Building the Focus Point 🎯

Now we finally start building the new focus point step by step.

Take a few treats in your right hand and first guide your dog into the basic position on your left side, where he can sit calmly.

Then move your right hand under your left armpit.

This is exactly where we want the dog to look later.

As soon as your dog focuses on your hand instead of your face:

➡️ Give your marker word, for example “Yes”
➡️ Reward the dog directly in this position

If your dog has trouble understanding the exercise at first, you can briefly show him that there is actually food in your hand.

You can adapt the reward to your dog.

If you have a more excited dog, it often makes sense to reward him directly in position.

If your dog is more relaxed and needs a little more motivation, you can also let him actively come and get the reward.

He can even jump into the position under your armpit if that creates more energy and motivation.

Your posture is very important throughout the entire exercise.

We often tend to:

❌ look down at the dog
❌ twist our upper body
❌ turn our head towards the dog
❌ stand crookedly

Instead, try to stay:

✅ upright
✅ shoulders straight
✅ torso straight
✅ facing forward

💡 Tip: Use a mirror in front of you. This makes it much easier to check your own posture and see exactly where your dog is looking.

In this first step, the only goal is for your dog to look at the hand under your left armpit.

The hand is simply a guide that shows the dog:

“This is where I want you to look.”

Later, we will gradually phase out the hand again, but the dog should keep the same focal point.

Pay close attention to where exactly you place the hand.

There can be a big difference between:

➡️ holding the hand in front of the armpit
and
➡️ really tucking it underneath the armpit so it comes out slightly behind

Try both positions and watch which one creates the better focus and body position for your dog.

💡 The goal is to build the exact gaze we want later in heelwork — right under the left armpit.