Getting your dog's attention
What's stopping him from listening
A dog who doesn't listen is almost never “stubborn” or “dominant”: his behaviour is a symptom, not a provocation. Three causes come up again and again.
Saturation first: repeat a word often enough with nothing following it and it loses its value, until the dog simply tunes it out. Then the excitement threshold: faced with another dog, a runner or a bike, arousal climbs so high that even your best treat weighs nothing at all.
And finally unmet needs: a dog who hasn't run, sniffed or played enough keeps all that energy for himself, and has none left for you. A dog who has emptied his tank is a dog who is available.
Most of the time, this can be worked on at home
- He ignores you on walks, or doesn't come when you call him in the garden.
- He knows his name but “turns a deaf ear” when he's sniffing or playing.
- You have to repeat his name several times before he reacts.
Sometimes you need to see a professional first
- He no longer hears you at all, or stops responding to words he used to know: see the vet first.
- He only “switches off” when there's a dog, a passer-by or a bike: that's reactivity, not an attention problem, and it's worked on with a positive-methods trainer, staying below that excitement threshold.
- Marked fear, aggression or a sudden change in behaviour: a professional will support you, this isn't the job of an online guide.
His name: once only, never to tell him off
His name isn't a command, it says “hey, this is for you”. For it to keep that power, follow two simple rules. Say it once only, then wait for the reaction, and follow it with what you actually want: “Rex, heel”, “Rex, look”. And never tell him off using his name: it becomes a word he'd rather avoid. To interrupt some mischief, a neutral “no” or “stop” is enough, always followed by what he is allowed to do instead: you hand him his chew toy, or you send him to his mat.
Set up the right conditions first
Put these four things in place before you even reach for a treat.
0 / 4Teaching him to come and find your eyes
This isn't just about being nice. A 2014 study compared two groups of dogs: those trained with rewards looked at their owner far more often, both on the lead and during the “sit”, than those trained with coercion. In other words, the more you make that glance pay, the more your dog looks at you. So capture it, never force it.
It's your dog who chooses to come and find your eyes, and that's exactly what you're rewarding.
Set up a mini session somewhere calm
Pick a quiet room, no other dog, no TV on. Stand or sit facing him, barely a metre away, and close a treat inside your fist, arm down by your side. Keep your gaze soft: you're inviting, not staring. Aim for one to two minutes and five to ten glances per session, two or three times a day; short and often works far better than long and rare.
Bring the treat up from his nose to your eyes
Open your fingers just enough for him to catch the smell, hold your fist almost against his nose, then raise it slowly and vertically, up the middle of your face, to eye level. His nose follows your hand as if magnetised, his head lifts with it, and his gaze meets yours on the way up.
Mark the exact moment your eyes meet
Say your marker word (“yes!”) in a happy voice at the very instant his eyes leave your hand and meet yours, even for a fraction of a second, then open your hand and give the treat straight away. If he doesn't lift his head, bring your fist even closer to his nose before raising it, or crouch down to shorten the distance.
If he lunges at your fist, don't move
Some dogs jump, nibble or scratch at the closed hand to force it open. Say nothing, don't back away, keep your fist shut and still: the treat never comes out while he's fussing. The moment he gives up and lifts his eyes to you, mark with a “yes!” and reward. He learns fast that it's the glance, not the pressure on your hand, that opens it.
Move on to the hand gesture, without the smell
Once he lifts his eyes easily, eight or nine times out of ten, stop letting him smell the treat. Your empty hand makes exactly the same movement, from below up to your eyes: he has learned to follow that gesture, and he still follows it. But the reward no longer comes out of that hand: once the glance is marked, you give it with the other hand or take it from your pocket. The hand that guides is no longer the hand that pays.
Shorten the gesture, step by step
Repeat the exercise, raising your hand less and less high: first to your chest, then to your waist, then just a flick of the finger. Only move to the next step when he's succeeding eight or nine times out of ten where you are. The goal is for him to seek out your eyes all by himself, before your hand even moves.
Add the word, then the distractions
Now that the glance comes on its own, say “look” in a clear voice just before your little hand gesture: the word announces the gesture he already knows, and in time the word alone is enough. Out on walks, that same word is how you call for his attention: you say it to ask, and you pay the moment his ears or his head turn towards you. Raise the difficulty a notch at a time (the garden, a quiet street, a proper walk); when the distractions climb, settle for a brief glance and bring out your very best treat.
Go further
- Deldalle & Gaunet — Effects of two training methods on stress and the dog-owner relationship (Journal of Veterinary Behavior) (2014)
- Nagasawa et al. — Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds (Science) (2015)
Frequently asked questions
How do you get a stubborn dog to obey?
A dog who doesn't obey is rarely stubborn: usually the exercise is too hard, or the environment too exciting for him. Lower the difficulty, move closer, use a cheerful voice or bring out a treat he adores, and mark his success with a “yes!” followed by a reward. It isn't a question of character but of training, and it can be reworked.
Why doesn't my dog listen to me?
Three reasons come up often: you may have repeated your words too much (they wear out and he ends up tuning them out), he's above his excitement threshold (another dog, a bike, they win over you), or he's short on physical and mental exercise. Start by meeting that need, then keep your words rare and precious.
How do you train a dog?
In small doses: very short sessions (1 to 2 minutes for a puppy), one word for one action, and a reward at exactly the right moment, marked with a “yes!”. Always finish on a success, without launching straight into more: it's the spacing between sessions that anchors the learning.
How do you bring up a dog?
By meeting his needs first (physical and mental exercise, exploration, play), then by showing him what's allowed rather than piling up prohibitions. Reward what you like, redirect instead of punishing, and rule out any tool that frightens or hurts (electric collar, choke chain). Stay calm and in good spirits: a relaxed dog learns better than a stressed one.
My dog doesn't look at me on walks, what can I do?
Outdoors, everything is more interesting than you are, and that's normal. Rather than demanding his attention, pay for every glance he throws you spontaneously (“yes!” followed by a treat, or permission to go and sniff). Work on natural following too: the more used he is to following you freely, the more he keeps an eye on you of his own accord.
Do you need a clicker to get your dog's attention?
No, it isn't compulsory. A simple marker word does the same job: a short “yes!”, always identical, said at the exact moment he gets it right, then the reward. Your voice has the advantage of always being available, and it strengthens your bond.
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