Target StickDog follows and touches the end of a target stick
Hand target at a distance. The dog learns to touch and follow the end of a stick, which lets you position them precisely without bending down. Essential for later skills like ring a bell, pivot, and jump through arms.
Also known as: Follow Stick, Stick Touch
At a glance
- Tier
- 2 · Intermediate
- Time to fluency
- 1–3 weeks
- Practice
- 4× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- Target stick, wooden spoon, or 2-foot dowel, Small soft treats
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach target stick
Lure
Present the stick tip near the dog's nose and reward the touch
- Start by holding the tip 2 inches from the nose. Most dogs will sniff it
- Mark the nose-to-tip contact, reward from the other hand
- Move the tip a few inches and reward when they follow and touch
- Use a wooden spoon or dowel if you do not have a commercial target stick
Hand Signal
Presenting the stick is itself the signal
- Move the stick to different positions: left, right, high, low
- The dog should follow and touch the tip wherever it goes
- Build distance: the dog should cross a room to touch the stick
Verbal Cue
Name the follow-and-touch so the dog begins moving on the word
- Say the word, present the stick, mark the touch
- Use it to guide the dog into new positions or over obstacles
- The stick becomes a remote hand target. Anything hand target can do, the stick can do at range
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Ignores or avoids the stick
- In progress
- Follows the stick across the room on the word alone
- Mastered
- Follows the stick through complex paths, including around obstacles, in any environment
Common mistakes
- Using a stick that is too short, forcing you to bend over
- Moving the stick too fast so the dog cannot track the tip
- Poking the dog with the stick, which creates aversion
- Not rewarding from the other hand, so the dog watches the stick for food cues