"Touch"

    • Gold Top Dog

    "Touch"

    So for the past two days I have come to teach Rory "touch" I intended to use it to get her to close the fridge door and turn off the touch lamp....which she has mastered SO quickly it amazes me! She is so eager to learn and now my brain is swarmming with all the things I could be teaching her.
    One problem is that she now turms the ligth on and off whenever she feels like it but its not our main source of lighting so thats ok.
    What I am really intersted in is what else can I inccorporate this "touch" with?
    My nephew was over and he was walking around having Rory touch everything from the dresser, desk, sink....whatever she could reach, ha ha!
    • Gold Top Dog
    You could get one of those jumbo kiddie keyboards and the two of you could compose symphonies together! [:D]
    • Gold Top Dog
    You can use targeting to teach her a really good "heel". [:)

    • Gold Top Dog
    I used targeting with paws to teach my dogs to wipe their paws at the door. Maybe not so necessary in Monterey, but here in Pittsburgh it's a very valuable skill!
    • Gold Top Dog
    ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

    You can use targeting to teach her a really good "heel". [:)


     
    [sm=eek.gif]AHHH, really? I was always so proud of her recall, I just thought all her smarts were wasted on that, he he! She loose leash walks a bit but heel was a dream I had long given up. Oh but she touches with her paw not her nose like I've seen a lot of dogs do....it should still work with her touching my thigh right?
    Next I'm training "leave it" currently I just call her to me but "leave it" I think she would pick up quickly. She already sits and waits for the commadn to eat after I set it on the floor so I think it will be easy. She also knows to sit behind me whenever I open the front door or fence. She also never jumps out of the car when I open the door......even if she is shaking with anticipation, ha ha!
    • Gold Top Dog
    Lately I've been doing "come - touch" with Blitz (Cuma is still learning touch).  He seems to think come is more fun if he gets to do a touch at the end.  I do this in class sometimes to get him right next to me.  Its cute to see him sprinting accross the room to touch my palm. [:D]
    • Gold Top Dog
    ORIGINAL: cumasmommy

    Lately I've been doing "come - touch" with Blitz (Cuma is still learning touch).  He seems to think come is more fun if he gets to do a touch at the end.  I do this in class sometimes to get him right next to me.  Its cute to see him sprinting accross the room to touch my palm. [:D]


    Oh thats a great suggestion as well. Everyonce in awhile after I give her the "come" command she will come but she will just come to my general direction. Its very seldom and typically when she is playing with another dog but it would be great to slow her down a little bit so I'm not waiting to catch her, ha ah!
    Houndlove, I think that is so awesome you taught your dogs to wipe their paws, ha ha! It isnt needed much here but I'll relay it to my dad, his dog knows touch too and they live on a ranch
     
    edited for spelling
    • Gold Top Dog
    I've found "touch" comes in handy now and then when I need to position Russell to face a certain way - like in the bath or when I'm brushing him... instead of trying to physically move him I'll have him just touch my hand (he uses his nose) and that'll face him the way I want.
    • Gold Top Dog
    ORIGINAL: jones

    I've found "touch" comes in handy now and then when I need to position Russell to face a certain way - like in the bath

    That would surely help with her in the stand up shower we have, I have to get in their with her or she'll run out and she can be a brute !
    • Gold Top Dog
    The trick I used to turn touch into wipe was to start only rewarding for when they missed the object and swiped the floor instead (Conrad can be a little spastic with his paws--precision is not his strong suit [:D]). With Conrad he immediately made the connection, but with Marlowe I had to use smaller and smaller targets until finally it was just a tiny scrap of paper on the floor that he was targeting and then I took that away.  Definately very handy for muddy dogs! I can see it being great for ranch dogs!