[Mackenzie’s Admin]

My dog doesn’t seem to pay attention to me. How can I get him to look at me so I know he is paying attention?

Eye Contact stage one Glancing –
1. With a treat in your hand, touch your dog’s nose with the treat.
2. Move the treat upward to the side of your head and outward. The dog should look at the treat.
3. Wait, the dog should become frustrated and choose to glance at your eyes.
4. As soon as the dog’s eyes meet yours, “Say yes” and follow up by giving the treat to the dog.
5. Continue to play this game until the dog chooses to glance at you immediately after you hiold a treat out to your side.

Important things to remember:
• When you first begin it may take a long time before you get a glance from the dog. Be patient.
• If the dog looks away from the treat and does not glance at you, start over by bringing the treat down to the dog’s nose and back up again.
• Don’t use any leash corrections to try and get the dog to pay attention to you. This defeats what you are trying to teach the dog.
• Don’t use any verbal commands or attention getting noises. You want the dog to voluntarily choose to glance at you.
• Don’t be concerned about the dog’s position when starting this game. They may be sitting, standing or lying down.
• Once the dog gets the idea it is no longer necessary to touch the treat to the dog’s nose. You may start by having the treat out to the side at arms length.
• The treat is a distraction. You are beginning to teach the dog to choose to look at you instead of the distraction.
• Make sure you clearly say “yes” before you move the treat towards the dog to reward them.

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