Teaching your APBT
to pay attention to you, no matter what
you tell him, is the foundation of all training. Your APBT should learn
and know the “Watch Me” command. And you can teach them this at any
age. The command “Watch Me” may seem very basic, but it is a stepping
stone to all of the other obedience work you will be doing with your
dog
“HOW TO TEACH WATCH ME”
Find a nice quiet place away from any distractions
for
training. With your dog in front of you, say, “Watch Me”. As soon as he
looks at you quickly give him a treat. If you are having problems
getting your dog to look at you, move the treat upwards away from your
dog's nose towards your body up to your face. As you draw the treat
from his nose to yours, say ONCE, "Watch Me" then treat the eye
contact. Repeat this a few times over several sessions, and gradually
wait a little longer each time before rewarding. Eventually he will
stare at you longer and longer. Eventually you want to phase out the
treats. Start skipping the treats, every other command, eventually
treating less and less. When you think your dog knows how to look at
you until you release him, take him outdoors where there are
distractions to reinforce the learning.
NAME RECOGNITION
Teaching name recognition uses the same principles as “Watch
me”. Except instead of saying Watch Me, you say your Dog’s Name. You will be
reinforcing the fact that making eye contact with you when you say their name
is a good thing, as well as teaching them when you say their name, they need to
pay attention to you.
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