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I hope you are using Mike’s template or some other kind of record keeping system to keep track of where you are. It’s so easy to forget, even with a single dog, let alone several. I think Allie has posted look me vids somewhere on this sight. I.m not sure if I do it exactly like allie. (Lotsa ways to do stuff like this, as long as it makes sense and you do it systematically and consistently)
It’s pretty simple: lure the behavior, probably best to start (with dog calmly sitting or standing in front of you). OK to use kissy noises etc to get his attention. Treat treat in 1 hand right between your eyes. Alternatively, you can have treats in both hands and hold both hands between your eyes. As soon as he looks into your eyes, good boy and treat him. If you use the 1 hand bt eyes technique, treat him by using the other hand to get a treat out of your pouch (not hold it in your hand, because that makes it harder for him to focus on your eyes. if you hold both treat filled hands between you eyes, remember not to keep rewarding from one L or R hand. Be unpredictable. And try to hold his gaze with the treat. thats the way to began. then play around with your ‘presentation’; e/g,. don’t stand in the same place, hold one arm out and other between eyes. reward only if he looks between your eyes, from the other (the outstretched one). You can even move your outstretche arms to try to distract him, but only reward him when/as soon as he’s looking at you. the more presentations, the better, provided that your timing is right and you only reward The Look. then go back to the simplest way you taught it and buildl a little duration. then try one or two more complicated presentatins. Once you think he’s got it, put it the behavior on cue. (‘Fido. Look.), starting with the simplest presentation and moving on to more complex ones ….That’s a broad overview, off-the-cuff. I don’t think I included ‘Look’ in my phase 1 manual, just some simpler attention getting stuff, not on cue. Gotta remember to add it.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Might be easiest to take a look at Allie’s vid if u can find it. And don’t be afraid to experiment a bit, as long as your’e sure you understand the principle. For example, if you want to get fancy, you can try turning your back and saying look at me. See if you can get Fido to come around and look at you. Stuff likel this may sound trivial, but my strong feeling is that dogs are kind of programmed to wanna do stuff for people, provided people don’t trigger/threaten them and some kind of jleadership’s in place. So the more games you play, the more presentations for the same behavior, the better. The downside is that this takes time, and if you’re on a tight schedule then you have to restrict yourself to what experience has taught you works quickest and best.
i hope this helps.
