TOUCH - HOME PAGE
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SUMMARY of Touch to print off
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The dog learns to run approximately 51ft (15.3m) up to a Target Box (a specially made but inexpensive fold-away ramp - similar to a flyball box but without the expensive trigger mechanism that is used to launch a ball) and touch it with at least one of its paws as it turns around to run back to its handler. This Game can be taught in two ways - either by learning to touch a marker with its paw and then the marker is placed on the Target Box, or by attaching a simple "ball holder bar" to the front of the Target Box so that the dog can collect a ball as it turns on the box and bring it back to the handler. The Starters section will give fuller explanations about both these methods. |
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| AIMS | |||
| EQUIPMENT NEEDED | |||
| WHERE& WHEN TO TRAIN | |||
| STARTERS | |||
| BRONZE | |||
| SILVER | |||
| GOLD | |||
| PLATINUM | |||
| ROLL OF HONOUR | |||
As with the Dog-Games Hand or Round, Touch is an ideal way of teaching a dog to run quite some distance from its handler and perform a task (ie touch the Target Box) and then return to its handler for its reward
If using the "marker" method, the technique can be transferred on to other exercises (eg shutting a door, pressing the pedal of a bin, "shaking" hands, touching specific playing cards (ie scented cards) from a pack, pressing switches etc. This Game is also a great way of teaching your dog to run on ahead of you to touch a particular piece of equipment with it's paw, and can easily be adapted for use on Agility contact equipment.
As well as being a fun Game for all types and sizes of dogs to do using very little equipment, it also has an added benefit for those dogs that may progress later on to do flyball. The target box design and materials are very similar to a British Flyball Association flyball box - the difference being that the front ramp of a BFA box moves as the dog presses it, triggering the tennis ball that is set in the hole(s) within the ramp - another difference is the price! Because the flyball box ramp moves when pressed, a learner dog can easily be put off by its movement and sound and be wary of putting all its weight on it as it does a swimmers turn (see Round) to return down the lane. However, if dogs are taught to press a target box (which is far less daunting for the dog) it is easy to transfer them over to a standard BFA box later on, particularly by reintroducing the marker which it learnt to touch right at the beginning of its Touch training.
| SAFETY WARNING - The target box must either be staked down (see Touch Equipment Needed) or have an adult standing on the crossbar behind the ramp, so that the box does not move or twist when the dog touches it. |
The handler learns -
- Either - How to teach a dog to press a marker (eg. a piece of
paper or sticky tape) with its paw. Once the dog has learnt to
touch this marker, the marker can be stuck on a variety of
different articles for the dog to run to, touch with its paw, and
return to the handler for its reward.
Or - To progress from what was learnt in the Dog-Game of "Hand" and retrieve a ball from the Target Box rather than from the floor. - Dogs have a "critical distance" (ie a distance at which the dog is reluctant to venture further away from its handler) when learning sendaways. As the training of Touch progresses and the distance between the target box and the handler increases, the dog will suddenly become reluctant to run that far away and further positive and rewarding training will be needed to overcome these fears.
- To give simple vocal commands to achieve the exercise rather than have the dog become too dependent on the handler being nearby as it touches the box.
The dog learns -
- Not to become too dependent on its handler's body movements as it leaves them to run towards the Target Box, but to concentrate on what is in front of it.
- That the touch box is always placed in exactly the same position each time it is sent to touch it. As the distance in training is increased the handler moves further from the box, yet the dog is still confident as the box has not been moved. This is how a dog learns to run further than its "critical distance".
The training is broken down in to 5 separate Stages - Starters, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum - which are non-competitive and have no restrictions on the speed of the dog. Every Stage has certificates, rosettes, and at Platinum a trophy, which are given in recognition of the achievements of both dog and handler.
Always begin training at Starters and progress from there. It is not compulsory for dogs to do all these Stages - they have been provided so that each dog can train to its own ability. Dogs must not be pushed into situations that they cannot cope with (eg running too close to other dogs in Silver) and handlers and trainers must respect the dog's limitations. Some dogs and handlers work steadily through most or all of the Stages of Touch before trying a new Game, while others reach Bronze or Silver Stages of this Game and then try another Game (returning to the higher Stages of Touch when the dog is more confident, experienced or older).
The Material contained herein may not be reproduced without the prior written approval of Dog Games Ltd. © 2000-2005 All Rights Reserved.