Eye Contact with Distraction (Patreon)

The goal of this game is to show Denver that it's valuable to look at me, even when there's distractions around, including food. I hold up food to the side of my body and wait for him to look away from the food and look at me. The behavior of looking at me (offering attention) is already in his repertoire because we've already been marking and rewarding for offered attention, I'm now adding in a distraction that he can't get to (making it slightly easier). When he looks away, he's immediately marked and rewarded.

This simple game helps explain to Denver that when presented with a distraction (like eventually a dog, or a kiddo) breaking eye contact and looking to me is always a good option.

Note that I look at Denver throughout the exercise so that my eyes are always there to meet him. Eventually I will practice with food in the other hand, both hands, and moving hands.