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Training Tips: Hand Targeting

By: Anthony De Marinis

Hand targeting is an easy and useful behavior to teach for so many reasons. It's also a great foundation exercise for dogs of all ages. 

Hand targeting can be used for:

• Helping a puppy or a nervous dog become more comfortable with hands reaching towards him
• Building a pup's confidence around people 
• Redirecting behavior
• Helping him to become comfortable with objects that might be scary  (like brushes, tools used at the vet, nail clippers,  etc.)
• Teaching a recall
• Low stress handling and cooperative care
• Teaching more advanced behaviors
• Modifying behaviors

To learn how to teach a hand target take a look at this video I created with my puppy Journey:

How to Teach Hand Targeting

And this one on targeting an item:

Bonus Video: Targeting Items

 

 

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