The One Cue Every Dog Should Know—And Nope, It’s Not ‘Sit’

If you’re looking for a simple yet powerful way to build trust, boost confidence, and strengthen communication with your dog, nose targeting might just be your new favourite training tool. This foundational behaviour—teaching your dog to touch their nose to your hand or an object—can open the door to a world of practical skills and joyful engagement.

What Is Nose Targeting?

Nose targeting, often cued with the word “touch,” involves teaching your dog to gently press their nose to a specific target, such as your hand, a stick, or even a sticky note. It’s a deceptively simple behaviour with a wide range of applications—from basic obedience to behaviour modification and cooperative care.

Why Teach It?

Nose targeting is more than a party trick. It’s a confidence booster and a communication bridge. It can help:

• Improve focus by redirecting your dog’s attention to a clear and familiar cue.

• Encourage calmness and stillness on cue, useful for veterinary handling or grooming.

• Condition a positive association with human hands, reinforcing the idea that hands predict safety and rewards.

• Offer simple directional guidance, such as moving onto a mat, into position, or away from a stressor.

• Serve as a redirection strategy, breaking cycles of reactivity or preventing unwanted behaviours.

Plus, it’s engaging and mentally enriching—like a nose-powered game of tag.

Before You Begin: Use a Marker for Clearer Communication

Before diving into nose targeting, it helps to introduce your dog to a marker—a clear signal that tells them, “Yes, that’s the behaviour I’m looking for.” This can be a clicker or a verbal cue like “yes” or “nice.” Timing is everything here: aim to mark the behaviour the moment it happens, then deliver the treat immediately after. This precision helps your dog understand exactly what earned the reward and builds consistency as they learn.

Getting Started: Phase 1 – Introducing the Target

Present your open palm a few centimetres from your dog’s nose, fingers pointing downward. When your dog sniffs or touches your hand, mark the moment with a cheerful “yes!” or a click, and toss a treat a short distance away. This builds a cycle: engage, reward, reset.

Repeat several times, gradually shifting hand position or increasing distance. Once consistent, begin saying “touch” just before contact.

If your dog doesn't respond as expected, don’t worry—every learner is different. Sometimes, dogs offer behaviours from their past knowledge, like giving a paw instead of a nose boop. In those cases, gently reintroduce the target with a lure and reward the correct response. Patience and practice go a long way.

Phase 2 – Adding Movement

Once your dog understands “touch,” start making it more engaging. Toss a treat to reset their position, then move to a new spot and cue “touch” again as they return. This dynamic approach keeps your dog mentally sharp and reinforces reliable recall and focus — even in changing environments.

Phase 3 – Mixing It Up

Once your dog’s confidently responding to “touch,” start moving your hand to different positions—higher, lower, to the side, behind your back. This gets them used to following your hand and builds fluency with the cue. Start placing your hand farther away so your dog has to step forward or shift their head to reach it. This keeps the training fresh and builds physical confidence along with cue reliability.

Encouraging your dog to move around to reach your hand adds a fun physical element and strengthens their responsiveness in all sorts of real-life situations. Keep the vibe light and rewarding, even as you reduce treat frequency. The goal is to turn “touch” into a reliable, go-anywhere cue that your dog enjoys.

Cooperative Care Starts Here

This seemingly small behaviour lays the groundwork for big things. With nose targeting, dogs learn that interaction is safe, predictable, and rewarding. Whether it’s guiding them onto a vet scale, positioning them for an injection, or helping them navigate stressful settings, you’re empowering your dog to participate in their care with clarity and trust.

This cue lays the groundwork for so many other skills, and it’s something every dog should learn. Begin as early as possible—ideally from day one!

Here is a YouTube Video I made to explain and demonstrate how to teach "Touch".