Puppy Distraction and Eye Contact Training (Patreon)

In this exercise I hold a treat up and away from the puppy. As soon as the puppy looks away from the treat and at me, I mark and reward. This is the start of a dog being able to see a distraction (in this case food) and having that distraction be an unspoken cue to look at handler. The distraction cues the check in.

All you want to do is take a cookie, hold it up and out to the side, and wait for eye contact. Using a platform like this can help stop the puppy from jumping at the food, but the dog should already understand that looking at handler gets marked and reinforced (auto check ins), as we don't want the puppy to be frustrated. Once he looks away from the food, mark immediately and deliver the treat.