The Versatile Touch Command

Touch asks the dog to bump their nose into your palm. That tiny target can move a nervous dog away, interrupt a trigger, steer position, or back up a weak recall.

Dogs already read the world nose-first, so aiming that nose at your hand barely feels like training to them. That head start makes touch one of the fastest cues to teach and one of the stickiest once learned. Most dogs get the basic behavior in a single session, sometimes in minutes.