Welcome to Section 1: Feet Targeting
This section includes 6 lessons for you to progress through.
I recommend doing all of the exercises in each lesson during one session, and practicing that lesson until fluency before progressing on to the next lesson.
Equipment for Section 1:
Two Large Feet Targets
Building Body Awareness Skills
When first beginning target training, use targets with minimal height and plenty of length and width. This gives the dog the greatest chance of success while learning the concept of feet targeting.
At this stage, we are simply reinforcing the dog for placing their feet on the targets. This establishes the foundation for target training and begins building awareness of where the dog’s feet go.
Recommended Height:
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Small Dogs: ~1/2″ to 1″
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Medium Dogs: ~1″ to 1.5″
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Large Dogs: ~1.5-2″
Recommended Width & Length:
Large feet targets should be square or rectangular, with a width of approximately 1.5–2× the dog’s shoulder width.
A simple way to measure this is by placing your dog in a square stand or sit position, and then measuring from the outside of one front paw to the outside of the other front paw.
Use this measurement to determine both the width and length of the targets.
Large Feet Target Ideas:
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Thick yoga mat cut to size
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Wooden board covered in yoga mat or non-slip liner
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Plywood or scrap wood with traction surface
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Rubber door mat
- Rubber gym mat
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Silicone dish drying mat
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Foam puzzle pieces
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Bath mat
Use:
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One target for both front feet
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One target for both rear feet