In this video, I’m teaching Stewart his very first hand target lesson—how to put his nose to my open palm. Hand targeting isn’t just a fun, silly trick. Once your Cavalier understands “touch,” you can use it for polite greetings, come when called, moving them into position, and even guiding them around the vet office without pushing or pulling. I walk you through lesson one exactly the way I do it: I present my open palm and move it slightly away from my dog to build interest. I mark and reward any interaction—looking at the hand, leaning toward it, or showing curiosity. One of my biggest tips is to never close the gap by moving your hand toward your dog if they hesitate, because that can make them want to back away. If my hand is just lingering and they’re not going for it, I simply lift it away and try again. Even though the goal in lesson one is interest (not a perfect touch), if your Cavalier does touch your hand, I like to jackpot it and often end the session on that positive note. From there, you can progress to having your Cavalier follow your hand, move from person to person, add a verbal cue, and build duration before the reward.