How to teach your dog to “Bump” your leg
Most have heard of the “touch” command – when your dog targets your hand with her snout upon command. But dogs can also “bump” you on your leg with their snout as well. In the service dog community, this is referred to as tactile stimulation, and can be instrumental in helping people with a psychiatric disability.
To teach bump, it’s easier if you first teach touch. You can learn how to do that command by searching our blogs for “touch”. Now, assuming your dog knows touch, read on.
I recommend you acquire blue painter’s tape. The color is important because dogs are red/green color blind so your choices are limited to blue and yellow. Cut a short strip of the painter’s tape and stick to the palm of your touch hand. Then, do the command touch for 15 to 20 times the normal way you do it.
Next, put your hand against the part of your leg (pick a leg, any leg) that is level with your dog’s head while she is standing. The back of your hand should be flush against the outside of your leg. Then do 15 to 20 more touches with your dog in this configuration. Here comes the hard part – it’s time to switch the command from “touch” to “bump”. Keeping the back of your hand flush with your leg, do another 15 to 20 more touch commands, but use the word “bump” instead.
Next, apply a new piece of blue tape to the area of your leg (pants) where the back of your hand was. This part will take lots of time and patience. You will need to be creative in getting your dog to “bump” your leg. To start, tell your dog to bump at the same time you touch your index finger to the blue tape on your leg. Your dog will naturally sniff near your finger. When she does, say “yes! Bump!” and give treat. Continue to follow this procedure for 20 to 30 times, or as long as it takes for your pup to consistently move his nose toward your finger, which is touching the blue tape on your leg.
Start to test your dog by asking her to bump without pointing to the tape on your leg. You can move your leg a little closer to your pup to give her the hint that she should bump the tape. If your pup moves her nose to within a couple of inches of the tape, mark it with a “yes! Bump!” and treat her. You can continue to alternate between pointing to the tape and moving your leg toward your dog for a while until she is consistently moving her snout to within a couple of inches of the tape, or even touching the tape. At this point, only accept an actual bump of your leg and be sure to mark and reward. You will have to be ready to say “no” when she moves her snout toward the tape but does not bump. Eventually, she’ll get it but again, it will take lots of time and patience. You can expect it to take anywhere from an hour to several hours of training time, but of course you will need to break it up into 20-minute sessions. Have fun!
