Eye contact; a precious tool
Eye Contact; A Precious Tool
Hi, I’m new here! You must be new here too. WELCOME!
Eye contact is important communication for non-verbal species like dogs. When we bring puppies home, they tend to look to us a lot those first few months. They are seeking direction and we should be right there thanking them for that eye contact. In training, no matter the age, we are constantly praising eye contact because this is one of the most important qualities we want to encourage in our dogs. When your dog has a decision to make (do I go chase that squirrel into the street?), we want them to check in with you first! This is for safety, security and earning trust. We want them to be safe and feel safe in your care.
We can practice these eye “check ins” in our everyday routines by getting eyes before they go outside, before they eat, before they get in the car etc. Get eyes first and then say ‘OK, go ahead’ or whatever your release command is. This will help teach them to look to us when presented with a decision.
Let’s talk unhelpful eye contact. We humans tend to stare at our dogs a lot. I get it, they’re cute! However, we must be aware of how much we’re staring and when because we can easily miscommunicate with our eyes. For a more obvious example; if your dog is in a stay, ‘place’, in a crate, or behind a gate, they whine or bark and you turn and look at them, you are rewarding that behavior and potentially making them think they’ve been ‘released’. We can either ignore or stop with a quick and firm ‘Nope’. With the ‘Nope’, leave emotions out of it, and don’t say it repeatedly. In a similar example, if you stare at them while they are in a stay, they will learn to hold it ONLY while you are looking at them.
All of that being said, I’m not saying you can’t look at your dog. You should look at them when you’re talking to them, praising, correcting, playing etc. Be mindful and precious with how you use eye contact instead of just staring at them all the time. Set intentions with your eyes; Emote love through your eyes! Key words here are BALANCE, BE INTENTIONAL, and of course stay CALM. Thanks for reading! Be well and live happily with your dog!
