What's the point of teaching a dog to touch?

To reposition him without touching him (getting off the sofa, clearing a path), to bring his attention back to you on a walk, and to open up a whole host of useful tricks: closing a door, ringing a bell, stepping onto the vet's scales or resting his chin for a check-up. It's the best-value trick in the whole repertoire.

What's the first trick to teach a dog?

Touch is an excellent starting point: beginner level, no prerequisites, no physical risk, and it acts as a building block for half the other tricks. “Look at me” pairs perfectly with it: one brings back the eyes, the other brings back the body.

Do you need a target stick to teach touch?

No. A flat hand is enough to get started, and it's actually simpler. The target stick only comes later, when you want to take his nose somewhere your hand can't reach (down near the floor, into a narrow gap): a simple stick with a noticeable tip does the job.

From what age can you teach a puppy to touch?

Very early: it's a ground-level trick with no jumping and no strain, so it's no risk to his growing joints. Keep the sessions ultra short, a handful of repetitions, and stop while he's still asking for more.

“Touch”: teaching your dog to boop your hand

Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

“Touch”: teaching your dog to boop your hand

Q: How do you teach a dog to touch?

Hold your empty flat hand at nose height and wait: the moment his nose touches it, mark with a “yes!” and reward from the other hand. Then vary the positions, add the word “touch” once he touches every time, and take a step back. No kit needed, and keep the sessions very short.

Q: My dog licks my hand instead of touching it, what should I do?

It's almost always because a treat is lingering in the target hand: it turns into a lure and he sniffs instead of touching. Keep the target always empty and bring the reward from the other hand. Mark only a firm nose touch, never a graze.

9 min read

“Touch” teaches your dog to press his nose to your hand as soon as you offer it. Hold out an open, empty palm a few centimetres from his nose: curiosity makes him sniff it, you mark the contact with a bright “yes!”, then reward with your other hand. No kit needed, and it is the foundation of plenty of other tricks.

What the touch builds in your dog

The real gift of the touch is not the gesture, it is what your dog discovers along the way: he is the one who sets off the reward by touching. For a puppy or a shy dog, that freedom to offer a behaviour builds confidence: he dares, with nobody pushing him and without a scrap of physical pressure. And this is more than a hunch: a dog whose owner relies on reward learns a brand new task better, and a trick is exactly that (Rooney & Cowan 2011); reward-trained dogs also look at their owner more and show fewer signs of stress than dogs trained through coercion (Deldalle & Gaunet 2014). A dog who does not dare to touch is not being difficult: lower your hand right next to his nose to make it easy, and give him time.

The four steps to teach the touch

A quiet corner, a few treats in your pocket, and one principle that never changes: your dog comes to touch your hand, your hand never moves towards his nose.

The first contact

Crouch or sit on the floor facing your dog. Offer a flat hand, palm open, about ten centimetres from his nose, slightly to one side rather than straight in front of him. Curiosity makes him sniff it: mark the exact moment his nose lands with a bright “yes!”, then reward straight away with the other hand. Take your hand away between attempts and offer it again: that withdrawal is what turns a nose resting there into a real touch. Keep sessions very short, a handful of repetitions at a time. If he hesitates or backs off, make it easy: lower your hand and bring it right up close to his nose, until he barely has to stretch his muzzle. If, on the contrary, he is over-eager and shoves your hand or paws at it, stay perfectly still and mark only the contact of his nose, never the paw.

Vary the positions

Once he comes to touch reliably several times in a row, offer your hand to the left, to the right, higher, lower, but never above eye level, so he never has to jump. That way he understands it is your hand he is looking for, not one particular spot.

Add the word

Once he touches reliably, say “touch” once, just before you offer your hand. The word always comes before the gesture, never the other way round.

Add distance

Offer your hand one step away, then two, then three: he moves to come and touch. If he hesitates or gives up at three steps, go back to two: better to succeed often than to fail from afar. The touch then becomes a way to reposition him, and even a mini recall.

The marker is a short, cheerful word, always the same one: a “yes!” dropped at the very instant his nose makes contact. Your voice is enough, you have nothing to pull out of your pocket to mark the right moment. That “yes!” tells your dog “that is exactly it” and announces the treat on its way.

Other surfaces to touch: the hand, the stick, the sticky note

The hand

Offer your flat palm at nose height, slightly to one side.
Your hand stays empty, always: the treat comes from the other hand.
Mark only a clean contact, never a nose that merely brushes past.

The stick

A plain stick with a clearly visible tip will do: no special kit required.
Offer the tip where your hand used to be: most dogs get the idea within a few attempts.
If the transfer does not take, go back to your hand for a few tries, then bring the stick closer bit by bit, without pushing a texture that worries him.
It takes his nose where your hand cannot go: close to the floor, into a narrow gap.

The stuck-on sticky note

Your dog first touches the sticky note held in your hand, then stuck on a wall or a door, at nose height.
This is the first step towards “close the door”, “ring the bell” or “step on the scales”.
If the transfer does not take, go back to the note held in your hand, move forward in small steps, and do not push if he is wary of the surface.
Move only one thing forward at a time: the new note or the distance, never both at once.

What “touch” unlocks

A well-learned touch comes in handy in all sorts of situations, from the simplest to the most useful.

Repositioning without contact

Getting off the sofa, clearing a doorwayYour hand guides him into place, without ever touching him.

Going to his matYou bring him where you want him without pulling him.

Out in town

Redirecting his attention before he reactsA well-timed “touch” brings his nose and his eyes back to you as another dog or a passer-by goes past.

A short-distance recallThe dog moves in order to touch: a mini recall nobody notices.

Being examined without restraint

Stepping on the vet's scalesThe dog follows your hand and climbs up by himself.

The chin restResting his chin in your hand opens the way to an eye and ear check without anyone having to hold him.

Useful tricks

Closing a door or a drawerThe sticky note moved onto the door panel turns into a genuine helping paw.

Ringing a bell, pressing a buttonThe same gesture, moved onto the object, rings the bell or switches the light on.

The raised versions (light switch, bell on the wall) ask him to rise up on his hind legs: keep those for an adult dog with healthy hips, never for a growing puppy, and always pick a wireless button rather than a real 230 V switch.

Deldalle & Gaunet — Effects of two training methods on stress-related behaviors and the dog-owner relationship, Journal of Veterinary Behavior (2014)
Rooney & Cowan — Training methods and owner-dog interactions: links with dog behaviour and learning ability (2011)

Going further

guideTeaching "look at me": the shared gazeEye contact and a nose on your hand work hand in hand: start with the eyes, then bring the whole body along.Read the guide guideTeach your dog to close a door or drawerThe first real use of the stuck-on sticky note: your dog pushes the door or the drawer shut all by himself.Read the guide guideTeach your dog to ring a bell and press a lightAnother concrete use of the touch: teach him to touch a switch or a bell on cue.Read the guide guideThe foundations: teaching a trick with rewardsThe logic behind “touch” explained in detail: how to build any trick at all, with no kit whatsoever.Read the guide guideGo See & FetchThe touch at a distance really earns its keep: send your dog to touch an object, then bring it back.Read the guide guidePositions and sending your dog at a distanceOnce “touch” is solid, you can send him further away: the basics of working at a distance.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you teach a dog to touch?

Offer a flat, empty hand at nose height, and wait: as soon as his nose lands, mark with a “yes!” and reward from the other hand. Then vary the positions, add the word “touch” once he touches reliably, and step back one pace at a time. No kit is needed, and very short sessions are plenty.

What is the point of teaching a dog the touch?

To reposition him without touching him (getting off the sofa, clearing a doorway), to bring his attention back to you on a walk, and to open the door to plenty of other useful tricks: closing a door, ringing a bell, stepping on the vet's scales or resting his chin for a bit of care. It is one of the tricks that pays off most in daily life.

What is the first trick to teach a dog?

The touch is an excellent starting point: it suits complete beginners, needs no prerequisites, carries no physical risk, and underpins many other tricks. “Look at me” goes with it perfectly: one brings back the eyes, the other brings back the whole dog.

My dog licks my hand instead of touching it, what should I do?

Nearly always, a treat is lurking in the hand he is meant to touch: he sniffs and licks it instead of touching cleanly. Keep that hand empty, every single time, and let the reward come from the other hand. Mark only a clear contact of the nose, never a brush past.

From what age can you teach a puppy the touch?

Very early: it is a floor-level trick, with no jumping and no strain, so no risk to his growing joints. Keep sessions ultra short, a handful of repetitions, and stop while he is still asking for more.

Updated on July 11, 2026Sources

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