In life, we use the concept of targeting without even thinking! We place a blanket for our dog to lay down on or pat the back of the car seat for him to jump in. We send our dog to find a family member. Dogs trained for TV and movies know many targeting behaviors too.
Targeting may be a destination or it may be used as a way to get a behavior involving a position or directed movement of our dog. It can be used to get our dog to do a behavior at a distance and we can improve body awareness with targeting as well!
In these modules, you will discover the many kinds of targeting and what behaviors you can use them to teach to your service dog in training.
We will also learn how and when to properly use luring and some situations where it may better be used asa follow-up concept, rather than one to start with.
There are many types of targeting and their different uses as a service dog.
- nose target to hand
- nose to stick target
- paw target
- paws on platform
- front foot pivot
- chin rest
- go mat
- backing up to a target
- “Go Say Hi” greeting
- stand
- stand in a desired position
- switching sides
- wearing a muzzle
- luring
- generalizing