Teaching a Dog to Focus
If your dog is a “Looky Lou,” meaning he gawks at everyone but you, take a couple of minutes and teach your dog “look at me” instead. Yes, it will make your life easier. 🙂
Training Your Dog to Look at You
Grab super yummy treats, a clicker and your leashed dog of course. When teaching your dog a new behavior, it’s usually easier to keep him leashed so he’ll stay with you instead of becoming distracted by something else. Over time, you don’t have to leash your dog any longer as he’ll learn the presence of a clicker means training time!
Practice each section a few times a day for one minute. After three days, move onto the next section.
Capture Good Behavior
- Holding a treat in your left hand and your clicker and leash in your right hand, slowly move your left hand away from you.
- Your dog will likely watch your treat hand so wait for your dog to look back at you instead.
- The moment your dog’s eyes look back at you, even for an instant, click and give her the treat in your left hand.
Tip: Refrain from staring at your dog’s face. Instead, focus on his chin, as direct eye contact is creepy for dogs and humans alike. 🙂
After a few sessions, you may notice your dog ignoring your “treat moving hand” and focusing on you instead, in which case click and treat. This means you’re doing an excellent job!
VIDEO: Teaching a Dog “Look at Me” Step One
READ ALSO: Teaching a Dog “Look at Me:” Adding a Cue