Message from Emma, Innovation Pawfficer
My favorite time of the day is when I play fetch with my dad! Before he throws the ball, he always waits for me to sit and look at him straight to his eyes. He loves the attention.
Looking at my parents’ eyes was one of the first tricks I learned. Humans call this trick the “watch me” cue. The “watch me” cue is the foundation to capture your dog’s attention. Below I share with you some tips to get your dog started on the “watch me” command.
🐾 Take your dog to a quiet room without distractions. Then wait.
🐾 Every time your dog turns her head or body towards you, click and treat. Look for any subtle movement toward you, then click and treat. If your dog is not familiar with the clicker, please look at our post on “Tips to effectively train your dog”.
🐾 Remember that each click sound is followed by one treat.
🐾 Fluffy does not need to sit at this point. All you should be requesting is eye contact.
🐾 Practice this exercise in different areas of the house and at random times. This will help your dog learn that this behavior applies regardless of the location.
🐾 Soon enough you will have Bailey staring at you at all times.
🐾 Once she is looking at you with consistency, you can then introduce the verbal cue “Watch me!” when your dog looks at you. Always follow up with a click and treat.
Enjoy practicing this exercise with your dog. In the upcoming post, we will be discussing how to teach this trick if your dog avoids eye contact.
No Comments