Teaching Target Training
It's very useful to teach a dog target training since it forms the basis of many more complicated tricks and behaviors in later training.
Target training is basically teaching a dog to touch something, usually with his nose. The dog has to focus on something and perform an action toward it. For instance, you can reward a dog for touching the palm of your hand. Nose-touch and paw-touch are both forms of targeting.
It's very easy to teach basic targeting, such as the nose-touch. It helps if you've been handling treats in your hand. Just hold out your hand to your dog. Your dog will most likely sniff your hand. When your dog touches his nose to your hand, CLICK! and treat. Repeat. That's it. Move your hand around with the exercise to make sure your dog "gets" it. Add the cue or command -- "Touch" or "Target" or whatever you like.
You can do the same thing using the dog's paw. (See cross paws which has instructions for teaching a dog to give you his paw.)
You can use target training for tricks, for heeling, for retrieving. Many people use target training in obedience work and agility, especially for the weave poles. There are basically stationary targets, which are things that stay put that you want the dog to touch; and moving targets, which are things that a dog must follow around. The dog must follow your hand or a stick, or something of that nature, in order to know where to go to touch the moving target.