nose Targets Nose targets are excellent for helping straighten up dogs that curl around at the end of the dogwalk to see where their handler is. The down side is that soft dogs rarely enjoy pushing their nose into dirt or grass. Nose targets can also be problematic for dogs with little or no self-preservation. My Kaya (tiny rescued crossbreed) felt that slowing down to perform her nose touch on the dogwalk was unnecessary and had a couple of spectacular somersaults as she tried to touch her target at full speed. I went to a paw target for her. I always teach nose targets, as they are useful for so many tricks such as closing cupboards and drawers, playing football, etc. And you never know when they might come in handy. Shady is happy enough with his nose touch, but finds it harder when the target is on the ground. I think that's to do with his current growth spurt so his target is in my hand for a while. Darcey is happy to touch my hand, but it's not a firm touch-that delicate Whippet strikes again! I will continue to teach it to her but I don't think it will be able to be used on the contacts. Dexi loves nose touches! I think a nose touch may well be useful for him on the dogwalk as he tends to watch me carefully, so if a running dogwalk becomes nonviable for him, I think this is the stop method I'd use. Darcey is clearly not having fun. Eventually I get some nice work, but it's still not what you'd want for contacts. 14 Clean Run | July 17http://www.fitpawsusa.com http://www.cleanrun.com