When the dog will freely follow the stick, you can teach many useful skills, such as getting into a car, onto a grooming table, over jumps, or into the correct position for gaiting or stacking, by targeting those locations. You can even teach advanced skills such as closing a door, turning a light switch on and off, and retrieving objects by name.

In this video, Karen Pryor Academy’s Chief Training Officer, Ken Ramirez, demonstrates how to get started teaching your dog this important and versatile skill!