'Look at That' LAT Game -teaching dogs to focus and eye contact
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- Опубліковано 9 сер 2011
- Here is a how to video from start to finish in teaching your dog to play "Look at That" game. In the video I start using the clicker to exactly mark the desired behavior, then switch to using a voice marker "Yes". The toy I use is a low level object just to capture their attention. I could have used a grocery bag or anything else. The LAT game is from Leslie McDevitt's "Control Unleashed" a book that teaches you how to teach your dog how to stay calm and focussed despite many distractions and despite having a reactive, fearful or easily overstimulated dog.
There is no intention that the dog will ever interact with the trigger using LAT. When the dog can approach close enough to the trigger, we switch to another greeting/contact method such as targeting. LAT must be seen by the dog as a safe way to interact with the trigger (other dog, person, whatever she is afraid of) by simply looking at it. This allows the dog to get more information about the trigger.
If you are not sure where your dog's arousal threshold point is, it's better to err on the lower side so your dog can still think and offer the desired 'look at you' behavior. In every new situation, it pays to capture the look first, then add the cue once you know your dog is "in the game". it gives the dog an alternative behavior to barking, lunging or other unwanted behaviors. It also helps the dog to get out of the fearful headspace.
The second dog in the video has already learned the LAT game and is now much more comfortable in public places and is only occassionally rewarded for staying calm. This intermittent reinforcement actually strenthens the calm behavior as long as my timing captures her being calm.
The LAT Game is part of our Foundation Skills "Shaping" program. Check it out!
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Was working on capturing the LAT this morning with a client. She was so much more calm when she had a game to play! Was successful with people, stroller, walkers, wheelchairs, kids and other dogs going by. In addition to other foundation work we've done, the owner was thrilled to be able to have her here without reacting!
Love love love LAT. I have been using it with my reactive dog for about 8 months now and it has helped incredibly. She can now see a walker go by and her head whips around to look back at me instead of lunging forward. It's going to be a long process, but she has come a long way in the year that we've had her. My goal now is to work on bikes...very difficult for my dog (especially because she's a heeler!)
This is proving so useful. Thank you Donna
I'm so glad i found this training method, this is just what my over-reactive BC-mix needs!
Really nice description and video - thank you!!
Nicely done and very useful. Thank you!
That's what Lucy was doing, but she does the intense BC stare which can be unnerving to many dogs. This technique allows the dog to disengage and think about other behaviors she can offer instead of the 'lock on' which intensifies their feelings about the other dog.
very helpful, it helps to see it in action. thanks !
Awesome demo! Thanks! Will share this with my students if you don't mind!
Excellent job~ thank you
This technique helped us so much with our greyhound. We learned it from the cumcane-network in germany, it´s called "zeigen und benennen". I´m so thankful to see such video tutorials, very nice done! Wonderful dogs!
Great timing with the other dog!! ;)
If she still reacts when people are in other rooms, I'd start with counter conditioning. Try to isolate what it is she barks at (is it sound-if so is it volume, pitch (high vs low), stomping), is it movement, is it the person moving toward s them etc. Then pair the food with when she stays calm and still hears the sound. If you look up 'open bar closed bar' you will find that the food only appears when the sound is hear so the sound predicts the food. Over time, the dog will look forward to
If she is scared, she is not under threshold. She needs to be under threshold and you do that by adding more distance until she can easily play the 'LAT" game.
Thanks Donna! I just started adding this to my BC's training. She is reacting to motion such as cars and clinking of dog tags on our walks and this has been helping quite a bit. BTW, our TFT loved your class this past winter, I think it was Stir Crazy?
sweet thx.
Very good video! Thank you. I have a chain link fenced corner property and my 10 month GSD loves to run and bark at the occasional passerby. I am going to work on this diligently hoping to keep him under threshold. Today he heard a neighbor talking 50 meters away, dropped his rope in the middle of a tug/reward session and chased after the approaching dog and owner. I was able to grab him, place him in a sit/stay and gain control. I hope some very good treats and LAT work will keep him under threshold. Cheese and tug can't always work. If you have any other suggestions I am all ears!
@SweetDreamsUK Yes, start with stationary cars at a distance so the dog learns how to play the game and then choose a location where cars move slowly that you can stay at a distance, before decreasing distance. Only then find a place with cars going by a little faster, starting again back at a distance. Always keep the dog under threshold so he can learn! Once they lose their brain to excitement, no learning occurs.
Great video! I thought I was teaching it right and it was nice to confirm it. I'm teaching this to a reactive barker right now. We do BAT when we can but I wanted to teach LAT for when that's not possible. Do I reinforce her looking at the person, even if she barks at them, and when she's consistently looking, only start marking when she looks without reacting/barking? Her threshold distance is impossible to stay under as she'll even bark at people in other rooms.
Thank you for the demo on LAT. I noticed that Lucy was offering a paw raise often. Was she/is she nervous about new situations?
omg this will be excellent. There are so many freakin rabbits in our area and they have made walks a very frustrating experience.
Thanks and please do!
Hi Donna, at around 3.54 when you go out on the street are you cueing the LAT or just clicking when she does look at the dog. It is obvioua later on in the video when you are pointing.
I wonder if I could adapt this to be more of a "listen to that" than a look at that. My dog will sometimes bark at noises that she hears outside (we can't hear whatever she's barking at to anticipate it and she can not see the noises) so maybe I can play a sound and click when she hears it, add the cue and progress to treating her for listening to noises without barking.
Yes you can! Start with a predictable sound then generalize to the sounds of choice.
This looks great but how do you suggest dealing with a dog who is only ever reactive off leash? And then only occasionally, we cannot workout what her trigger is so it's very difficult to combat. It definitely stems from insecurity as most reactive behaviour but it's highly unpredictable.
Great video Donna! I take it you evenually wean the treats and reward with attention/praise??
Only reinforce the behaviors you want to see. I.e. don't reinforce if she barks. You need to back away at that point to where she can look (or listen) without barking, even if it means moving outside or into a back room etc.
What was the behavior problem that the first dog was doing? My 6 year old boxer kinda stares at dogs and is too excited to meet them, doesn't show any aggression and barely reacts to dogs he already knows. Any tips? I'll start by doing what you showed in the video.
Hi Donna. What collar/harness setup are you using here on this video?
Flat body harness similar to a 'balance harness'.
what if the dog does not respond to food treats
the sound. Then do the same for each other criteria you have isolated before starting to combine them. At this point, the dog's threshold distance should be much less and THEN I would try LAT or BAT.
I'm fascinated by this approach! Thank you! Would this approach be appropriate for a dog that is staring, following and whining at a cat incessantly? He does not chase or engage (yet), but he is becoming obsessive, tail up, whining, searching for the cat all the time. He is easily called away, but immediately staring at her again. They live in the same house. I don't want to encourage him to look at her, but this will accomplish the opposite, right?
YES! This is a perfect use for this game.
I'm nervous to try this with my dog. I can see it having adverse effects. I feel like "look at me" would be more useful with Ranger.
Why would you say that? You are marking for looking at the thing but feeding facing you. This builds more facing you than the other thing. It actually decreases the need to look at the other thing.
I just learned about this. my dog is reactive to people. and will growl, raise fur on her back and bark. not sure where what what I did wrong. is this suitable for helping to change the reaction?
Yes, this is a very helpful starting game to play with your dog to decrease reactivity like that! Remember to start at a far distance. Also look up BAT (behaviour adjustment training). Best of luck!
Is there a step by step for this? Should I be treating when the dog looks at the toy or me?
Did you watch the. video? It shows how to make the transition from looking at the object to the looking at the environment..
I'd be consulting a positive reinforcement dog training professional. They should have a better eye for observing behavior patterns and can give you suggestions for your specific situation. Overall, increased distance is your friend.
In most cases, it is a people problem, not a dog problem. Free feeding a dog lowers interest in food, working for food increases it. Try using valuable treats-REAL cooked meat, bits of cheese etc not the commercial treats. It is a rare dog that doesn't like food. The odd workaholic dog does respond to toys. Use a ball on a rope so you can control it. The challenge with toys as it builds excitement, which is not what you want.
I don't understand the point of this . Can someone explain
The point is to teach the dog instead of reacting negatively or excitedly towards a person/animal or object to instead look at the handler. It's an awesome game for a dog who barks at people/dogs on walks or through a window. It teaches the dog to focus on the handler and that people/dogs or whatever they are reacting to equals a positive reward from the handler.
You shouldn't reward if she reacts. If she reacts you are too close.