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How Attentive is Your Dog?
How often does your dog look at you during the day? Chances are good she pays quite a bit of attention as you go about your day. After all, lots of things she desires flow through you, so it pays to keep an eye on you.
You can actually teach a dog to be more attentive by noticing those moments when she is looking at you, and rewarding her for that. It takes mere seconds, sprinkled throughout the day.
As an example, I taught my dogs to offer me eye contact as I open a door, and to wait until I tell them it’s okay to go outside. It’s a great example of using a ‘life reward’ – getting to go outside to have fun in the yard – rather than needing to use a food treat as a reward.
How attentive is your dog?
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4 Replies
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@virginiad i love using life rewards with my dogs. As I read your post about your pups looking at you before they go outside- I was seeing my dogs do the same. My Berner is amazing with auto checks ( he was lucky to join our family as I started my education with CATCH ) so he is just amazing. My golden is great at check ins with walks. I think it fascinating watching dogs look at you for the next step:)
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Oh my goodness, @pawsup , auto check-ins are pure gold. In the early stages of training outside, I always reward for free check-ins. I had a cattle dog who would hike with me off lead and every time she got about 20′ ahead of me, she’d turn and make sure we were still ‘connected.’ ????
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As a mom of 2 Aussies, I can attest I am very well-supervised as I move about my home. ???? ????
Sometimes I close a door just to have a moment to myself. ???? This reminds me of a story:
I once had a young client with a new-to-her adult Curly-Coated Retriever. (If you’ve not met a Curly before, they have a temperament much closer to a Cheseapeake Bay than a Golden or Lab, which is to say, they are far more independent and a lot less “clingy”.) Anyway, this young lady was having a hard time creating a connection with this dog. So I suggested carrying a treat pouch and simply marking and rewarding, every time the dog looked at her.
The next week she came to class complaining, “I did what you said, and now he follows me EVERYWHERE AND WON’T STOP STARING!” ???? (Welcome to my world, I thought!)
I guess I’d rather have this, and a dog who will stick with me than a more independent dog who isn’t checking in… but I wonder if everyone feels that way, or would some folks prefer to have a dog who is more “aloof”?
???? “…every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you….???? – The Police
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Great story!! ????
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