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A dog that makes eye contact with her owner will have better focus and will pay attention better. Some people prefer to teach the command “watch me” or “watch.” I have never taught my dog the “watch me” command because I don’t think I should have to tell him to pay attention. He should always pay attention, especially if I’ve said his name or told him to do something. I don’t want to say “Ace, watch me,” and then “heel.” I just want to say, “Ace, heel.” He should automatically be watching.

At obedience class this week, the trainer suggested we encourage our dogs to make eye contact without asking them or assigning a command for it. I have never worked much on improving Ace’s eye contact, but I thought it sounded like a good idea.

Here are a few ideas to try:

1. Keep eye contact whenever you catch your dog looking at you.

When I stop to really pay attention to Ace, I notice he glances at my eyes quickly and looks away. This week I am trying to encourage him to look at me longer by talking to him, telling him what a good boy he is and looking back at him until he looks away. This will teach him that looking at me is safe, positive and he gets attention for it! He should be rewarded every time he looks at me.

2. Make eye contact when there are distractions.

Once Ace has learned to keep eye contact, I can practice using it to keep him focused on me when there are distractions. For example, if I want him to sit and stay, he will have better success if I can get him to watch me rather than focus on other things around him. I will practice with distractions such as another person walking by, toys or other pets and practicing in new areas.

3. Don’t use eye contact to intimidate.

The purpose here is not to make the dog feel submissive, but to make him feel comfortable. Yes, sometimes animals stare each other down, but just because my dog is making eye contact doesn’t mean he is challenging me. It means he is looking at me for direction and leadership.

Give it a try and see how it works for you and your dog.

Image from flickr.com

Related posts:

1. Loose-leash walking: Days 16-18
2. What’s most annoying about your friends’ and family’s dogs?
3. Loose-leash walking: Days 11-15
4. 13 tips for teaching your dog to heel
5. Loose-leash walking: Days 2-4