Definition: look at my face/eyes

Command Variations: “watch”, “look”, dog’s name

Behavior: dog looks at you

Use: once you have a moment of your dogs attention on you then you can give the next command with a better success rate

I have been moving more and more towards using a dogs name for this command instead of “watch me”. Using the dog’s name to get their attention is a natural response for most people and it just makes sense to train it to your dog this way.

Once you have your dogs attention on you it’s much easier to redirect them to something else and give them the next command. You will have a higher success rate with your commands when your dog is paying attention.

How To Train “Watch Me”

Training your dog to look at you is actually really easy. Like all training, it requires consistent practice. Start in a low-distraction environment like a quiet room in your house. Decide which command you’re going to use first and stick with it. Make sure it’s a command everyone in the household will use. In this example we’ll be using the dogs name.

Give your command, “Fido” and then hold a treat next to your face at eye level. When your dog looks to your face cue the action as correct using a clicker or a cue word like “YES” and reward your dog with the treat. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Keep practicing until you feel your dog is looking to your face without the lure of the treat.

Add Distractions

It’s important to always gradually add distractions when training any new command. Once your dog is understanding without a lure in a quiet room move on to a less quiet room. Start throwing in distractions of other people, animals, and different places. You can test your dog out by throwing a small box across the floor, have someone else blow a whistle, push a chair past the dog, throw a toy etc. There are endless ways to test your dog out. Create the distraction and then give the command. If your dog struggles to perform the correct behavior then you need a bit more work in the quiet room or with a less distracting challenge. Slowly build those distractions inside your home and then try outside your home. Try in your yard and then move on to a local park, beach, down town etc. If your dog struggles with the new level of challenge then you need to take a step back and work a bit more at a lower challenge for a while before moving on.