Eyes or look at me command

[midnight]

Hi guys I was just wondering if anyone here uses the "eyes" or "look at me" command? I have always taught it to my German Shepherds without incidence but with the mastiffs tendencies toward dominance I was wondering if it would be a bad thing to teach or encourage the dog to make eye contact on command?

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I use "watch me" with Ruger and it works really well. If we are out in public and there are too mny distractions or he is too excited I make him sit and have him watch me.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

I teach it. Look at me or eyes is usually one of the first commands, it gets their attention at times when you really need it. It helps instill respect as well and I can look my two in the face/eyes without one single problem.

 

[bellareea320]

I taught my CC "watch Me" right away as well. She must sit and Look me in the eyes before she eats and before we play. I never felt it as a bad thing with her actually it is more of affection and bond that we have. She knows when I say watch me its important for her to be intune to me if you will.

 

[midnight]

Thanks guys, as I said I've always taught it with my German shepherds with excellent results, I was just unsure about mastiffs because of the temperament differences. I didn't want to teach anything that might create issues later on. I already do alot of engagement training and he is always watching me anyway, waiting for a command but I still like to use the "eyes" or "look at me" command in high distraction situations.

 

[moonglow]

As far as worrying about dominance I think it's totally different when you cue your dog to watch you, especially when you do what bellareea does and have them do it to get something they want also. This cements in your dog's mind that all good things come through you. I think eye contact is one of the most important things you can teach any dog, it builds the strong bond mentioned earlier and ensures that before your dog does anything they check with you first. The second being especially important with strong dogs like mastiffs who can have dog aggression or high prey drive, if your dog is watching you they aren't reacting to say a dog across the street. It sound like you are on the right track with your training and should keep doing what your doing already.

 

[bellareea320]

@odettemayers First, How old is your dog? and which commands are you trying to teach? Only teach one command at a time until your perfect it then you move on to the next. Maybe we can help with strategy. For instance to teach "sit" use a treat and hold it by the nose then bring it back over to the head and say sit. You may have to help by putting your hand on their hind and give a little push down. repeat repeat repeat then repeat again alway praising when done.

 

[Marrowshard]

I agree with the others, we use Watch Me with Oscar and although he's far from spot-on when distracted, it's a good tool to have in your arsenal regardless of breed, I think. There's a difference between a dominance stare-down and politely focused attention.

~Marrow

 

[Robtouw]

I usually tap Cruiser on the forehead and use the word "Focus". That makes him look directly into my eyes and works pretty well. He gets that aggravated wrinkle on the forehead but does what I ask.