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Why teach "Look"

  • Improves focus

    Teaching your dog to “Look” and provide eye contact is a great way to get them to focus in distracting environments such as busy streets.

  • Rewarding

    Learning new cues and tricks can be fun and rewarding for dogs, and "Look" is no exception.

  • Building block

    “Look” is the first step towards building other behaviors, because you need your dog’s attention before you can ask them to do anything else!

Look - Level 1

Setting your dog up for success


When teaching “Look” it's really important to set up your dog’s training environment to help them be successful. This means determining:


• What reward (e.g. treat, piece of kibble, butt scratch) you'll use when practicing 

• Where you'll practice. You want to choose a quiet area with no distractions until they have a good grasp on the behavior.


Objective


The objective of level 1 is for your dog to look at you whenever you say "Look"


Follow these steps when practicing level 1


• Sit on the floor with your dog and place a small treat between their paws 


• Immediately grab a second treat and hold it between your eyes 


• When your dog looks up in anticipation of the second treat, say “Yes,” and hand your dog the treat 


• After 10 good reps, you’re ready to introduce the verbal cue “Look” 


• To do this, right before your dog looks up, say “Look!” in a high pitched voice 


•Remember to always say “Yes” and provide a treat immediately after your dog looks up



Look - Level 2

Note: Only move onto level 2 after your dog is reliably looking at you when you say "Look!"

Objective

The objective of level 2 is for your dog to look at you when you say "Look", even if they're distracted

Follow these steps when practicing level 2

• Take your “Look” cue to the next level by adding a distraction. To do this, add a toy or person to your dog’s environment 

• Once your dog is interacting with the toy or person, say “Look!” 

• The moment your dog shows you any sign of attention, say “Yes” and give them a treat 

• Have your dog come to you to receive the treat

• To make things more challenging, increase the distance between you and your dog before saying “Look!”


Example

Alisonjoy from School for the Dogs practicing "Look" with Meatball


Products we love

• Lamb lung. Dogs love these and they're perfect because they're very small.

• Treat pouch. A pouch is a great place to hold your treats during a training session or on a walk.