# how to teach "watch him"



## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

When I am out with my puppy (12 1/2 weeks) he is very vigilant. When we walk on the trails and he sees someone jogging or walking by (usually does this with men) he sits and watches them for quite some time. He's very focused and doesn't get easily distracted. Also, when I was waiting in the car with my mom and brother to pick my bf up from the train there was a man walking on the platform and he kept his watch on him for a very long time (i think its really cute, he looks so stoic and brave when hes watching people!) Anyways, when he does I say, "watch him, Otto" and then verbally reward him since I have only started doing this a couple times and didnt want to make it official until I know the proper way. So what I do is wait for him to be watching someone, I say "watch him" and "good watch him" and things like that, then I try to turn his head away a little bit while I say, "he's okay." He doesnt like when I try to turn him away because he feels HE needs to make sure theyre okay haha. So am I doing this correctly or should I take a different approach? (I think Otto has some pretty solid nerves. When my other dog was barking his head off in the distance of the backyard, Otto just stood there watching very attentively. He's only barked a few times, at a couple other dogs, once he awoke from a deep sleep when my dad came home and was moving the garbage cans in the garage making all kinds of noise and when my bother came home from school and thumped through the kitchen. If he barks at a dog he'll be fine once he's able to sniff the other dog.)


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

is this in the wrong section of the forum?


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

Don't think so. I'm sure some people will chime in soon. I don't have a clue. I'd do what you're currently doing but I don't know if that's the correct way or not.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

My boy is 13 months & is a people watcher. We are always out walking & he would like to sit & watch people & will always turn around several times when they pass to try to watch them. He doesn't bark or anything-he just likes to watch. However, I redirect him when he does this, because I want his focus. So I'm doing the opposite & telling him "watch me", when I have his eyes, he gets a verbal praise & we continue on.

My first thought when you tell him "watch him/her" this may cause him to be suspicious of strangers by giving the situation too much attention. Which I know is not your intent. I don't know-I could be way off here.


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

well, I do want him to be somewhat suspicious of strangers. Basically I want the command handy for when I'm suspicious of someone. I will be living alone in two months and having to take him for walks alone so I feel like a command such as this would be a good thing to have. Especially since I'll be training him in Schutzhund


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

forgot to add: thats why I want him to know the "he/shes's okay" command as well


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

ColieBear said:


> well, I do want him to be somewhat suspicious of strangers. Basically I want the command handy for when I'm suspicious of someone. I will be living alone in two months and having to take him for walks alone so I feel like a command such as this would be a good thing to have. Especially since I'll be training him in Schutzhund


What I've found works better is for my dogs to learn to meet/greet and learn what a NORMAL person is like. As well as how I behave with normal and friendly people.

Because, frankly, in the past many many years I've owned dogs I have yet to be murdered  attacked, robbed, beat up...................... instead the people we've met (the thousands of people we met) have either been normal and friendly or normal and ignored us (not dog people).

So, apparently, I live in a world that is full of GOOD people. So that's what I want to have my pups learn. What normal people look like and how they behave, so my puppy can be happy, calm and thinking when out and about.

Rather than in a freaked out panic in high alert constantly on guard and READY TO GO OFF !!!!!!! Which has a good chance of getting me a fear aggressive dog that is absolutely not trusted out in public and I can no longer take out with me to be a deterant AT ALL due to the bad behavior and embarrassment a constantly freaked out and not TRAINED dog will be.

We want to raise happy and confident PUPPIES to be confident and secure CALM adult dogs. Who can think and assess situations from a place that will be able to better determine when someone IS acting different and weird (threatening) as well as cuing from us if WE are not acting normal due to someone's strange (threatening?) behavior.

Police and protection dogs have normal socialized puppy hoods and then are TRAINED when they are older to listen/learn/obey and look to determine potential threats.

Puppies do NOT have the tools and to push something on a puppy they area unprepared to deal appropriately with (protection behavior) may really mess up a puppy for the rest of it's life.

PUPPIES need to be socialized, exercised, loved and SOCIALIZED!!!! With people, not thinking all people are threats that they need to avoid and be afraid of. I'm not saying everyone in the world has to pet my puppy, but my puppy needs to be comfortable and not fazed by new people, just accept them as 'normal'.


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

I totally see what you mean. I think you're right. I've only done this command exercise a couple times cause I wasn't sure what benefit it was giving him so I stopped until I could find out. I only said it a couple time while he was in the car with me and I doubt he was paying attention anyways cause I didnt have any treats, haha. Other than that I fully welcome people to come up and greet him as well as other dogs, I think I have this, "please come pet my puppy" look on my face haha. I always take every opportunity to bring him where he can get some socialization. Thank you for the input, I guess I was a little caught in between wanting him to be a friendly approachable dog and a protective dog that knows when to be suspicious, but you're right even before he's trained I think he'll be able to pick up on my vibe to know something is a little off.


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

just realized my moment of not thinking, the whole point of the BH BEFORE ScH is to assess that the dog IS in fact calm and confident and not paying loads of attention to everyone. (thats in short how interpret it anyway. that and proper obedience)


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

also, (jeez) having him know only friendly encounters will make recognizing a strange situation come more naturally


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

ColieBear said:


> also, (jeez) having him know only friendly encounters will make recognizing a strange situation come more naturally


They really do. They learn to think and figure out if something maybe new and alarming........even better they learn to then look at and cue from ME from a calm place if the situation truly is alarming (mass murderer coming my way) or not (weird loud stranger in a big hat being an idiot but NOT a threat).


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

thank you!


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

Am I the only one that does not feel right about this practice? To me it seems you will be hyping your dog up at strangers and encouraging aggressive attention to approaching people. If you wish your dog to be protective then I suggest you wait until he is old enough and take him to a proper trainer and follow the training to have a proper social dog that is not a danger to people as he matures or one that you have lost control of by instilling improper social actions at such a young age.


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

GermanShepherds6800 said:


> Am I the only one that does not feel right about this practice? To me it seems you will be hyping your dog up at strangers and encouraging aggressive attention to approaching people. If you wish your dog to be protective then I suggest you wait until he is old enough and take him to a proper trainer and follow the training to have a proper social dog that is not a danger to people as he matures or one that you have lost control of by instilling improper social actions at such a young age.


I'm not quite sure which practice you mean? We just agreed that discontinuing the "watch him" command at this stage in his life would be the best and to let the protective instinct come on its own and to keep making social interactions positive which is really what I have been doing anyways. I did state that I only tried the "watch him" command a couple times.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

ColieBear said:


> also, (jeez) having him know only friendly encounters will make recognizing a strange situation come more naturally


Yes-you got it

He's a baby right now. Sounds like your going to be doing alot of training with him. Your on the right track!


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## ColieBear (Apr 13, 2011)

Courtney said:


> Yes-you got it
> 
> He's a baby right now. Sounds like your going to be doing alot of training with him. Your on the right track!


Thanks! Yeah he's gonna be a busy little puppy!


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