Watch Me

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 The easiest way to teach a “watch me” cue is to lure the behavior from your dog. If you make it obvious where you want your dog to look, it won’t take long for them to catch on. Start these exercises in a quiet environment so you’re easily the most interesting thing in the room. The following steps will help you lure your dog’s eye contact:

1. Hold a treat in front of your dog’s nose.
2. Slowly bring the treat up between your eyes. Your dog should watch the treat and be staring at your forehead.
3. Mark your dog’s behavior with a clicker, a marker word like “yes,” or praise, then give your dog the treat.
4. Repeat the above steps but reward your dog with a treat from your other hand instead.
5. Repeat steps one to three with an empty hand, but still reward your dog with a treat when they make eye contact. It can help if you stink up your fingers first by rubbing them with a treat. You’ve now taught a hand signal for “watch me.”
6. When your dog is reliably following the hand signal, start saying your verbal cue like “watch me” or “look” before you move your hand.