Hand Targeting on Good Day Maine

The end of August I took my fabulous foster pup Stella (formally Evon) on Good Day  Maine to demonstrate how to teach hand targeting. If you watch closely you can see that I lost the news casters in the beginning. It takes them a little bit to be on board as to why one would bother teaching a pup to touch their nose to your hand. I used to save hand targeting for my advanced classes, but now I teach it in all puppy K, and manners classes and it is the first thing I teach my foster dogs. It is a wonderful foundation exercise. In the video I explain why targeting is a must teach.







For fearful and problem dogs, hand targeting is a MUST.



I was flattered to wake up this morning to a mention on my friend Mary's blog. Mary is a first time foster and she has taken on a very fearful, dog from death row. Aaron would have been a goner without Mary's intervention. Her entire blog is  worthy of a read.  Not only is it packed with wonderful training insights, but Mary is a wonderful writer and she really knows how to weave a tale.



Included in Mary's blog latest post  is a 5 minute clip showing her using hand targeting to get Aaron used to the car that he once feared. Of note, the dog really doesn't look that fearful anymore. Great job Mary! The dog who is jumping in and out of the car is the same dog who would not even leave her house not that long ago.



Aaron is available for adoption by the way, but don't forget I still have two special pups at my house and they are darn good targeters in their own right, although, not quite as great as Stella in the video. In hindsight, when the news casters ask me if they can try it, I should have said no, since I really had no idea if she would work for them.  Live TV takes some getting used to.

Good Girl Stella!

By the way, Stella is thriving in Boston with my cousin. Here she is at the Head of the Charles Regatta where my cousin reports she was perfect!