Training Journal – Dash the Bernedoodle: Building Focus Through Eye Contact

By Wes Schlosser – a Wes Dog (Savannah, GA)

📞 912-674-1277

 

This was my second lesson with Dash, a young Bernedoodle, and today the focus was on teaching his owner the language of marker words: “yes,” “nope,” and “good.”

At first glance, teaching a dog to make eye contact may seem simple. Yet to ask a dog to fix his gaze upon you—while the world around him teems with scent, sound, and movement—is to request something profound. It requires not force, but communication. And that communication rests entirely upon timing, tone, and consistency.

You cannot reach down and physically adjust Dash’s eyes. The only tools available are your voice, your patience, and your precision. In this way, eye contact is the perfect first lesson for an owner: it compels them to refine their timing with marker words.

 

The Beginning: Capturing the Look
We started small. The moment Dash’s eyes lifted to meet ours, his owner marked the behavior with a clear “yes!” Instantly, her hand opened, delivering a tiny piece of hotdog.

At first, as expected, Dash’s nose was consumed with the scent of the food. He stared at her treat hand, nosing toward the pouch, certain the answer must be found there. When his attention fixated too much on the food source, she gently marked with “nope, try again.” Not as a scold, not as punishment—but simply as feedback. It was an invitation to experiment again.

Sometimes, to recapture his attention, a soft squeak sound was enough to pull his gaze back upward. When his eyes finally locked on hers—“yes” was spoken, followed by a one-second pause, and then the reward. That pause is crucial. We want Dash to learn that the word itself is the promise, not the sight of the moving hand. Within half a dozen repetitions, the lesson began to bloom. Dash was less concerned with the treat and more intent on discovering how to unlock the reward with his gaze.

 

Standing Tall: Changing the Picture
Next, I had the owner rise to her feet. This small adjustment is no small matter to a dog. With the food now held slightly away from her body, Dash once again tested his theories—staring at the hand, pawing slightly, searching for answers. Each time his eyes lingered on the hand: “nope, try again.” And each time his gaze climbed back to her face: “yes.”

Here I reminded her: the word yes must always sound the same. A little bit of excitement is welcome, but the tone should remain consistent, much like the click of a clicker. The reliability of that sound is what builds clarity.

The word “nope,” on the other hand, is given in an encouraging, almost playful tone. It is never heavy. Think of it as a nudge: “Not that way. Try another.” This distinction matters—because our aim is not to discourage, but to guide.

 

Building Engagement: Adding Motion and Distractions
Once Dash began to understand the initial exercise, we raised the difficulty. A distraction here, a movement there, and suddenly Dash was faced with a choice: chase the world, or focus on his person. Each time he pulled himself away from the distraction to reconnect with her eyes, he was met with the clarity of “yes” and the reward that followed.

To strengthen engagement, I then had the owner take a step back just before rewarding him. Dash followed, rewarded in motion. This little adjustment added excitement and helped glue his attention back onto her. Training, after all, should not be drudgery. It must be fun, engaging, and full of repetition if we want a dog to seek it out eagerly.

 

The Introduction of “Good”
Once the rhythm of “yes” and “nope” was set, we layered in the third marker: “good.”

This marker is spoken calmly, almost warmly. It tells the dog, “I like what you’re doing. Keep doing it.” In practice, when Dash made eye contact, his owner would softly mark with “good.” A few moments later, when he maintained his focus, she would follow with “yes” and deliver the reward.

Within just a handful of repetitions, Dash began to piece it together. Good meant sustain the behavior. Yes meant the reward was imminent. The sequence was clear, and remarkably, he began holding his gaze for two, even three seconds at a time.

Here I cautioned the owner: do not let this exercise become a staring contest. The goal is not to see how long Dash can freeze his gaze upon you. Rather, the goal is engagement—short, successful bursts of connection. A second here, two seconds there, sometimes right back to a quick “yes.” This unpredictability keeps him guessing, keeps him eager, and keeps training fun.

If we demand too much too quickly, the dog will lose interest. His mind will wander, his focus will fragment, and what once was progress may quickly unravel.

 

The Larger Lesson
By the end of the session, Dash had already begun to show signs of clarity. He was discovering that eye contact—such a small act on the surface—was in fact the gateway to reward, communication, and connection.

And for his owner, the lesson was equally important. She learned to sharpen her timing, steady her tone, and deliver feedback at the precise moment it carried meaning.

These markers—yes, nope, and good—will be woven into every future behavior Dash learns. They form the foundation of communication between human and dog, transforming training from guesswork into dialogue.

Eye contact is not merely about looking. It is about learning to listen—to one another. And in this lesson, both dog and owner took their first true steps toward speaking the same language.