241 | Want to Build a Deeper Connection With Your Dog? Stop Telling Them to “Look at Me”

<p><strong>Hey Dog Lover 🐾</strong></p><p>Your dog notices another dog coming down the road.</p><p>Their ears go up.</p><p>Their body changes.</p><p>They’re looking at that dog because, for whatever reason, <strong>that dog matters to them.</strong></p><p>And what do we so often do?</p><p>“Look at me.”</p><p>“Look at me.”</p><p>“LOOK AT ME.”</p><p>But why?</p><p>Your dog knows the other dog is there.</p><p>You know the other dog is there.</p><p>Everybody knows the other dog is there.</p><p>So why are we trying so hard to get our dogs to stop paying attention to the world and pay attention to us?</p><p>What if we did something completely different?</p><p><strong>What if we looked too?</strong></p><p>In this episode, we’re talking about what connection with your dog actually looks like and why I think we’ve gotten part of it a little bit backwards.</p><p>Because connection can’t just be about getting your dog to pay attention to you.</p><p><strong>Connection also requires you to pay attention to your dog.</strong></p><p>We’ll talk about:</p><p>🐾 Why I question our obsession with teaching dogs to “look at me” when something important is happening<br>🐾 What your dog may actually be communicating when they stop, stare, listen, or notice something in their environment<br>🐾 Why acknowledging what your dog sees doesn’t mean letting them make every decision<br>🐾 The difference between distracting your dog from something and experiencing it with them<br>🐾 Why being heard isn’t the same thing as getting your way<br>🐾 How simply saying, <strong>“Yep, I see it too,”</strong> can change the conversation between you and your dog<br>🐾 Why connection isn’t necessarily constant eye contact, a perfect heel, or a dog who is always focused on you<br>🐾 How those tiny moments when you and your dog notice the same sound, sight, or experience can build connection<br>🐾 Why caring about what matters to your dog can make you more relevant when you need your dog to care about what matters to you</p><p>Because maybe we’ve made connection a little too one-sided.</p><p><strong>Come into my world.</strong></p><p>Look at me.</p><p>Listen to me.</p><p>Walk with me.</p><p>Care about what I care about.</p><p>Ignore what I tell you to ignore.</p><p>But what happens when we occasionally turn that around and say:</p><p><strong>Show me yours.</strong></p><p>The next time your dog suddenly stops and looks at something, try looking too.</p><p>What did they notice?</p><p>What changed?</p><