Some dogs become uncomfortable or afraid when people stretch out their hands to pet them. If your dog dislikes hands reaching toward her or seems nervous when people try to greet her, hand targeting may help. Training your dog to target a hand with her nose can accomplish two beneficial things:
- It can teach her that hands reaching toward her aren’t really threatening or frightening. In fact, she’ll learn that reaching hands predict really good things, like treats for her!
- Hand targeting can give your dog an acceptable behavior to perform when she’s in a stressful situation, such as greeting unfamiliar or scary people. Having something to do when frightened can increase your dog’s confidence and reduce the likelihood that she’ll react fearfully to people.
How to Teach Your Dog to Hand Target
Stage One: Hand Targeting with You
It’s best if your dog learns to hand target with you first. After she masters the skill with you, she can start to practice with other people as well.
Getting Started
First, cut some soft, tasty treats into bite-sized pieces. Choose something that your dog will really love, like soft jerky, chicken, hot dogs or cheese. When you’re ready to train, take your dog and the treats to a quiet place.
- Hold your open hand out in front of your dog, about two inches away from her nose.
- Your dog will probably move forward to sniff your hand. The instant you feel her nose touch your palm, say “Yes!” This immediate feedback tells her that the thing she’s doing at that instant is what’s earning her the treat. The better your timing is with the “Yes,” the more quickly your dog will master this exercise.
- Immediately feed your dog a tiny treat from the other hand.
- Repeat the exercise from the beginning.
If your dog doesn’t touch your extended palm with her nose, keep trying. If you’re patient, she’ll soon catch on. To prompt the first few touches, try rubbing a tasty treat on your hand to make it smell more interesting. You can also try moving your hand back and forth in front of your dog’s face—or try taking your hand away for a couple of seconds and then presenting it again to grab her attention.
When your dog touches your hand 9 out of 10 times in a row, you can start to present your hand in different places. Offer your palm in front of your dog’s nose—but a few inches to the right. Then present your palm a few inches to the left. Then try holding it lower, close to the floor. Present your hand 5 to 10 inches away so that your dog has to move toward it to make contact. Finally, try holding your palm up above your dog’s head so that she has to reach up with her nose to touch it. Always remember to say “Yes!” the instant you feel your dog’s nose make contact with your hand, and then immediately deliver a tasty treat from the other hand. If your dog seems confused at any point, go back to presenting your palm right in front of her nose, just a few inches away, to remind her what to do. If she still seems confused, call it quits for a while. A short break will often improve a dog’s focus.
Aim for training two or three times a day. Your training sessions don’t need to be long—less than five minutes is fine. During each training session, present your hand for your dog to target 15 to 30 times. Outside of training sessions, you can also present your hand just once or twice, right before you do something your dog likes. Practice hand targeting before feeding your dog dinner, throwing her favorite ball, taking her on walks or playing with her outside.
Adding Distractions
After a week or two of practice in quiet, calm places, you can try hand targeting in more distracting locations. If your dog eagerly touches your palm with her nose as soon as you present your hand in any position, you’re ready! (If your dog targets your outstretched hand with her nose fewer than 8 out of 10 times on average, you’ll need to train in a quiet place for a while longer.)
At first, try practicing hand targeting in slightly more distracting places, like busier rooms in your house and in your backyard. When your dog can reliably hand target in a slightly distracting place, practice in a place that’s a little more distracting, like at a friend’s house or during walks outside. Over the next few weeks, slowly increase the level of distraction around you during training sessions, making sure that your dog stays successful. If she suddenly seems unable to target your hand when you move to a more distracting location, go back to a less distracting place and practice there for a while longer.
Stage Two: Incorporating Familiar Friends and Family
When your dog consistently targets your hand with her nose in a variety of places, start to incorporate friends and family into your training. Enlist the help of a familiar person whom your dog already knows well and trusts.
- Ask the person to stand a few feet away from your dog and present his hand, just like you’ve been doing.
- Say a cue, like “Say hello.” With practice, your dog will learn that when she hears this cue, she can approach a person to hand target and earn a tasty treat.
- The moment your dog touches the person’s hand with her nose, you say “Yes!” Then encourage your dog to come back to you to get her treat.
This exercise will be particularly effective when your shy dog starts to practice hand targeting with people who make her a little nervous. She’ll get two rewards for her bravery: a tasty treat and the relief of coming back to you, the person she feels safe with.
Practice with your friend or family member in different places: your home, friends’ homes, outside and on the street during leash walks. Arrange to have your helper meet you somewhere along your regular route and stop to practice hand targeting with your dog. After your dog spends a few sessions practicing with one familiar person, you can start to ask other familiar people to help out, too—as long as you’re sure that your dog feels comfortable around them.
Stage Three: Hand Targeting with Other Helpers
The next step is to teach your dog to target the hands of people who make her a little nervous. The key to success is to progress in small steps. If your dog only fears one type of unfamiliar person, start with unfamiliar people your dog doesn’t fear. For example, if your dog fears unfamiliar men, start by practicing the steps outlined above with unfamiliar women first. When your dog will happily target the outstretched hands of many different women, you can try hand targeting with men. If your dog fears all strangers, start with calm, unintimidating friends who haven’t met her, and work up to taller, louder, more active individuals. If your dog fears strangers wearing hats, start by having her “Say hello” to a number of familiar people wearing hats.
When you’re ready to get started, recruit a helper. Before letting your helper meet your dog, explain exactly what you’d like the helper to do. Then take your dog to a quiet, calm place where you think she’ll feel most comfortable. Ask your helper to stand or sit about five feet away from your dog and hold out a palm. Make sure the helper starts by holding his hand at or below your dog’s nose-level—not over her head. After you say “Say hello,” let your dog approach the person on her own. Don’t drag your dog up to the person or let the person frighten your dog by moving toward her. If your dog seems confused at first, help her out. Remind her what to do by standing beside your helper and holding out your own hand for your dog to target first. After she targets your hand for treats a few times, your helper can offer his palm again in the same spot you held yours. You can also ask a familiar person who has already practiced hand targeting with your dog to join in. Your dog can target your hand first, then the familiar person’s hand and then the new helper’s hand.
Arrange for your dog to meet and practice hand targeting with a number of different people. Always be sure to coach helpers in advance so that they know exactly what to do—and exactly what NOT to do. Helpers should never approach quickly or make fast movements, pet your dog on top of her head or make loud noises.
Stage Four: Real-Life Hand Targeting
When your dog seems comfortable targeting the hands of your helpers, you can start to use the “Say hello” cue whenever your dog encounters unfamiliar people. If you’d like to introduce your dog to someone, ask the person to extend a hand and wait for your dog to approach. Then you can give your cue: “Say hello.” If your dog approaches the person and touches his or her palm, remember to say “Yes!” and give your dog a treat. (Always have some treats handy when you go on walks with your dog and when guests visit your home.) If your dog doesn’t approach the person, that’s okay. Just explain that your dog’s feeling too shy to interact, and make a mental note to practice hand targeting with familiar helpers a bit more.
Keep in mind that it can be difficult to keep strangers from automatically reaching out and trying to pet your dog, especially if she’s small. (People just can’t help themselves sometimes!) So you need to take charge of the situation when you encounter people with your dog. Be ready to say “Wait!” or “Stop!” if a person suddenly swoops down to pet her or pick her up. Your dog must be able to trust that you’ll protect her. If she feels that you won’t, she may take matters into her own hands and start barking or growling when unfamiliar people get too close. Also keep in mind that your dog doesn’t need to meet every unfamiliar person you run into. If she seems extremely shy around strangers, it may be best to reserve your “Say hello” cue for people you see often and would like your dog to befriend.
When to Get Help
During your training sessions, if your dog shows signs of fear or stress, like heavy panting, trying to flee or quivering, or if your dog growls or barks, stop immediately and seek help from a qualified animal behavior expert. Please read our article on Finding Professional Help for information about locating a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB) in your area. If you can’t find a behaviorist in your area, you may be able to find a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) who can offer assistance. However, make sure that the CPDT you consult has professional training and extensive experience successfully treating fear and aggression, as this expertise isn’t required for CPDT certification.
