You may be surprised to find out how many dogs don’t know their name. We say it all the time! How can they not know their name? For a word to be meaningful to your dog, it needs to be associated with a single specific thing. Dogs are not very good at generalizing, so we need to make sure we set them up for success by being as clear as possible.
Most people use their dog’s name to get their attention. However, we want to make sure that our dog’s name means “Look at me!” and only means that. The more often we say a cue without following up on it the less our dogs will respond to it – it turns into white noise and ceases to be meaningful.
Your dog knows their name* when you say it and their head whips around to look at you for what’s next.
*If you find that you say your dog’s name all the time without it being a cue, use a different word for this game like “Look!” or “Watch!”
How to Play: Stationary (Up-Down)
You’ll need your dog and 10-15 high value treats.
- Place a free participation treat on the ground in front of you for your dog to eat.
- When your dog looks up at you, mark and feed him a treat.
- Place your next treat on the ground for him to eat.
- After he has finished eating his treat but before your dog looks up at you, say his name or “Look!” – when he looks up at you, mark and reward.
- Repeat 5-10x.
How to Play: With Movement (Ping-Pong)
You’ll need your dog, 10-15 high value treats, and enough room to toss treats for your dog to chase.
- Give your dog a participation treat.
- Toss your first treat away from you for your dog to chase.
- After your dog eats the treat but right before he turns back to look at you, say his name or “Look!”
- When he looks at you, mark and reward from your hand.
- Repeat 5-10x.
As with all new skills, start by working on these in a calm, low-distraction environment before leveling up and progressing through gradually more difficult environments.
