07/05/2026
Good read!
Walk into any reactive dog class and you'll hear it: "Look at me!" "Watch me!" "Focus!"
Handlers calling, cueing, prompting their dogs to make eye contact. And often, the dogs comply. They look. Good dog. Treat. Move on.
But something's missing. Something fundamental that makes all the difference between managing a reactive dog and partnering with one.
The difference is who initiates the connection.
Traditional "look at me" training follows a simple pattern:
Handler sees trigger → Handler cues "look at me" → Dog looks → Handler rewards → Repeat as needed.
The handler is the one monitoring the environment, assessing the situation, and directing the dog's attention. The dog's job is to respond to cues.
This works, to a point. A well-trained "look at me" can interrupt a fixation, redirect attention, and help manage situations that might otherwise escalate.
But it has a fatal flaw: It leaves the dog entirely dependent on the handler's management.
The dog never learns to monitor themselves. They never learn to assess their own arousal. They never learn to seek guidance before reacting.
They just wait for instructions. And hope those instructions come in time.
The Auto Check-in flips this entirely . . . read more at the blog:
🔗 https://suzanneclothier.com/auto-check-in-versus-look-at-me-partnership/
