In order to advance to any training, the dog mush first know how to focus. First off, most dogs and especially puppies act like they have ADHD, so this only underscores the importance to teaching this skill. It is about useless to give the dog a command if he is not paying you any attention. I start off by putting my dog on a leash. The leash should be at least 6 feet long and up to 10 feet (not a retractable one). I can choose to either just stand there or go find a place to sit. I have a treat pouch with high value treats, but am basically ignoring my dog. As soon as my dog turns and makes eye contact with me, I mark the behavior with a "Yes!" followed by a treat. Mind you, I am not saying anything to the dog or pulling on the leash. I simply wait for him to make eye contact on his own. I do this for about 4 or 5 times. This training session may only last a few minutes but stop there. Later the same day, do this same thing again. After you have marked the good behavior (eye contact) with a yes, the next time add the command "Watch me", while taking a treat out of the pouch and holding it up by your check. Hold it a couple of seconds, Say "Yes" and give your pup his treat. Now when your dog is looking away again, say "Watch me" as you put the treat my your check. Repeating this process, just a few times a couple of times a day over a week should result in your dog choosing to give eye contact on his own for longer periods. At this point, we will randomize the treat reward. Instead for marking the good behavior with a "Yes!" followed by a treat, just use the marker word. Give the treat on the second correct response to watch me, then the third correct response, so the dog cannot predict that he will get the treat each time. By the end of the second week, you should notice that your dog is focusing more on you even when you are doing nothing. Be sure to praise your dog throughout the day when he makes eye contact. Now you are ready to give other commands once your dog is focused on you. In the photos below, I am not saying anything to my dogs, but they are focused waiting for me to give them a command. Happy training!
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