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.
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July 17th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Great tips – I love that cute pic too!
Apryl DeLanceys last blog post..5 Free Fantasy Football Sites
July 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
My Mum & Dad taught me my new name by putting a kibble near their eye’s. Of course I give them eye contact as soon as they say my name…George…’cos I love kibble.
When I’m in trouble, or not allowed to engage them in having attention, they give me the ‘NO EYE CONTACT treatment’, dogs do this too as a signal to say NO to each other. When I look at the people plate, they turn their heads and I give up and wait for a George treat for not begging.
Big paws up for eye contact language.
Thanx for sniffing by my doggy bloggy.
Love ‘n’ Snuffs
George
Georgeous Georges last blog post..The Italian Dog – Looking for My Girl Cane
July 17th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
good article!
Saint Lovers last blog post..The Big Splash
July 18th, 2008 at 6:17 am
this is very interesting. I need to work on eye contact with Rosie. She almost always looks away when I look at her (she was abused prior to our adopting her) so this exercise could really help her feel more safe. Thanks for posting about it.
chriss last blog post..Warning about Nutro’s "Nature Choice" dog food
July 19th, 2008 at 3:22 am
one of my favorite things to do is look into stranger’s eyes, especially when waking up or falling asleep
i have to admit, i have used it to intimidate sometimes, its pretty effective but i never considered the downside
K9 Amigas last blog post..Golden Retrievals
August 15th, 2008 at 5:47 am
A very nice article, I have emailed a link to my friends so they can read it as well.