BH235: The Big Feelings Dog: Using Control Unleashed and Free Work to Build Resilience and Lower Arousal

Look At That: Looking at a Neutral Object In Your Hand

“Excellent communication doesn’t just happen naturally. It is a product of process, skill, climate, relationship and hard work.”
– Pat McMillan, author, CEO

There are two primary mistakes that I often see people making when teaching their dog The Look At That Game that leads to no change or even worsening of the behavior. Skipping this step of teaching our dog to look at a neutral object is one of them. The other is taking the game into the real world too quickly, which in fact most often goes in line with skipping or rushing through this step.

That said, we are starting our class with this skill and will be nearly perfecting it before progressing to the next steps of LAT! Not only will it bring you that much closer to helping your big feelings dog, but it will also help you become a better trainer. Teaching our dogs to look at a neutral object requires precision, good mechanics, creativity, and skillful progression. Whether or not some of these come easy to you, by the end of these 6 weeks you will be thrilled by your development as a trainer!

So why are we putting so much effort into teaching our dog to look at a neutral object?

I want the action of looking at something, without any feelings attached, to become a heavily reinforced behavior for my dog. That way, when I begin to work on the actual counterconditioning part of LAT, looking at something is a skill that is in my dog’s toolbox that they will eagerly offer.

What is a Neutral Object (NO)?

Anything that your dog doesn’t find remarkably interesting or concerning! Normal household items that may be seen by your dog throughout the day are best. You will be holding this NO in your hand, too, so make sure it’s large enough for your dog to decipher it from your hand itself. For example, a large mixing spoon would work better than a writing pen.

How will we get our dog to look at the NO? Especially if our dog has been highly reinforced for eye contact or has learned Zen Hand?

We are going to use a motion lure to capture our dog’s attention, and then stellar marker timing to seize the opportunity. For some dog and handler teams, this will be easy. For others, we might have to troubleshoot. But not to worry, I have every trick imaginable up my sleeve!

The Look At That Game: Neutral Object Setup

Ideally, we want a stationary dog. Throughout this class we will be building a relaxed position as we progress LAT. Until then, use whatever skill might work best to anchor your dog, whether it’s a cued position or some kind of a platform or mat. And if your dog doesn’t have any solid stationary behaviors right now, not to worry!
Your dog will be in front of you. Your NO will be in one hand. You will be feeding your treats from the opposite hand. This will form a triangle for your dog to turn their head to look at the NO in one direction, then turn their head to eat in the opposite (thus building our “look.)

I highly encourage you to use a clicker for this skill simply because the timing of the marker is so important here. If you have a well timed mouth click, that could be a good alternative. I prefer to hold the clicker in my treat hand so that it doesn’t interfere with how I hold the NO, and practicing the skill of picking up treats with a clicker in your hand is very useful! Here’s an example of that:

Alright, we’ve got out NO, we’ve got our setup, and we’ve got our marker system in place! Now it’s time to train!

LAT Neutral Object Step 1: Motion Lure Steps

1. Begin with your dog in front of you and your NO behind your back.
2. vBring the NO out to your side at about arm’s length and shoulder height. You want to move the object relatively quickly to attract your dog’s attention.
3. The moment your dog looks at the object, click.
4. Feed your dog with the opposite hand while returning the object back behind your back.
5. Repeat this a few times on one side.
6. Switch hands now so that your dog must look to the opposite side.

You’ll then want to generalize the object that you’re using, the location where you’re playing the game, which side you’re holding the object on, and your dog’s position. Keep sessions very short, 3-5 repetitions each, and progress to the next step relatively quickly so that your dog doesn't become reliant on the motion lure.

LAT Neutral Object Step 2: Fading the Motion Lure Steps

1. Bring the NO out to your side.
2. The moment your dog looks at the object, click.
3. Feed your dog and keep the object out by your side.
4. When your dog looks at the object, click.
5. Repeat.

Sometimes it works better to sneak one or two reps of Step 2 into a session of Step 1. That way your dog is in a rhythm and more likely to look at the NO, but you can get a few reps under your belt without the motion lure!

A few additional tips.

1. Clicking/marking early is always going to be better than clicking late because you’re reinforcing your dog for moving their head toward the object rather than back to you.
2. And along those lines, if you miss clicking for the look, just feed a treat without the marker! You’re better off simply rewarding, than clicking late because you realized you missed the look.
3. If your dog thinks that the game is about giving you eye contact, try to avert your eyes by looking in the direction of the NO (while still being able to watch your dog.)
4. Try to avoid the natural tendency to try to get your dog’s attention by waving the NO if they’re not looking. If that’s the case, toss a reset treat, go back to a few reps of Step 1, and then try getting in one rep of Step 2.
5. If your dog has targeting thoughts and is moving toward the NO to touch it, remind them to remain stationary with a cue or a prop, and emphasize feeding from the opposite hand to encourage stillness.

Alright, ready to try it?! Let’s get started! I love troubleshooting the first two steps of this game and am excited to help you progress through them with your dogs : ).