Look At That is one of the most useful games for a dog who reacts to other dogs. The idea is simple: your dog looks at another dog, and good things happen. Over time, seeing a dog starts to mean "a treat is coming" instead of "trouble."
It's a form of counterconditioning: changing how your dog feels about something by pairing it with something they love.
What you need
- A distance where your dog can see a dog and still eat. See threshold distance.
- Small, soft, high-value treats your dog loves.
- A marker: a clicker or a short word like "yes."
- A front-clip harness and a loose leash.
Step 1: the pairing
Stand at your dog's green-zone distance where another dog will come into view. The moment your dog looks at the other dog, mark ("yes") and give a treat. Every look earns a treat, whether your dog looks for a second or longer.
Don't wait for your dog to look away first at this stage. The look itself is what you're rewarding.
Step 2: the look back
After a few sessions, many dogs start glancing at the other dog and then turning back to you, expecting the treat. That's the game working. Now you can mark the look back to you instead of the look at the dog.
Step 3: keep moving
Once your dog is doing the look back easily, practice while walking. See a dog, mark, treat, and keep going, or turn away with an emergency U-turn if the dog is getting closer.
What to watch for
Stay in the green zone. Signs your dog is getting too close:
- They stop taking treats, or take them roughly
- Their body goes stiff, or they stare without looking back
- They start to whine, pull or bark
If you see those, add distance. It's always fine to go back a step.
Common mistakes
- Working too close. If your dog can't eat, they can't learn. More distance helps with most of these.
- Waiting too long to mark. Mark the moment they look. Late treats pair with the wrong thing.
- Only practicing on bad days. Short sessions on good days build the habit. See trigger stacking.
- Using it to walk closer. Distance changes come later, one small step at a time.
How long it takes
Every dog is different. Short, frequent sessions tend to work better than long ones. A log of the closest calm distance on each walk will show progress more clearly than memory will.
Calm Pass teaches Look At That in week 3, after the home skills in week 2. Find your starting distance with the free Threshold Finder.