Did you know that when you gain eye contact with your dog it releases oxytocin, otherwise known as the love hormone, in both yours and your pup’s brains?
It’s just one of the many reasons that dogs are so good for our mental wellbeing.
It forges that essential bond between us and our canine companions and is therefore absolutely foundational in dog training. If your dog is not in the routine of looking at you, they almost certainly won’t be listening to you either.
So, if your dog is used to checking in with you on the lead, you’ll get loose lead walking.
If your dog is gazing up at you when they see another dog walk past, then they will not lunge on the lead or bark.
It’s essentially the power steering of training, and it is so important that we grasp every opportunity for our pups to learn that glancing up at us is the way to access all the good things in life.
We can start this with a very simple game using treats. Just drop a treat on the floor and watch your very happy puppy greedily consume it. Repeat 3 or 4 times.
Then stop. Watch your confused dog puppy look around wondering why the human treat dispenser is broken.
Only when they problem solve by looking into your eyes, say ‘good’ and drop another treat.
This great little game can be made harder by your moving away from your pup. Hey presto when they come over and offer your eye contact, you’ve even got a nice little recall into the bargain.
You can weave eye contact training into your everyday life. For example, make sure your dog sits and looks up to gain access to the garden or for before receiving their dinner.
We absolutely guarantee that if you train your pup to look up at you, one way you’ll never be looking is back.
