Sometimes, the best way to train your dog is to focus on the basics, and the command we are discussing today is an essential part of every dog owner’s repertoire – ‘Watch Me.’ In essence, this command hopes to grab your pup’s attention and put their focus squarely on your face, where they can continue listening to and watching for your next instructions. If your dog is receptive to learning new tricks but often distracted by the outside world, this basic command can significantly cut down on training time. Keep reading to learn how to master this dog command in one afternoon!

Dog training facility

Basics of ‘Watch Me’

There are many names and phrases that different dog trainers and owners use – Watch Me, Look At Me, Eyes On Me – but your choice is not important as long as you keep it consistent over time. Establishing a good system with your dog that redirects their energy and attention onto you has innumerable benefits both inside and outside of training scenarios.

By teaching your dog this trick, you will no longer have to fight for their attention when attempting to teach them more complex tricks and commands. Furthermore, it can be a lifesaver when your dog gets off-leash or is unruly with house visitors.

Teaching ‘Watch Me’ 

By its definition, this command isn’t overly complicated. Most dogs will naturally pay attention when you call their name or get treats involved. The overall effectiveness of your training will be determined by how quickly your dog reacts to the command, how well they pay attention to subsequent commands, and how long they keep their focus on you before having their attention stolen by another interesting thing in the room.

  1. Bring your dog to an isolated area of the house without distracting sights, sounds, smells, and other people.
  2. Get your dog’s attention using treats and hold the treats up to your face, near eye level.
  3. Hold this position and attempt to keep your dog’s attention for at least 3-5 seconds. Only reward them with a treat if they respond to the stimulus and hold their gaze on your face until a new command occurs.
  4. Continue the process, but do not break eye contact as you reward them with treats from your other hand. This will further ingrain the idea that your dog needs to pay attention until a new command or activity comes along.
  5. Add the final touches by ditching the treat in the hand you hold up to your face. At this point, you want your dog to learn that the goal of the command is to follow your hand up to your eye level instead of just tracking a treat.
  6. Once mastered, continue practicing with your choice of verbal cue. Over time, you will find that your dog immediately responds to the verbal cue and does not need to rely on a treat or hand signal in their field of vision.

Because of the general usefulness of this command, it is essential to pick a verbal cue that you are comfortable repeating many times a day. Furthermore, stress test this command by introducing distractions – toys, treats, family members – in other parts of the room. Most of the benefits from this command you will see over your dog’s lifetime will involve times when you need to grab their attention in a setting much more chaotic than your initial training area.

This small trick can be handy as a starting off point for future training. If you are looking for a Sarasota or Bradenton dog training school for more advanced classes, call Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training for more information.