Own the Eyes

An important skill to establish early on is eye contact.  A finished dog should look to you for direction whether in heel, stopped by the whistle, or receiving casting commands.  Establishing eye contact can begin early on with simple daily routines.  Take feeding for example.  When getting ready to feed the dog (the dog should not have free access to food by the way as this could unknowingly reward unwanted behavior), hold the bowl up at your face.  Naturally the dog will look at the bowl and his eyes will stumble upon yours on occasion.  Be sure to capture the moment whenever his eyes meet yours; timing is everything!  When his eyes meet yours, praise and give the food.  All good things should come from your eyes:  food, treats, bumpers, balls, etc.  At an early age, hold all of these things close to your eyes before giving them to the dog.

A dog should always establish eye contact before a command is given.  When beginning heel work, Jack still wasn't quite convinced of his name yet.  From the sit position, I would make whatever noises I needed to (cooing and trilling my tongue usually worked best) to get Jack's attention.  The second his eyes met mine, the command was given and we were off.  He began to realize eye contact is a good thing.  Jack is now approaching 12 weeks old and his attention span is noticeably longer.  At first I would wait for the slightest glimpse of eye contact, but now I make him hold that eye contact for just a little bit longer before any commands are given.

Another thing I have just started to do this week is to make sure Jack looks up to me for direction.  While doing heel work and practicing sitting to my stop, I hold Jack on sit and do not say a word.  As soon as he looks up at me, I praise him and give him a treat.  I will do this two or three times, heel another 10 yards or so, sit him down and repeat the exercise.  Sometimes I have to sit there for about a full minute before Jack looks up at me, but he is not allowed to move off sit unless I command him, and he knows that command won't come without eye contact.

Eventually as these basic skills are mastered, you can begin by holding a treat or other reward at your eyes, then moving your arm directly outward.  The dog will most likely look at your hand, but the second he looks back at you, give the treat or reward.  Repeating this is another good exercise so the dog knows that watching you, not the treat, will get the desired reward.