TARGET: Level 2

USING Target: Level 1

The cue for this behavior is PAWS UP.

 Step 1 Start with an enthusiastic nose-touch of your hand target

(Get the behavior, but DON'T use your nose-touch cue.)

 Step 2 Put your hand target near a chair and keep working it

a. Gradually move your hand target over the seat of the chair until he realizes he has to put at least on front paw on the seat to touch your hand.

b. CLICK FOR HIS PAW TOUCHING THE CHAIR

 Step 3 Pull your hand target away and C/T for paw touching chair

a. Repeat this until he realizes he's being paid for touching the chair with his paw

 Step 4 Start moving farther from the chair before sending him

 Step 5 Reduce your hand target to a small motion toward the chair

 Step 6 Work up to 5 feet from his first chair

(Chutes & Ladders for Distance)

 Step 7 Re-teach on the couch (or another surface)

a. Cut back to right in front of a couch.

(Remember, when changing the behavior, make EVERYTHING else easier).

 Step 8 Work up to 5 feet away in front of the couch

(Chutes & Ladders for Distance)

 Step 9 Work on horizontal surfaces in other rooms

a. Work your first chair

b. Work your second chair

c. Work 4 objects

 Step 10 Work a wall and signal him to touch it

a. Use your hand target up the wall if necessary, but realize the dog has to decide that touching the wall is what you want.

(Key words here: the dog has to decide)

b. Click any motion of his paws toward the wall

c. Once he's consistently hitting the wall, start working duration by 300-pecking it.

(Chutes & Ladders for Duration)

 Step 11 Once he's staying long enough, begin utilizing chutes and ladders to increase duration

a. If he comes off the wall, ignore it and wait for him to hit the wall again, C/T

b. Begin duration again by using chutes and ladders; 1 sec C/T, 2 sec C/T etc.

c. If he comes back off the wall, start back at one C/T, two C/T, building duration

 Adding the Cue

Once he HAS some duration with the behavior; the cue is PAWS UP.

 Before Moving On (to Level 3)

When he is wall targeting and holding for 10 seconds, begin doing things while he's up there; put on his collar, brush him, etc.

Karen