May 17, 2023 • Sticky Post

How to train eye contact

If your dog is looking at you, they are thinking about you and giving you their focus. Eye contact means that you are connected with your dog and this is the foundation of all dog training.

I do not have a verbal cue for this exercise. I just mark ‘yes’ and reward my dog when they offer it and I have rewards available (which for a young dog, puppy or inexperienced dog is always).

Start this exercise by taking your dog to a quiet area, free of distractions. Have a pocket full of good rewards and then stand still and wait. When your dog looks at your face, say ‘yes’ and then get a reward from your pocket and offer it to your dog. The marker ‘yes’ is very important here as it is capturing the exact behaviour that you are trying to reward.

Stand still for the first few sessions so that you are getting a reward rate of 1 every 5 seconds. If your reward rate drops lower than that, look at why this is happening. Is your dog distracted by the environment? Are they tired? Are they full? Make the necessary adjustments so that your dog is successful.

Once you get a reward rate of 1 every 5 seconds or faster, when you mark ‘yes’ and feed your dog, turn your body slightly so that they have to move to find your face to gaze into. Alternatively, you could mark eye contact ‘yes’ then deliver the reward away from you by chucking it on the floor (make sure that you lob it slowly for inexperienced dogs or puppies).

Once you can get eye contact easily in a low distraction environment, try to train in a slightly more distracting environment. Your dog will be honest if you aim too high and transfer this exercise straight to the dog park as they will fail. Try having a family member walking around slowly while you train at home. Try this on lead in your front garden. Try this on your driveway and on multiple driveways along your walk. Remember you are looking for a rapid reward rate of 1 reward every 5 seconds or so. If you do not achieve this, keep working at home first.

Once your groundwork is done and your dog starts to offer eye contact more often, it is time to add some more distraction. Hold a piece of food enclosed in your hand, show your dog it is there but do not let them eat it and then hold your arm straight out from your shoulder. Wait and say nothing. If they jump at your hand, no problem! Nothing exciting will happen for them. When your dog stops thinking about the food reward in your hand and looks at your face, say ‘yes’ and deliver that same food reward to their mouth. Repeat the exercise, it should be much quicker the second time! Once they are successful with the food in one hand, put food in each hand and stand with your arms straight out from your shoulders. Wait and be still. As soon as your dog looks at your face, mark ‘yes’ and give them a reward. Practise this exercise every day!

Once a dog is offering eye contact regularly, I will make eye contact the way the dog asks ‘please?’ So, if I get their lead out for a walk, I will wait for calm behaviour and eye contact before I put their lead on. No need to say ‘yes’ or reward with food in this context, the reward is having their lead on as that means they are going for a walk.

I also wait for eye contact (the dog’s version of please) before I open my front door. I also wait for eye contact when I have opened my car door and the dog is waiting to get out of the car. I do not ask for eye contact, I just wait and when the dog looks at me, I say ‘ok’ and they can get out the front door or car door (you will need to use a lead for your front door and a body block for your car door).

If you have a dog who likes toys and you regularly throw toys for them, each throw should be a minimum of eye contact from your dog before you throw.

When you give them their meals, I wait for eye contact before I offer them their Kong or bowl. Remember your release word ‘ok’ for this so that they know that they can eat.

When you are out on walks, mark ‘yes’ and reward any eye contact at first. Young pups, adolescent dogs or newly adopted dogs need a high reward rate (1:1) for this whereas more experienced dogs can get a verbal recognition, a thumbs up or a wink from their person to acknowledge their good eye contact.

For dogs who react to other dogs or people on walks, eye contact is essential as this offers the dog an alternate to lunging and barking.

I work up to having my dog’s triggers in the environment to be a cue to connect with me and to receive rewards. For example, Bellatrix used to bark and lunge at unknown dogs. Through careful management and good training, she will now immediately look at me if she sees and unfamiliar dog. This is SO helpful and I reward it handsomely still after 2 years of training!