There are a lot of training tasks on the to-do list after getting a puppy: housebreaking, coming when called, walking nicely on a leash and more. Before all of that, though, bonding with your new puppy should take priority. All of the other stuff will be so much easier after you show a new puppy that you are not only the giver of all things they need, but also that you will guide them safely through life with both love and leadership. To build this bond, there is one simple training task you can easily work on with baby puppies that will benefit overall day-to-day living.
I call this task the automatic check-in. Some other dog trainers teach the command of “look at me,” meaning you ask the dog to hold your gaze and look at you. I believe that the “look at me” skill is actually accomplished by saying the dog’s name and then the dog actually looking at you until you deliver your next message. This differs slightly from the automatic check-in, which involves training dogs to look at their owners unprompted. This helps build the basis of the bond between them.
All of my dogs are hardwired that looking at me and checking in with me are not only rewarding but also how they get most things in life. The first training exercise that I do with my puppies is rewarding the automatic check-in, both in a formal training setting and all day, every day, beyond that.
I start ingraining this behavior by sitting on the floor with my puppies with food in my hands and being dead quiet. Most puppies are going to come charging towards you to see what is up. When they do, I give them a treat for coming over and joining the party. Then I put my hands behind my back or out to the sides, and I wait. Most times, puppies look from hand to hand, hoping the food will be dropped into their mouths. Or, they go behind me to try to steal it. So whenever a puppy looks directly into my eyes, I praise them and give them a treat. The next time I work with that puppy, I stand up and move around, then reward the puppy for the check-in each and every time they do it.
When doing this training exercise, the most important thing to remember is to stay quiet. Don’t make any noises to cause them to look at you, because what you want is for them to offer their attention to you, unprompted.
I also carry treats around the house with me just about always, whenever I am raising a puppy. Bento Box, my newest puppy at the moment, is being rewarded all day for running up to me on his own and locking eyes with me.
We would like to think our puppies and dogs are madly in love with us and will hang on our every word. However, soon you will be competing for your puppy’s attention with an incredible amount of stimulus in the world and may watch your worth slide in the downward direction. Laying a solid foundation of the automatic check-in is going to help your puppy remember you are, in fact, still alive at the other end of the leash. This makes the process of training them so much easier.
Bento Box turns 11 weeks old today. He is getting short walks at the horse farm to get used to wearing a collar and leash. On those walks, I am not focused on anything else other than him swinging his head around to me and locking eyes with me. As a reward, he gets a tasty bite of chicken or roast beef. I am also rewarding him heavily with both praise and treats whenever he comes to me without being called, does not jump on me and does not bite my shoelaces.
This kind of check-in teaches your dog that looking into your eyes is rewarding and expected. Not only that, but it also reinforces love. After checking in and getting a treat, your puppy is releasing oxytocin and feeling happy. Your puppy wagging their tail, or even their entire body, while looking at you and being rewarded for it is beneficial to both of you. Personally, nothing feels better than my dog Kabuki staring into my eyes and ignoring the entire world around her, waiting to see what adventures are coming next. Give this simple exercise a try, and watch your dog’s eyes light up!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
