How to Use Look at That (LAT) Training for Reactive Dogs

How to Use Look at That (LAT) Training for Reactive Dogs

By Dr Duncan Houston

A reactive dog is not necessarily disobedient, dominant or aggressive. Barking, lunging, freezing, pulling or trying to escape usually means the dog is struggling with what is happening around them. Fear is common, but frustration, excitement, territorial behaviour, pain and previous learning can produce similar reactions.

Look at That, commonly shortened to LAT, gives a dog a structured way to notice a trigger without being forced to ignore it. The dog looks at the trigger, the handler marks that moment, and the dog turns back to receive a reward. With careful repetition below the dog’s reaction threshold, the trigger can begin to predict safety, communication and something positive rather than conflict.

LAT was developed by trainer Leslie McDevitt as part of her Control Unleashed programme. It is a useful training tool, but it is not a cure for every reactive dog and it must not be practised so close to a trigger that the dog is already overwhelmed.

Quick Answer

To use LAT, begin far enough from the trigger that your dog can notice it while remaining loose, responsive and able to disengage. Mark the instant your dog looks at the trigger with a click or a word such as “yes”, then reward beside you. Repeat only while your dog remains comfortable. If they stare, stiffen, bark, lunge, freeze or cannot turn back for the reward, increase distance immediately rather than continuing the exercise.

What Is Reactivity in Dogs?

Reactivity describes an intense response to something in the environment. It is a description of what the dog does, not a diagnosis of why they do it.

Common triggers include:

• Other dogs

• Unfamiliar people

• Children

• Bicycles, scooters or runners

• Cars and other moving objects

• Visitors entering the home

• Handling or veterinary procedures

• Sudden sounds

• Wildlife

A reactive dog may bark, lunge or growl, but other dogs freeze, stare, hide, pull away or shut down. Quiet does not always mean comfortable.

The motivation matters. A frightened dog trying to create distance needs a different overall plan from an excited dog frustrated because the lead prevents them from greeting. LAT may help both dogs notice and disengage, but it should sit inside a plan based on the individual dog’s diagnosis, risks and needs.

What Is Look at That Training?

LAT turns the trigger into a cue for a predictable interaction:

1. The dog notices the trigger.

2. The handler marks that look immediately.

3. The dog turns towards the handler to collect a reward.

4. The dog is then free to look again.

The important detail is that you initially mark the look at the trigger. You do not wait for prolonged staring, demand eye contact or repeatedly call the dog away.

The return towards you develops because the marker predicts a reward delivered near you. Over time, many dogs begin to glance at the trigger and check back voluntarily.

This is why LAT is different from trying to distract a dog before they see what concerns them. The dog is allowed to gather information. The goal is a brief, calm look rather than forced avoidance or fixation.

LAT also carries a no-interaction expectation. While the game is running, your dog should not be taken towards the trigger and the trigger should not approach your dog. If a planned greeting is appropriate, end LAT clearly and manage that interaction as a separate exercise.

Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed programme is the original source of LAT and related training games.

Why Can LAT Help Reactive Dogs?

LAT is best described as an evidence-informed training game rather than a clinically proven standalone treatment. Research supports its underlying principles, but dogs with the same outward reaction may have very different motivations and treatment needs.

LAT combines several useful learning principles:

• Counterconditioning: The appearance of the trigger begins to predict something positive.

• Desensitisation: The dog encounters the trigger at an intensity or distance they can tolerate.

• Positive reinforcement: Briefly noticing and then reorienting becomes a useful, repeatable behaviour.

• Predictability: The dog learns what will happen after noticing a trigger.

• Choice: The dog does not have to pretend the trigger is absent.

The MSD Veterinary Manual explains that successful counterconditioning should be paired with gradual desensitisation. If exposure is too intense, fear can become worse rather than improve.

A systematic review of counterconditioning in companion animals found generally positive outcomes but also highlighted that the available studies were limited and varied considerably. That is another reason to avoid promising that one game will transform every reactive dog.

LAT is not about feeding a dog while pushing them closer. Distance is part of the treatment.

What LAT Is Not

LAT is often confused with several other exercises.

Exercise	What happens	Main difference
Look at That	The dog looks at the trigger, that look is marked, and the dog returns for a reward	The dog learns a predictable look-and-return pattern
Open bar, closed bar	Food is provided while the trigger is present and stops when it disappears	Food is paired with the trigger regardless of a specific behaviour
“Look at me”	The dog is asked to focus on the handler instead of the trigger	This does not allow a vigilant dog to observe the trigger
Emergency U-turn	The handler and dog immediately move away	This is a safety and escape skill, not an exposure exercise

Mat work, cones and helpers can be useful in structured training, but none is required to teach the basic LAT pattern. Open-bar/closed-bar training is a separate counterconditioning procedure that may support LAT, but it should not be confused with the LAT look-mark-return chain.

LAT is also the wrong tool when a loose dog is rushing towards you or an unavoidable interaction is already happening. Use your emergency retreat and safety plan instead.

How Worried Should You Be About Your Dog’s Reactivity?

Level	What it may look like	What to do
Mild	Brief look, loose body, normal movement, able to disengage and recover easily	LAT may be practised at this distance
Moderate	Longer stare, closed mouth, body tension, whining, pulling, faster food-taking or slower responses	Increase distance and make the exercise easier
Severe	Barking, lunging, growling, snapping, fleeing, freezing or inability to disengage	Stop the exercise, create distance and use a visual barrier if possible
Critical	Bite history, redirected aggression, escaping equipment, inability to control the dog safely or sudden unexplained aggression	Avoid planned trigger exposure and obtain veterinary and qualified behavioural help

In practice, the most common reason LAT fails is simple: it is attempted too close to the trigger.

Noise alone does not determine bite risk. A quiet dog who freezes, becomes rigid or gives a fixed stare may be more concerning than a dog barking from a distance. History, context, body language and recovery all matter.

Could Pain or Illness Be Contributing?

Reactivity can be behavioural and medical at the same time. Pain and physical discomfort can lower a dog’s tolerance and make defensive behaviour more likely.

Veterinary assessment is particularly important when reactivity:

• Began suddenly

• Has become markedly worse

• Appears when the dog is touched or moved

• Is new in an older dog

• Is accompanied by limping, stiffness, scratching, ear problems or dental pain

• Occurs with changes in sleep, appetite, thirst, toileting or energy

• Is accompanied by disorientation, altered awareness or unusual movements

Possible medical contributors include musculoskeletal pain, ear or dental disease, skin irritation, gastrointestinal discomfort, impaired vision or hearing, neurological disease and medication effects.

The MSD Veterinary Manual’s guidance on canine behaviour problems recommends ruling out physical problems that cause pain or discomfort because they can lower the threshold for fear and aggression.

What Do You Need Before Starting LAT?

You do not need an elaborate training setup. Useful basics include:

• Small, soft, high-value food rewards

• A clicker or a short verbal marker such as “yes”

• A comfortable, well-fitted harness or flat collar

• A fixed-length lead you can hold securely

• Enough space to increase distance

• A visual barrier or planned escape route

• An optional calm helper for controlled sessions

Avoid choke chains, prong collars, electronic collars and lead corrections. Pain or intimidation around the trigger can make the dog’s emotional response worse. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based methods and gradual exposure that keeps the dog feeling safe.

If there is a bite risk, speak with a qualified professional about positively conditioning a well-fitted basket muzzle that allows panting, drinking and delivery of treats. A muzzle is additional protection, not permission to move closer to triggers.

How Can You Tell If Your Dog Is Below Threshold?

“Below threshold” means your dog notices the trigger but remains capable of flexible behaviour and learning. It does not mean your dog has failed to notice it.

Signs Your Dog May Be in a Workable Zone

• Their body remains relatively loose

• Breathing is normal for the conditions

• They can glance and then move their head or body away

• Food is taken normally rather than frantically

• They can sniff, move and respond to familiar cues

• Recovery after each look is quick

Signs You Are Getting Too Close

• Sudden stillness or a hard stare

• The mouth closes and facial muscles tighten

• Body weight shifts forwards or sharply backwards

• Repeated lip licking, tongue flicking, yawning or paw lifting

• Treats are grabbed unusually hard or ignored

• Whining, trembling, pacing or scanning increases

• Responses become slow or disappear

Signs Your Dog Is Over Threshold

• Barking, lunging, growling or snapping

• Panicked pulling or attempts to escape

• Freezing or shutting down

• Inability to turn away from the trigger

• Redirecting onto the lead, handler or another dog

• Remaining highly aroused after the trigger has gone

Taking food does not prove a dog is comfortable. Some dogs continue eating while their body is tense and their ability to cope is deteriorating. Look at the whole dog.

Interpret body-language signals in groups and relative to what is normal for your dog. One yawn or closed mouth is not a diagnosis by itself.

Threshold also changes from day to day. Pain, poor sleep, a busy environment and several stressful events close together can make a normally manageable trigger much harder. This cumulative effect is often called trigger stacking.

How to Teach Look at That Step by Step

Step 1: Condition Your Marker

Begin in a quiet room without triggers.

1. Click or say your marker word once.

2. Immediately give your dog a treat.

3. Repeat several times with a brief pause between repetitions.

Do not ask for a sit or eye contact. You are teaching one simple association: the marker means a reward is available.

If a clicker startles your dog, use a calm verbal marker instead.

Step 2: Practise With a Neutral Object

Use an object your dog notices but does not fear, such as a cone, bag or stationary household item.

1. Position the object at a comfortable distance.

2. Wait for your dog to glance at it.

3. Mark the instant they look.

4. Deliver the reward beside you or slightly away from the object.

5. Allow your dog to look again voluntarily.

The pattern is: look, mark, turn for food, reset.

This stage lets you practise your timing without using a genuine trigger.

Step 3: Introduce a Real Trigger at a Safe Distance

Choose a predictable setting with plenty of space. A stationary or slowly moving trigger is usually easier than one approaching directly.

If you use a helper, agree on the distance and movement plan before bringing in your dog. The helper should stop or retreat at the first sign that your dog is becoming uncomfortable.

The moment your dog notices the trigger:

1. Mark the look.

2. Feed beside you.

3. Pause while your dog resets.

4. Repeat if their body remains loose and responsive.

For some dogs, “noticing” may be a small ear movement or brief head turn rather than direct visual fixation. Mark the earliest calm acknowledgement you can identify.

Do not wait for your dog to stare and then call them away. Mark the early, brief look before fixation develops.

If your dog cannot turn towards the reward, move farther away. Do not repeat the marker or wave food in front of their nose while remaining too close.

Step 4: Add the “Look at That” Cue

Add the verbal cue only after your dog is reliably looking at the object or trigger and returning for the reward.

1. Say “Look at that” just before your dog looks.

2. Mark the look.

3. Reward the return towards you.

The words should invite a brief look, not pressure your dog to stare. A quieter cue such as “Where is it?” can also work if used consistently.

Step 5: Build Voluntary Check-Ins

With repetition, many dogs begin looking at the trigger and then turning back without help. That voluntary check-in is useful progress.

Do not suddenly withhold the familiar marker and leave an inexperienced dog staring. If you want to shift from marking the trigger glance to reinforcing independent disengagement, make the change gradually or work with a qualified reward-based trainer.

Step 6: Increase Difficulty One Variable at a Time

Difficulty can increase through:

• Reduced distance

• More movement

• Louder sound

• Longer visibility

• A less predictable trigger

• A more challenging environment

Change only one variable at a time. If another dog is usually seen at 40 metres while standing still, do not suddenly practise at 15 metres while that dog runs towards you.

Finish while your dog is still successful. A few calm repetitions are more valuable than continuing until they react.

How Long and How Often Should You Practise?

Begin with sessions lasting one to three minutes or only a few successful repetitions. Practise the mechanics with neutral objects before attempting planned trigger sessions.

During the first week, focus on:

• Conditioning the marker

• Learning your dog’s early stress signals

• Teaching an emergency U-turn away from triggers

• Identifying safe starting distances

• Preventing uncontrolled close encounters

Move to real triggers only when your dog can remain below threshold. There is no prize for completing phases quickly.

Progress usually develops over weeks or months rather than days. Measure improvement by softer looks, easier disengagement, faster recovery and fewer or less intense reactions, not simply by how close your dog can get.

What Should You Do If Your Dog Reacts?

Once your dog is barking, lunging, panicking or completely fixated, that LAT repetition is over.

1. Do not scold or correct the reaction.

2. Turn and create distance in a smooth arc where possible.

3. Move behind a car, hedge, wall or other visual barrier.

4. Use a familiar retreat cue if your dog can respond.

5. Let your dog decompress before deciding whether to continue the walk.

Avoid repeatedly asking for a sit, eye contact or LAT while your dog is overwhelmed. At that point, the priority is safety and recovery, not obedience.

After a major reaction, make the remainder of the outing easier. Several trigger encounters close together can reduce your dog’s tolerance even if each event would normally be manageable alone.

When Is Reactivity an Emergency?

Seek urgent veterinary help if your dog develops sudden severe aggression or panic alongside:

• Collapse, weakness or breathing difficulty

• Seizures, tremors or altered awareness

• Disorientation or loss of balance

• Suspected toxin exposure or head trauma

• Severe pain or inability to move normally

• Rapidly worsening neurological signs

Treat the situation as an immediate safety problem if your dog is actively attacking, repeatedly redirecting aggression towards people, escaping equipment or cannot be controlled without risking injury.

Use doors, gates or other solid barriers rather than grabbing the collar or physically wrestling your dog. Anyone who has been bitten should obtain appropriate medical care.

Common LAT Mistakes

Starting Too Close

If your dog is already tense or fixated, learning is compromised. Increase the distance before the next repetition.

Waiting Too Long to Mark

Mark the first calm glance. Waiting for prolonged staring allows arousal to build.

Demanding Eye Contact First

LAT is not “ignore that and look at me”. Your dog is allowed to observe the trigger briefly.

Repeating the Cue While Your Dog Is Fixated

More words do not create more capacity. Stop cueing and move away.

Advancing Because Your Dog Still Eats

Food-taking is only one clue. Body tension, breathing, movement and recovery matter just as much.

Allowing the Helper to Keep Approaching

The trigger should not continue closing the distance when your dog shows concern. This can turn careful exposure into flooding.

Making Sessions Too Long

Fatigue and accumulated stress reduce learning. End after a few good repetitions.

Punishing Barking or Growling

Growling communicates discomfort. Punishing the warning may increase fear and suppress useful signals without changing how your dog feels.

How Can You Prevent Setbacks?

• Walk at quieter times and in places with room to move away.

• Cross the road or turn around before your dog becomes trapped near a trigger.

• Avoid forced on-lead greetings.

• Use parked cars, hedges and walls as visual barriers.

• Practise U-turns, hand targets and treat searches away from triggers.

• Record trigger distance, body language and recovery time after sessions.

• Provide suitable exercise, sniffing, sleep and predictable routines.

• Address pain and other medical problems promptly.

• Keep planned training sessions separate from busy survival walks when possible.

Management is part of treatment. Preventing repeated explosions gives the nervous system and the training plan room to work.

When Should You Seek Veterinary or Behavioural Help?

Arrange professional help if:

• Your dog has bitten or attempted to bite

• Reactivity is worsening or spreading to new situations

• Your dog redirects onto you, the lead or another animal

• Recovery takes a long time after each trigger

• Walks or visitors can no longer be managed safely

• Your dog appears chronically anxious even away from triggers

• You cannot find a distance at which your dog remains comfortable

• There is little improvement despite careful, consistent work

A veterinarian should assess possible medical contributors. An appropriately qualified reward-based trainer can help with mechanics and planned setups. Moderate or severe fear, aggression or complex cases may require a veterinary behaviourist.

Behavioural medication may be recommended when anxiety or arousal is so high that your dog cannot learn effectively. Medication is not a substitute for training or management, but it can make humane learning possible. Some dogs benefit from a combination of environmental management, behaviour modification and prescribed medication.

Will LAT Cure My Dog’s Reactivity?

LAT is a tool, not a complete diagnosis or guaranteed cure. It can help many dogs notice triggers with less arousal, disengage more easily and communicate with their handler before a reaction develops.

The realistic goal is not necessarily for your dog to greet every person or play with every dog. Calmly observing from a safe distance and moving on can be an excellent outcome.

Progress is rarely perfectly linear. Distance may improve for several weeks and temporarily increase again after illness, pain, poor sleep, a frightening encounter or multiple stressful events. That does not mean the training has failed. It means the plan needs to respond to the dog in front of you that day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rewarding My Dog for Looking at a Trigger Encourage Staring or Barking?

LAT should be performed before barking or lunging begins. You mark the brief look while your dog remains below threshold. If your dog is already reacting, create distance rather than continuing to train in place.

What If My Dog Will Not Take Treats or Look Back?

You are probably too close to the trigger, or the marker has not been conditioned clearly. Increase the distance and practise the marker and LAT pattern with neutral objects before trying again.

Can I Use LAT If My Dog Has Bitten Someone or Another Dog?

Do not stage trigger encounters by yourself. Use strict management and obtain veterinary and appropriately qualified behavioural help to assess the bite risk and develop a safety plan. LAT may eventually form part of that plan, but only at safe distances and with suitable controls.

How Far Away From the Trigger Should I Start?

There is no universal distance. Start where your dog can notice the trigger without stiffening, fixating or losing the ability to disengage. This may be a few metres for one dog and across a large field for another.

How Long Does LAT Training Take to Work?

Some dogs show early changes within several sessions, but meaningful real-world improvement commonly requires consistent work over weeks or months. Severity, trigger history, medical health, management and training accuracy all affect progress.

The Bottom Line

Look at That training teaches a reactive dog that noticing a trigger does not have to lead directly to barking, lunging or escape. The sequence is simple: your dog looks, you mark, your dog returns for a reward, and everyone remains at a safe distance.

The difficult part is not saying the words. It is reading your dog accurately, protecting their threshold and resisting the urge to move closer too quickly. If your dog cannot disengage, increase the distance. If there is pain, sudden behavioural change, aggression or a bite risk, involve your veterinarian and a suitably qualified behaviour professional.

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If you are unsure whether your dog’s reactivity reflects fear, frustration, pain or a more serious behaviour problem, ASK A VET™ can help you understand the warning signs and decide what professional support may be needed. Immediate danger, sudden neurological signs or active aggression requires urgent in-person veterinary or emergency assistance.