Place in Hand
Tricks · 4 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to place a toy into your hand after fetching it, for the cue 'Hand'.
Place in Hand is the polished finish to a retrieve. It is optional, since you do not need it to play fetch, but it is lovely if you would rather not bend all the way to the floor to take the toy, and it is handy when you want Your Dog to deliver specific items around the house. It also solves the snatch-and-run problem, since the toy goes straight from Your Dog's mouth to your hand.
For this plan you will also need:
**- A Marker:** such as a clicker or a verbal word like "Yes" to instantly mark the correct behavior. This bridges the gap between the behavior happening and the time it takes to deliver reinforcement, helping Your Dog understand exactly what they did right.
**- A No-Reward Marker:** such as "Oops," to mark the moment Your Dog drops the object on the floor to help them learn why they won't be getting a treat for that rep.
Training steps
Help Your Dog place the toy in your hand
Setup: Your Dog is in any position.
Toss the toy 5 to 10 feet away 10 times, and when Your Dog brings it back, alternate between helping and not helping them place the toy in your hand. When helping, hold your hand directly under the toy in their mouth before cueing them to drop, then mark and reinforce when the toy lands in your hand. When not helping, hold your hand a few inches away so Your Dog has the opportunity to either place the toy in your hand or drop it to the floor. If they miss and the toy hits the floor, calmly say "Oops" to let Your Dog know why they won't be getting a treat for that rep, and toss the toy to try again. Alternating between these two scenarios teaches Your Dog that they only earn reinforcement when the toy lands directly in your hand.
Success: Your Dog places the toy in your hand 50% of the time.
Advance on: 7 of 10 successes
Require Your Dog to place the toy in your hand
Setup: Your Dog is in any position.
Toss the toy 5 to 10 feet away and when Your Dog brings it back, hold your hand a few inches away so Your Dog has the opportunity to either place the toy in your hand or drop it to the floor. If they miss and the toy hits the floor, calmly say "Oops" to let Your Dog know why they won't be getting a treat for that rep, and toss the toy to try again.
Success: Your Dog places the toy in your hand.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add the verbal cue
Setup: Your Dog is in any position.
Toss the toy 5 to 10 feet away and when Your Dog starts bringing it back, say the cue 'Hand' before holding your hand out so Your Dog can place it there. Mark and reinforce when they do.
Success: Your Dog places the toy in your hand.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Fetch and place in hand from 20 feet
Setup: Your Dog is in any position.
Cue Your Dog to fetch and toss the toy 20 feet away. When Your Dog starts bringing it back, say the cue 'Hand' before holding your hand out so Your Dog can place it there. Mark and reinforce when they do.
Success: Your Dog fetches and places the toy in your hand.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Good job! You've laid a strong foundation for Place in Hand.
Now it's time to proof Your Dog's new skill. If you trained with a large toy, then restart the plan with a smaller toy that is harder for Your Dog to place in your hand. You can also restart the plan using proof steps, or play games with the goals you just earned. Practice both in different locations and around distractions.