When a dog owner tells me that their dog
doesn't listen or pay attention it generally means one thing, the dog has never
been properly taught to pay attention.
It is
very important to teach your dog to pay attention to you.By “pay attention” I mean that when you
give the cue your dog should make eye contact with you and await your next
command.I use the dog’s name as
the “watch me” command.You may
choose to do the same or you may decide to use another word such as “look” or
“attention”.This week you
should begin practicing this several times daily.Follow the steps outlined below for teaching the “watch
me” command.
1.Begin with a treat in each
hand.
2.Take a treat in your right
hand and place it briefly in front of your dogs nosein order to focus his attention on it.
3.When he notices the treat,
say his name and the word you have chosen while simultaneously bringing the
treat up to your forehead and holding it between your eyes.Your dog should follow the treat with
his eyes.
4.As soon as your dog looks
at your face, praise heartily and give him the treat from your left hand.(if you give him the treat from your
right hand, he would follow the treat with his eyes, thus taking his attention
off of you and the wrong behavior would be rewarded.)
5.Repeat this exercise
several times in different locations and as many times a day as you can
