A treat magnet is when you’re able to move your dog around with them following a treat that’s in your hand. The point of a treat magnet is for the dog’s nose to stay connected to your hand the entire time they follow it, wherever it goes.
How to Teach:
- Start with a treat under your thumb in a flat hand.
- Put the treat in front of their nose, let them work at it trying to get it for a second or two and then mark (click) and reward by giving them the treat in your hand.
- Build up the amount of time that your dog will stay attached to your hand trying to get the treat before you mark (click) and give it to them.
- Once your dog can stay attached to your hand for 8-10 secs you can begin adding in a little bit of movement/distance. Start small, begin with moving your hand maybe an inch or two. When your dog follows/stays attached, mark (click), and give them that treat.
- Once they’re consistently following your hand with some movement, you can increase the distance, gradually adding in steps, as well as going in different directions.
If at any point your dog has disconnected from your hand, you’ve gone too far for them and need to take a step back.