ATTENTION: Want It? Get It!    By Kathleen Feeney

Ok. Before going any further, go and get your Berner (the younger and wilder, the better) and a bag full of treats. Go on, we’ll wait for you.   Great. Now, follow these simple instructions:

Have the dog sit or stand in front of you.

Take one treat out of the bag that you’ve left on the counter.

Holding the treat in your right hand, present it to the dog for him to sniff only.

Then extend your right arm out at shoulder level.

SMILE AT YOUR DOG WHILE LOOKING HIM DIRECTLY IN THE EYES AND DON’T STOP SMILING!

When the dog looks you in the eye (as if to say, "What do I have to do to get that thing,") say "YES" or "click" if you clicker train, and give the dog the treat!

TROUBLE SHOOTING --  

If the dog:

Jumps on you,

Jumps at the food, and/or

Paws at your arm,

Lift your hand up out of reach, and then return it to the same position.

If the dog:

Barks at you or

Whines at you,

Turn your head to the side, looking away from the dog’s eyes for a moment, and then look back and START SMILING AGAIN!

If the dog merely stares at the treat in your hand, STAND STILL and KEEP SMILING!

Now, repeat steps 1-7 again and see whether it takes your Berner less time to eventually look you in the eye. Even after playing this eye contact game for a short period of time, most dogs get the idea and will look at you as soon as you extend your arm! Congratulations, you have now mastered the basics of the Eye Contact Game, the key to earning and guaranteeing your dog’s attention and the mainstay of The Third Way, a training methodology developed by Chris Bach of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Chris, a regular contributor to Front and Finish and an avid student of animal behavior has developed training techniques that combine the best of positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, and psyching the dog into believing that the best thing in the world to do is to interact with you! I will discuss more about Chris’ methods in my next installment, but for now, I want to talk more about the Eye Contact Game.

Once your Berner knows that the smile on your face and the treat extended to your side means "look at me," you are ready to try a few variations to increase you dog’s commitment to paying attention to you. And, who among us would reject the opportunity to increase a dog’s commitment and attention to us?

Try the following. Make the dog maintain eye contact for a few seconds longer each time before giving the treat. If the dog glances back and forth to your eyes and the treat, WAIT. Yes, wait for the dog to commit to something. If it commits to looking at the treat in your hand, no problem. Wait. Smile. Wait longer. Then give a big smile, "yes," and the treat when the dog looks back to you. It will not take long before the light goes on in that beautiful Berner head, and your pet commits itself to looking deep into your eyes! When it happens, it’s wonderful!

Once the dog will look you in the eyes and maintain the contact, start waving the treat around. Just make little movements at first, then try moving the treat closer to the dog’s head. If the dog looks at the treat, keep smiling and return your hand to the original position. When the dog reestablishes eye contact, reward him! Try again.

After a while, you should be able to move the treat around freely, hide it behind your back, and even drop it on the floor while maintaining eye contact with the dog! Remember, however, go slowly and keep smiling.

One thing you must remember: even if the dog looks away from you but chooses later to recommit to you, REWARD THE DOG FOR THAT CORRECT DECISION! Our tendency is to think, "no, I won’t reward you because that would just reinforce your decision to look away." The dog, however, does not reach the same conclusion. Based on the reactions I have seen, it seems that the dog thinks, "hey, looking at Mom/Dad is more rewarding than looking at this other thing!" Distractions then become reinforcing as your dog, who can never be taught to ignore all distractions, will quickly return his gaze to your eyes after something in the environment pulls his attention away. Who could ask for anything more!

The Eye Contact Game is most effective when you introduce it early, and puppies are perfect targets. We started Jasper, now one year old, on the Eye Contact Game at seven and a half weeks of age when we brought him home. We "played" before we went outside, came inside, got into the car, got out of the car, before eating, before going to bed, and before playing with toys. After a few weeks, Jasper was heads-up heeling without even being taught how to heel! He also started sitting and making eye contact automatically—basically, he became an eye contact junkie because it was so rewarding for him. As with all training, consistency is key. The more you play, the greater the results.

Come on. Just try this for a while and see how much fun it is to look deep into those dark brown eyes and see that loving gaze coming back at you with intensity. From there, the possibilities are endless.