Because my dogs are actors in movies that my husband and I produce, I don't want them always looking at me when responding to a cue. I want them to perform what I'm telling them to do as if it were their own idea, not in the intense, immediate response, obviously-cued way seen in the obedience ring.
Basically, to teach the dog to respond to cues while NOT looking at you, you teach him to look at something else in his environment. I train this by having the dog focus on an object rather than my face when responding to a cue.
All cues are first taught with the dog looking at me and then, when he solidly knows the cue, I ask him to do it while focusing on a toy or a piece of food. Ultimately, for acting purposes, my goal is for the dog to look at whatever I indicate while performing a cue I've given.
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