Teaching Your Dog to Look At You on Cue

Building Attention: "Watch Me"

Goal:  Build  your  dog’s  focus  and  attention  on  you  by teaching  him  to  make  eye  contact  on  cue.

Step 1:  Place a treat in your hand and close your hand around the treat.  Your dog may sniff, lick, paw, and may even gently nibble at your hand.  Don’t move your hand away or say anything, just wait until he stops, even for just a second.  When he leaves your hand alone momentarily, click and give him the treat.  If you don’t use a clicker, you can use a verbal marker, such as “yes”.  Make sure it is a clear, crisp word that you will use consistently to mark when your dog has done the behaviour you were looking for.  


Do this a number of times in various locations until he stops licking or nosing at your hand altogether.  

Step 2:  Once he’s really good at leaving the treat with a closed hand, expect him to do so for a little bit longer (a full second, two seconds, and so on) before clicking and giving him the treat.

Step 3:  When your dog can leave the treat for at least two seconds, repeat step one, but this time do not click until your dog gives you a flicker of eye contact.  Timing is important here: as soon as you see his eyes meet yours, click and give him the treat.

Important to note:  Some dogs (especially shy ones) find eye contact intimidating, so do not expect extended eye contact.  Even if your dog's eyes just flicker toward your face and away, click that and reward it.  The goal is to increase your dog's attention on you (and away from a trigger), and to put it on cue, the goal is not a staring contest with your dog 😉

Step 4:  Once your dog is catching on to step 3, expect slightly longer eye contact before you click and give him the treat.  Count seconds in your head, and each time wait for eye contact for one second longer before clicking & treating.  Again, only slightly longer, and only if your dog appears comfortable with this prospect.  Don't push if your dog seems shy or uncomfortable about the eye contact.  

Step 5:  When you are satisfied with steps one through four, add a cue, such as “watch me”.  Hold your hand out with the treat in a closed fist and say “watch me” or “look” or whatever cue you would like to use to ask for eye contact.  When your dog gives you eye contact, click and treat, repeating step 4 but incorporating a verbal cue.

Step 6:  Fade out the treat in a closed hand.  Once your dog is very good at step five, hold the treat somewhere else (behind your back, out to the side, in your pocket) and ask for eye contact using your consistent cue.  

Tip:  If your dog doesn't look at you when you say your cue, do not repeat the cue.  Wait a beat to see if your dog just needs a moment to process.  If your dog does not seem to understand the cue, go back a step and practice the behaviour more before adding the cue.  

When your dog gives you eye contact, click and treat, as before starting out with a flicker and each time expecting slightly longer.

Practice this all around the house, in the backyard, under zero or low distractions. 

When your dog is a pro at “watch me” in your yard, move it to the streets and try it on a walk when there is no one around.  If you practice this, giving your dog a delicious treat each time, he will learn to pay attention to you and ignore distractions in the environment when you want him to (i.e. passing other dogs on the street).  

Remember that he needs practice doing this (and we humans need practice at our timing as well!), so be patient and realistic when moving from low distractions to medium and high distractions.  Go at his pace and set yourselves up for success.

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.

"If I can't see it, it's not there!"

Teaching “Leave It” 

Goal:  Your dog learns not to take an item (particularly delicious food) until it is given to him, whether it is in your hand or dropped on the floor.

Step 1:  Place a treat in your hand and close your hand around the treat.  Your dog will sniff, lick, paw, and he may even gently nibble at your hand.  Don’t move your hand or say anything, just wait quietly until he stops, even for just a second.  It's not helpful to use a cue (or command) yet, because your dog hasn’t learned the behaviour, so the word won’t have any meaning to him.  

When your dog leaves your hand alone momentarily, click (or use a verbal marker, such as “yes”) and give him the treat.  It’s important to give the treat directly to him so he learns he only takes the treat when it’s given to him and not when it’s dropped.  

Variation:  If your dog is struggling to get the hang of step one, you can use a lower value item in your hand with a higher value item as his reward.  For example, have a small piece of carrot in your hand for him to leave, but behind your back in a treat pouch is freeze dried liver or diced chicken or something he really likes.  When he leaves the carrot, click and give him a piece of meat instead.  That way he learns that leaving it when asked results in receiving something even better.  

Practice this a number of times in various locations until he stops licking or nosing at your hand altogether.  

Important:  Keep your training sessions short, sweet, and fun.  Frequent, very short sessions are much more effective than a single long, drawn-out training session.  Dogs have short attention spans and we want to leave them wanting more.  

Step 2:  Once he’s really good at leaving the treat with a closed hand (and this can take a very long time, so please be patient and don’t rush the process!), do the same as above with an open hand.  Have your thumb ready to cover the treat or be ready to close your hand in case he goes for it.  If he offers a different behaviour (leaves the treat, sits, moves away, looks away, etc.), click and give him the treat.  You are reinforcing a behaviour that is incompatible with taking the item he has been asked to leave, so he is still successfully leaving it.  As before, practice this a number of times and in various locations until he is catching on to the game and getting really good at it.

Step 3:  When you are satisfied that your dog is a pro at step #2, then you can name the behaviour. You can say “leave it” or whatever cue you want to use for “don’t take that until I give it to you”.  Keep it simple and memorable so you will be consistent with the cue. 

 
Once you have added a name, you will need to go back and practice steps 1 and 2 again with a verbal cue to give your dog a chance to learn the word(s) before moving on to step 4.  Whenever you increase the criteria (or make harder) one aspect of a behaviour, you need to relax your criteria on other aspects, so don’t want long before you click and reward.    

Step 4:  Now you can place the treat on the floor.  Tell your dog to leave it and have your foot ready to cover it up in case he goes for it, or sit on the floor and be ready to cover the treat with your hand if needed.  When he leaves it (moves away, looks away, backs up, sits, anything but trying to get the treat), click, pick the treat up off the floor, and give it directly to your dog. 

Remember:  It’s important to pick the food up and give it directly to him.  You don’t want your dog to learn that he can scoop food off the floor in case one day you drop something that could make him sick, or something you really don’t want him to have.  Practice step four a number of times in various locations to allow your dog to generalize the behaviour and get really skilled at it.  Don’t be in a hurry to move to the next step, as always, be patient and set your dog up for success.

 

Emily Larlham (KikoPup / Dogmantics Dog Training) has some great videos on this topic on her YouTube channel: 

 

Step 5:  Your goal is to be able to drop food on the ground and ask your dog to leave it.  Start by dropping the treat from a very low height to make it easier for your dog, then very gradually increase the height from which you drop it.  The treat will bounce, making it ever so enticing to chase!  

If your dog does try to go for it, just cover it up, then try again with a lower value item.  When you can drop the treat without your dog trying to get it, click and give him something even better from your pocket or treat pouch.  This simulates a scenario wherein you are opening or using something potentially unsafe for your dog and accidentally drop it on the floor.  If you drop a pill on the floor, you want your dog to listen to "leave it" and then you reward him with a dog treat, or something safe for him to eat and enjoy.  

Step 6:  Your goal is to be able to have enticing food on the ground as you are walking and ask your dog to leave it and continue walking.  You may want to do this exercise after a walk when your dog is relaxed and already has his leash on, this way you can walk past something tempting and ask your dog to leave it while still having control of his movements in case he tries to go for it.  

If your dog does try to go for it, just cheerfully say “oops” (or “let’s go”) and happily go in another direction so that he is eager to follow you away from the treat, then try again with a lower value item.  When you can walk past the treat on the ground without your dog trying to get it, click and give him something even better from your pocket or treat pouch.  

With step six you want to simulate being out for a walk and passing something on the ground that your dog is curious about and may try to eat.  You ask him to "leave it" and then give him a treat from your pocket so that he doesn't eat something off the ground that could potentially be unsafe.  

Step 7:  Once your dog is walking past the treat without looking longingly at it, drop the leash and drop treats on the floor, asking him to leave it.  Remember, when you increase the difficulty, you have the lower the bar for your dog.  Now that you're combining both dropping the treat and walking past it, you want to back up and start with dropping lower-value treats from a very low height and then gradually increasing the difficulty again.  

If he does get them, just back up a step and keep practicing with a lower value treat.  Do not correct your dog for taking the treat, he simply needs more practice, and taking readily available food is an important and natural behaviour for dogs.  

If he does not take them, click or use a verbal marker, then pick each treat up and feed them directly to him one by one.  This is a very difficult task for a dog, moving/falling food is even more enticing than stationary food, so be patient with your dog as he learns this new behaviour.  

When he gets it right, reward him heavily so that waiting and leaving it really pays off!

If you prefer a visual demonstration and/or prefer a video, KikoPup recently uploaded a great tutorial on You Tube.  This video was created by Emily Larlham of Dogmantics Training:  

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

 Visit us on Facebook!

Door Training with your Pets

"Can we go out yet?"

Threshold Training

The goal of these exercises is to teach your pet that they do not automatically go through a doorway when a door is opened and they should wait until you give them permission to move forward.  This is important for your pet's safety and is an extremely important skill for all dogs to learn, especially door-dashers.  Door-dashing cats definitely benefit from this training as well, we'll focus on dogs here, but the Cat Behaviour Associates website has fantastic resources for cat behaviour. 

Waiting in a Controlled Position

It is easier for your dog to wait if they are in a control position (sitting or lying down).  Ask your dog to sit or down, whichever they do best; the focus is not on sit/down, but on waiting and on impulse control.  

For cats, you can often do what we call "station training" and have them up on a cat tree.  Pam Johnson-Bennett has a great article on door-darting on her website that focuses exclusively on cat behaviour. 

Choose a safe doorway within your home and have your dog sit or lay down by your side.  Similar to your “stay” cue, gently move your hand in front of your dog, or put up one finger, and say “wait”.  

Desensitization

Most dogs associate their person touching a doorknob with the door being opened and will jump up or run toward the door as soon as our hand reaches toward the doorknob.  Before we even begin door training, we need to desensitize our dog to this process.  Currently your dog may have the association of door knob touch = rush the door.  What we want to do is teach him to remain in place when we touch the door knob and then open the door, and make waiting more rewarding than rushing.   

It can be easiest to have a mat or dog bed near the door to give your dog a visual cue for where he is supposed to wait.  If you have a threshold that changes flooring type (i.e. a hardwood or carpet that transitions to vinyl), then using that line can also be a good spot to start.  

Have your dog in his control position (down/sit), ask him to "wait", then put up a finger (don't do it at the same time, use the verbal signal first, then the hand signal).  Move your hand to touch the doorknob.  If he jumps up, return him to his place and his control position, then try again but move even more slowly.  If he remains in place, move beside your dog, then reward him.  It is important you return to your dog before giving him a treat so that he does not start moving toward you in anticipation of his treat.  

Next, turn the doorknob and repeat the steps above.  Then open the door a crack and repeat the steps above.  Continue this until you can reliably open the door without your dog moving (meaning he doesn’t move at least 8 out of 10 times).  

Step 2 : Practice With the Door Open

Step one can take days or even weeks to perfect, so please do not rush the process.  Take your time and set yourself and your dog up for success along the way.  Your patience will pay off!  

Now, with the door open, have your dog in his control position (down/sit), ask him to "wait", then put up a finger.  Take one step toward the doorway.  If your dog does not move, return to his side and give him a treat.  If he does move, ask him to sit/down and try again but take a smaller step to make it a little easier for him.  

Once you can take one step without your dog moving reliably (at least 8 out of 10 times he doesn’t move), ask your dog to sit/down & wait and take a step through the doorway.  If he does not move, return to your dog and give him a treat.   If he moves, ask him to sit or down and try again with a smaller step, perhaps stopping right on the threshold instead of going through the doorway first.  

Choosing a Release Word 

Once your dog understands the concept of "wait" and is reliably waiting while you take a big step fully through your doorway, you can then incorporate a release word.  Your release word can be anything you choose.  Remember, your dog does not speak English (or any other spoken language); he just makes associations between certain “sounds” (words), actions, and their consequences.  A common release word is “okay”, but this is not always the best choice because we use the word “okay” a great deal in our everyday conversations.  Other options are “break”, “alright”, “free”, or truly anything you choose.  It can be in any language, or it can be gibberish, a made-up word, as long as you are consistent and everyone in your household will use the same word every time.  I like to use a crisp, one-syllable word so that it is easy and clear for the dog.  

Step 3 : Increase # of Steps

Once you can walk through the doorway without your dog moving, ask him dog to sit/down & wait and take two steps through the doorway.  If he moves, ask him to sit or down and try again with only one step.  If he does not move, return to your dog and give him a treat, and then release him!  Remember: It’s important to reward him in his waiting place and not after you release him, so that he’s getting rewarded for staying there, and not for going through the door.  His big reward will be getting to go where he wants to go – through the door, usually to the outside world.  Slowly you will be able to reduce and then phase out the treats for waiting, and his reward will be the release and being allowed to go play in the yard, or out the front door to start his walk.  

Step 4 :  Generalize

Dogs are not good at generalization, so they need to practice new behaviours in as many different locations and scenarios as possible.  Practice “wait” in various doorways throughout your house, including the bedrooms, bathrooms, and back door.  Once you can walk through the doorways without your dog moving until you release him, move to the front door, but make sure your dog is on his leash for safety. 

 

You can also practice "wait" at the bottom of the stairs, having him wait at the bottom until you get to the top before you release him, and then starting at the top and releasing him when you get to the bottom.  This helps generalize the wait command and also promotes safety on the stairs, especially with those big dogs who like to rush past your legs while you're trying to go down the stairs!  

Another very important place to practice "wait" is yard gates.  If you have a fenced yard with gates that can be blown open, or left open accidentally, this is another important place where your dog should wait for a cue to proceed out.  

Once he gets good at waiting, you can use a longer leash so that you can take more steps through the doorway before returning to him and releasing him.  It is important you return to your dog before giving him a treat so that he does not start anticipating and moving before you are back by his side.  

Remain Consistent

It is very important that once you start this training, you do not allow your dog out the front door without waiting for your permission.  It may take a long time to leave the house for walks at first, but the hard work and patience will pay off, and it will become a habit for your dog to sit and wait at the door and to be invited out to start the walk.  

Environmental Management 

You can set both your dog and yourself up for success (and safety!) by using the environment around him to reduce or prevent the likelihood of getting out doors without waiting first.  Use baby gates, closed doors, whatever you can to prevent access to frequently-used doorways to prevent any door dashing.  

Proofing (Step 5): Door Dashing

Some dogs will try to push their way out the door when their owners are talking to a delivery person or getting the mail.  With your dog on leash, have a friend, partner, or family member practice coming to the door and having a conversation with you with the door open just a bit while your dog is asked to wait on his bed or wait by your side.  Start with the door only open a crack and slowly practice with the door opened a little more each time, again, always make sure your dog is on leash so you can keep him safe if he does try to sneak past you.  You also want to prevent the opportunity for him to be rewarded by door-dashing, so even if you’re practicing on a garage door or back door, I still recommend using a leash.  

Keep it Short & Sweet

Training sessions should be frequent, short, and fun.  Cut up 10 very small pieces of your dog’s treats and do 10 reps or practice during commercial breaks while watching television.  Keep sessions only to a minute or two so that you end with your dog wanting more, don’t over-train until he’s tired of the game and no longer engaged.  Remember that puppies’ attention spans are even shorter, and they wear out faster!  

Reward heavily for your dog waiting successfully!  It’s hard work for him to fight the urge to run free and explore the outdoors, so make sure that you make waiting inside a very pleasant event for him by using high-value (and high-value is determined by your dog’s preferences) treats.  Most importantly, have fun!

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

Visit us on Facebook!