A Training Plan for Mac

I've been training Mac without a plan, and I find that I don't really know if he's making progress or not. There are too many aspects to each session, and I don't know when to move forward, and when to move back a step or two. So I'm going to make a plan right here and now so that I have some solid goals for his training instead of just doing whatever each time. We've been spending a lot of time on "touch," so I think I'll start here. I'd like to move on, so I need to be able to tell when to do it. So here we go (from Melissa Alexander, mca @ clickersolutions.com):

Cue:     Verbal cue "touch"

Description:     On cue, dog will touch (or attempt to touch a moving target) with his nose any indicated object.

Elements:

Behavior specifics:      Nose touch.

Duration:      Behavior terminates at actual touch.

Distance:      Up to 40 feet.

Latency:      Immediate.

Position:      Dog should go to the target regardless of the target's position

relative to me or him. I should be able to be in any physical position.

Locations:      Everywhere.

Distractions:      Anything and everything. Especially distractions common in a dog show or performance environment.

Training Plan: (Accomplish each level in multiple locations of gradually increasing distractions.)

1.     Touch the end of an offered target stick.

2.     Add cue.

3.     Touch the end of an offered target stick when on another object.

4.     Touch indicated object, including a dumbbell.

5.     Shape dog to look in indicated direction.

6.     Add cue to "look."

7.     Shape dog to look and then touch object on floor 10 feet away.

8.     Follow and touch the target stick.

9.     Touch a wall from 10 feet away.

10.   Touch a wall 20 feet away.

I'll detail what exactly I do to achieve the desired behavior and document it here.

Instructions for target training Mac:

1. Make the target interesting to him! Move it around a little bit or rub some food at the tip.
2. If Mac shows any interest in it (looks at it, moves toward it, bumps it with its nose) - Mark and Reward!
3. After a many rewards, let Mac do it a few times without being rewarded. Then reward again many more times! 
4. Now try it with the target farther away (so Mac has to follow it) - Mark and Reward!
5. After a few rewards, let him try it a few times without being rewarded. Then reward again a few more times!
6. When he is reliably touching the target when I present it to him (8 out of 10 times at least!) then...and only then...I can add the verbal cue - Touch!
7. Use the verbal cue right before I present the target. Mark and reward the next good response. Repeat several times!
8. Present it again, but do not say Touch! Do NOT reward him if he touches it. 
9. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until Mac reliably touches the target only at my command!

Date:               Criterion:                                                 #R/E   #R/E   #R/E

9/6/13              Touch stick on end                                  12/0    12/0    12/0
                         Touch block on knee                               6/0      6/0      6/0
                         Touch block on floor                               4/2      5/4      3/6
                         Touch palm of hand                                15/0     15/0   15/0

Mac didn't transfer the skill from touching something that touches my body to
something that didn't. So I went back to basics: touch my hand. He got every touch right, and I used the verbal cue: "touch"

Tomorrow I'll work on solidifying the verbal cue, and then try to migrate an object from my body to the top of a box, and then to the floor. He gets so enthusiastic that he uses his feet, and I don't want that. Since he does that so often, it would be easier to teach him to do it that way; but I know he'll do that. I want him to do what I say, not what he says.