Hello all,
Ive just joined a Schutzhund club with my dog Kane.

He did well his first day at the club considering hes not used to being around dogs.
The first thing they want me to do is make sure he looks at me the whole time while in a sit.
Before I joined I was in the process off teaching "look" with a clicker .

question; do I continue the separate command , or expect every sit with him looking at me(I make him sit before going outside,and other family members make him sit before a treat, bone ect)

P>S> Also Ive purchased a prong collar but only putting it on him to get him used to it (put it on, play or do something positive)how long do I do this.

I just always expect the look.

If you're doing Schutzhund, each extra command is a point.
Something to think about.

Thanks Alyssa,
Ive joined the club for mentoring, I dont plan on competing,just really like the obedience component.
So for now when he sits and looks at me, do I mark and reward and only for the sit and look?
Shauna

I taught the look before I started anything else.

A neat way to encourage the dog to look into your face is to use cheese or hotdogs and spit the treat out of your mouth after you mark. (Although, Simon and Huey treats aren't bad tasting, LOL)

If he already sits consistantly, then yes, I would wait for him to look before I marked. If he doesn't perform obedience consistantly already (sit, down, etc), then I would go ahead and back up in training to the look only. Once the look is solid, you can move forward with the other training.

Most dogs learn quickly that eye contact is the magic button to make the treats come.

If you're not planning on competing, then you're making your own rules and you can do what works for you.

"Sit" and "look at me" are two different actions, (each can be performed without the other) so they can have different commands, as you are doing currently.

If you want to always add "look at me" to the "sit," then yes, you'd begin to mark and reward only when you get both. (easy way to get the dog to look at you is to hold a treat in front of your face.) So--you say "sit," then hold treat in front of your face. Dog sits, and looks at the treat. You mark and reward.

After he's got that, THEN you change to holding the treat at arm's length away from your face. Dog will sit, and then look at the treat! No mark, no reward. You hold. Say nothing. Don't move. Dog WILL eventually look away from the treat to you as if to say "hey! what's the deal?" As soon as he looks at you (instead of the treat) then mark and reward. They catch on to this game quickly.

If you WANT the dog to do both actions from a single command (while still maintaining a separate "sit" and "look at me," you could create a new command word that means the combination (perhaps "attention," or whatever word you choose.)

If you work with him by spitting the treats like Alyssa mentioned, he'll probably look to your face no matter which command you give.

Thank you so much for the replys, very much appreciated!! cant wai to start spitting hot dogs!!!

Don't be suprised that both of you have lousy aim in the beginning.

Just try not to laugh too hard- with a mouth full of hotdogs, it could be dangerous.

I have been spitting treats for years and it works really well.
When I don't allow them to have the treats that hit the ground,
I get more focus and attention because they try harder. So, bad
aim can be a good thing!

For the longest time, my aim was great, and Danke's sucked.
I was literally bouncing them off her nose.

Once I did as Mary does, and refused to let her eat the treats off the ground, she learned to open her mouth and catch them.