What exactly is ‘watch me’ and why should you teach your dog it?
If taught well, on the command ‘watch me’ your dog will look in to your eyes. It is brilliant to use to grab your dogs attention and to keep it on you. However it is not a command to call your dog back to you, it is simply to keep your dogs attention while something else is going on.
What you’ll need
- A quiet room/place with little to no distractions to start with
- Some small tasty treats
- and time
- either a clicker or just your voice (whatever you prefer)
- Possibly a lead and collar
How to
- To start simply sit on a chair or the floor with your dog, it’s best to be in a smaller room, so there are less distractions for your dog.
- Your dog is probably staying near you because you have treats, but if they are not then pop a collar and lead on them just so they do stay with you.
- Give your dog a treat so you have their attention, they will now surely want more.
- Now we wait, don’t say anything.
- Wait for your dog to look to straight in the eyes.
- As soon as they do, click/say ‘yes’ and reward.
- Wait again and repeat.
- Do this a few times.
- Now your dog should be looking straight to your eyes, expecting a reward.
- Put a treat on the floor and just as they finish it, say ‘watch me’ and wait for them to look you in the eyes.
- When they do click/say ‘yes’ and put the treat on the floor and repeat.
- Once they have the hang of this you can throw the treat a little so its further away to make it a bit stronger, but not to far though, remember this command is not to call your dog back, simply to keep their attention.
- End the practice session with your release word. e.g ‘okay’ or ‘all finished’
Important notes:
- Don’t practice anything for to long as your dog will get bored and the skill will become weaker. So make practices short but regular.
- Make sure when you say ‘yes’ it is in a happy voice
Any questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!