Core Obedience

Watch Me: The Focus Cue

Core Obedience

Overview

Watch me cues the dog to make eye contact with you. It's incredibly useful for redirecting attention before your dog reacts to something in the environment (another dog, a jogger, a skateboard).

Why it matters

A dog who can offer eye contact under mild distraction has an attention span you can work with.

Watch: demonstration

[VIDEO PLACEHOLDER] Watch-me demo: handler says the cue, dog snaps eyes to their face, gets rewarded. — trainer to attach a video via the admin uploader.

Step by step

  1. Hold a treat between your eyes.

  2. The moment your dog looks at your face, mark and treat.

  3. After 10 reps, fade the treat lure — just point at your eyes, then reward from a pocket.

  4. Add the verbal cue "watch me" just before the point.

  5. Slowly extend the duration of eye contact before marking.

  6. Practice with mild distractions, then harder ones.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER] Handler pointing to their own eyes as the hand signal. — trainer to upload one or more still images.

Common mistakes

  • Rewarding late — reward the first split second of eye contact.

  • Only training it inside — practice on walks too.

  • Trying to hold eye contact for 30 seconds on day one.

Practice this week

Get 20 focus reps a day, gradually adding distractions.