touch" by puttting a post-it note on your finger and having him target that, and then transfering it to other things you'd like for him to touch. I also teach separate cues for nose touches and foot touches. Sandy www.positivelycanine.com


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

Pawzk9 said:


> You may know these things but . . . be sure YOU are looking where you want him to concentrate. Look at your target, not your dog. If you've worked on eye contact at all, you'll just end up with a staring match otherwise. If he's wanting to pick it up, click him a little early - as soon as he is committed to interacting with it, but before he can pick it up. If he's already targeting fingers you can teach him to generalize "touch" by puttting a post-it note on your finger and having him target that, and then transfering it to other things you'd like for him to touch. I also teach separate cues for nose touches and foot touches. Sandy www.positivelycanine.com


I just did a another little session with him and you're right, I had to mark him the instant he touched it with his paw to pull his attention away before he could pick it up. He did much better with this second session! He is now staring at me, trying to bore a hole through my head with his x-ray vision. He really wants to convince me to do something so he can get more treats. 

Now I have to decide what to name the behavior. I use "touch" to mean touch my palm with his nose, so I don't want to use that. I don't think the word "target" will slip off my tongue. Any suggestions?


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

MegaMuttMom said:


> I just did a another little session with him and you're right, I had to mark him the instant he touched it with his paw to pull his attention away before he could pick it up. He did much better with this second session! He is now staring at me, trying to bore a hole through my head with his x-ray vision. He really wants to convince me to do something so he can get more treats.
> 
> Now I have to decide what to name the behavior. I use "touch" to mean touch my palm with his nose, so I don't want to use that. I don't think the word "target" will slip off my tongue. Any suggestions?


paw/foot/whack it/bonk it?


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Pawzk9 said:


> paw/foot/whack it/bonk it?


My friend uses "hit it"


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

Pawzk9 said:


> paw/foot/whack it/bonk it?


I think "whack it" could get a great response at agility class! I may have to use that one LOL.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

MegaMuttMom said:


> I think "whack it" could get a great response at agility class! I may have to use that one LOL.


I know anything related to "whacking" gets a great response with my fifteen-year-olds...


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Pawzk9 said:


> If he's wanting to pick it up, click him a little early - as soon as he is committed to interacting with it, but before he can pick it up.


Agree.

If you are observant, you can watch for the mouth *just beginning* to open, .. next time around, click just PRIOR to the mouth beginning to open.

... bend that around until it's a nice 'clean' nose- or paw-only touch.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

I like "spot" for a cue.

We use ten cent white tiles from any home improvement store as targets. They stay in place because they're heavy. I'd like to see Cherokee shred one of those!!!

As far as how to target, I definitely prefer the paw to the nose. If you teach him to target the tile with his nose, then he's going to put his nose to the ground every time he gets to the end of a contact obstacle, wasting valuable seconds.

Funny story: Our first week in agility class, the instructor handed out target plates (tiles) to everyone and demonstrated what she wanted. Kit figured it out that evening, and then we practiced all week. At class the next week, the instructor set up a tunnel with a target plate at the end of it. Kit went racing thru the tunnel, caught sight of the target plate, reared up at least 12 inches, and deliberately planted herself on the target. Then she looked up at me like "I know I did that right so FEED ME NOW!" Everyone was in stitches.


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

Oh my goodness! This morning he really got it! He couldn't believe that all he had to do was step on the white circle and I gave him cheese! I kept moving it around the room and used my hand to signal him towards it and he had so much fun. I did start using the word "spot". I have to train myself to use the word.........I tend to be more difficult to train than my dog.

I think he did start understanding that bringing it to me is a no treat situation and sitting on it doesn't work either.

Now, I picture me putting it at the bottom of the A-frame in agility and losing his attention for a split second and him deciding to go step on the spot so he can get a reward. This could be an interesting challenge.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

You might want to change to a post it note for your target. This way you can stick it just about anywhere, and its very easy to make it smaller and fade it later.


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## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

As for a cue word, I use "zone."

I also have used a post it note (a yellow one, at that, just like the contact paint), with great success.


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