A training breakthrough!

Not Miró’s breakthrough but mine. It’s an ongoing struggle to keep his attention when we see another dog or some crows on the ground or a squ****l when we’re on a walk. Instead of “no pull” or even the “look” command, I say, “Touch.” He has to turn his attention from the object of interest to touch his nose to the palm of my left hand which is down by my side. I laugh and he gets a treat.


We learned “touch” in beginning obedience as a way to start teaching a dog to heel off leash. You can also put your hand against the wall or door knob (like I’d want to teach him to open a door). The problem is that I never learned what comes next. For instance, what if I want him to put a nice, snoolly nose print on the window instead of my hand, how do I teach that?