Dog Training - Target

Geller, Tamar, and Jonathan Grotenstein. 30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog: the Loved Dog Method. Gallery Books, 2011.
11/27/17
When I first got my dog, Marcy, she was untrained and only understood the commands, "sit", and "down." Having had her for more than 8 years now, I thought it would be wise to start teaching her more than the basic commands.  

"Teaching your dog how to touch a target with his paw or nose isn't only a cool trick, it's a building block that will help you to teach your dog all kinds of more complicated behaviors." (Geller 263)  The next step up from "sit" would be this simple drill. The simplest form of this task would be placing a treat on the palm of your hand, saying "target", then when your dog has touched your hand with his/her nose or paw, reward them with the treat. Changing levels of difficulty, such as moving your hand to different positions, will allow this drill to be the most effective. 

When trying this drill for the first time, my dog only jumped up and down in excitement and never understood when I said "target." 
"Rub a treat on your palm and hold it out to your dog." (Geller 263)
I tried this, instead of just holding the treat on my hand. I made sure that Marcy knew that the treat on my hand was the target, and not just something to eat. After several "target"s were said and many dramatic gestures were made, she finally started to get the hang of it. I started moving my hand to a higher position, then lower, then side to side. After being able to locate the target 10 times, I decided to move on to the next level. 

"Once he's learned to target your hand, you can switch to objects. Choose an area that doesn't have too many distractions, like a room with a lot of open space or your backyard. Your 'target' can be just about anything - a traffic cone, a stick on the ground, or a Post-it stuck to a chair." (Geller 263) 
I place a treat on a pillow and hold Marcy about 6 feet away from it. I point her in the direction of the treat, say "target!" then release her. For the first few attempts, she doesn't see the treat and runs in a frenzy trying to find it. Then, I pick her up and make sure she sees where I put the treat and repeatedly say "target," pointing at it. After a few more tries, she runs over to the pillow, eating the treat. 
"Don't move on to the next step just because your dog has done something right once or twice." (Geller 268) Before moving on to new and more challenging targets, I had to repeat the same target until Marcy was able to locate it several times. After a few mistakes, but an overall target achievement of 6 times, I moved the treat to places like the couch, the ottoman, and on a post-it note on the floor. 

Overall, this drill has improved Marcy's ability to understand a new command, locate objects, and identify goals. 
If you own any of sort of pet, what do you think would be the most difficult thing to teach them? Why would that task be difficult? Why do you think some dogs are fast learners while others are not?