Walkies and eye contact

These four walkies pics may look all the same, but to me they're part of my project to get Claire to actually look at me and walk with me the way Choco, the chocolate lab, does with her master.

After some wild pigeon chasing I want her to get back into obedience mode, so I fell in step with Choco, so Claire can get a model of how a dog can relate during walkies. See how Choco not only holds step, which Claire does nicely, but actually looks for cues to her master's face, which Claire isn't...she's making her own best judgements as to how to walk/act under the given circumstances (short lead, well-mannered friend's example, act like a good dog for mummy, etc.).

This momentary eye-contact, the glance to my face for cues, is what I'm trying to establish with me and Claire...I think i need to work with her in doggie classes to set it up...Perhaps I'm not being clear enough with commands or something, or perhaps she'll only do it for Tosh. See she's aware he's taking the pic, and looking at him with the camera, rather than me holding the lead. Not that we don't manage fine with our walkies as it goes, we've got used to each other's style and she knows when i need her to be careful and stop for cars, or wait on a short lead while I bag up poop...Ho hum.