Attention Games

In order to teach any new behaviour, you must first have the students attention. Trying to teach your dog something new while it is sniffing or pulling on the leash is kind of like teaching your kid something while he is playing a video game. People just cant focus properly on two things at one time and neither can dogs! Focus is something that can be trained. Some dogs are able to do it easier than others, but all dogs can improve their focus with training and exercise. Exercising focus includes exercise and it is often hard work. However, the work will pay off ten fold and if you make it fun for the dog, it will also be fun for you!

The amount of work you will have to put into getting your dogs attention depends on the individual. It also depends on how long you have allowed your dog to develop crazy making skills. For dogs who have been allowed to repetitively run wild or jump up, getting them to engage with you can be more challenging. However, the work you will put into training will be far less than the work you would put into simply surviving the crazy makings of an untrained pet. Also, some dogs have naturally higher energy levels than others and will take longer to settle down enough to give focus. However, hyper dogs are sometimes the most highly motivated ones. For instance, look at Boarder Collies, one of the most crazy energetic dogs out there, but they are often the most well trained and most successful purebred show dogs. Dogs like this need a lot of exercise and a job to do...like agility or herding. Dogs have been bred to have specific characteristics and to do specific jobs. Some of these characteristics translate better to pet dogs than others. Regardless of the bred or the mix bred dog you have, you can use its natural bred instincts as well as some conditioned responses to build up focus and engage your dog.

Engagement begins at home, where there are few or little distractions. I like to reward all good behaviour and interrupt all bad behaviour. If you do not let your dog repeat the things you dont want it to do, youll have done half the work. Interrupting fido accomplishes two things: when your dog does something you dont like and you interrupt him, that will put an end to the thing you dont like....but it will also get his attention! I recommend taking the dogs collar and saying something like "uh-uh!" or "enough!", then leading it away from the bad it is doing and asking for a sit or some acceptable behaviour...then giving praise for that new action. Dogs are physical and physically guiding it sometimes works faster than using words. Dogs dont speak English and yelling at them has no meaning. Dogs bark at each other all the time! If using a verbal interrupter like "uh-uh!" is preferred, you must condition the word to have meaning by physically enforcing it. This doesnt mean hurt or hit the dog, just get it to stop what it is doing and say "uh-uh!" and ask for a "sit" or a "look". Also, to strengthen all offered behaviours be sure to praise your dog every time it looks at you or offers calm or focussed attention to you. This does not include jumping up or begging, but any time your dog looks at you or comes to you, reward him with a pet or a "good-boy!" Anytime your dog is acting in the fashion or state you like, reward him and hell be more likely to offer this behaviour in the future.

To train a LOOK:

Take your dog to a quiet room, one that is free of distractions. Make a fun noise or say his name. As his eyes look into yours tell him what he is doing is good by saying “yes” in a happy tone. Then give him a treat. In order to get the treat he has to look away, so be sure and praise him while he is looking at you. Dont praise after he looks away. Be patient, repeat this and eventually he will start offering looks at you. After a second of holding your gaze, praise and give your dog the treat.

Remember, wait until eye contact is made then verbal reward, followed by a treat, within a second or two. If your dog can do this with no problem, wait to verbally reward until he holds your gaze for a longer period of time, then follow with a treat. Soon you can start adding distractions, or practicing this outside, in busier environments. Every time you ask for longer "looks" or "looks" when distractions are present, expect some failures and just back up a few steps in training if needed. DO NOT get frustrated, this does not encourage learning, simply back up and praise him for something that is easier for him to achieve.

Practice on and off throughout the day at random times.

Get him to do it standing, sitting and lying down, in as many places as possible.

Keep the sessions short!

Note: try not to reward your dog for any signs of stress i.e. panting, whining, crying, pacing or trembling.

Now that you are able to get your dogs attention...it is time to take it outside or into the real world. It is a little more difficult to get and keep your dogs focus when you are around distractions, like other dogs. Nonetheless, just as you did in the home, interrupt all unwanted behaviour and reward all the good. Using treats and praise works for some dogs, others need toys or play to keep them focused on their owner. You need to find what motivates your dog to give you its attention. Is it a ball, or is it chicken. When out in the real world you must come armed with a variety of treats. At home fido might work for kibble, but walking along a busy street with lots of smells, you might need to use a higher quality treat. Anytime your dog looks at you or come to you when called and especially if it comes to you without being asked, give it a big reward!!! Another thing that I like to tell clients, is when you are out walking your and training your dog, make sure you are focused too! Ive seen people talking on their cell phones and not even noticing that their dog has gone poop on my lawn! At the dog park there is much worse, dogs running wild, while the owners chat away or text. When training your dog you need to be focussed too, so that you can read its body language and notice when it is getting things right. You can only give rewards and engage your dog if you are paying attention as well. It is a win win situation, you put your focus on your dog and pretty soon, hell be returning the favour!

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Recalls and Attention Games

Of course the structure of anything solid, comes from a strong foundation. It seems simple, but gets complicated...especially when you talk about dog training. We tend to look at trained behaviors as being separate and taught separately. However, when a dog lacks basic foundation behaviors, it is hard to teach it to do what we want it to do, like function calmly and properly in social situations. The most basic foundation behavior is one that people often fail to reinforce. We call our pets, or whistle to them and they come to us, or look at us in response. This is the most important tool that we can exercise with our pet, yet we often take it for granted. Every time your dog comes to you or looks toward you, it is a strengthening of the bond you share, a strengthening of the foundation of your relationship. Unfortunately, unintentionally people will sometimes poison this bond. If you interrupt your dogs (unwanted) behavior, perhaps calling the dog out of a potentially dangerous situation, then reprimand the dog for the event...this is poisoning the command. Humans expect dogs to understand what they are upset about; which is the outburst or the disobedience. However, the dog is probably connecting the reprimand to the action of coming when called. Because the dog often looks sheepish, we assume it understands and feels guilty about what it has done, but more than likely what we are perceiving is fear. The dog is actually coming to fear us and learning that it cant trust us as good leaders. Each time we punish a dog by calling it to get it to come, or to get its attention and then reprimand it, we destroy the bond we have formed with it. We are in essence destroying the very foundation we strive to build.

Coming when called, or solid recall, is the most important foundation behavior that we as dog owners and handlers can work on. Most situations can be prevented or avoided by calling the animal out of it. A strong recall can save your dogs life! Most people that have problems controlling their dogs also have problems getting their dog to come. This reasons to say, that they might also have weak foundations on which they base the rest of their training. The way to begin properly training your dog is to first figure out how to get its attention. (I wont say undivided attention, because dogs will always have distractions that they find hard to resist). Nonetheless, at least knowing how to get your dogs attention will aid you in being able to keep its attention long enough and often enough to teach it the skills it needs to be a great companion and pet. All dogs have different distractions, drives and motivations. In the beginning you should practice all recalls without distractions and find out what is most likely to draw your dog to you. Is it food, is it toys that make squeaky noises, is it fun gestures or a game of chase? Dogs are simple...they will almost always give their attention and be drawn to the biggest distraction. The trick to teaching good recall is to make ourself as alluring as possible and practice it whenever possible. Often people call their dogs in a stern voice and expect them to obey. For the most part, they will come when called in this manner...unless there is something they like better or something distracting them that lures them away. We need to teach our dogs to choose us over their distractions. Through repetition and positive reinforcement the dog will learn to always choose you as the most interesting and consistent source of reward. Strong recall takes a lot of work, but it is the most important thing you can teach your dog.

The easiest attention getting exercise is rewarding any and all voluntary attention. If your dog looks at you, engage it, give it a treat or praise. If it comes up to you or returns its attention to you...make a huge deal out of it. This is reinforcing good behavior. Sure it is not something that we commanded, but it is still an excellent foundation behavior that if gone unnoticed, will not strengthen. If you reward it, your dog will likely offer it more often and automatically. If your dog offers you its attention, then you will not have to worry about trying to get it! If you want your dog to come or do something other than what it is engaging in, you will already have done the ground work...with very little effort. In fact in this exercise the dog does most of the work for you. I think the reason this practice often goes unnoticed is because it is so simple it seems silly. Another reason people dont reward their dogs freely is that they dont want to spoil the dog or give it too much food. If you dont want your dog to gain weight from "excessive treating", then cut back on its daily meals. Eventually, you can find other things to give your dog as rewards. Food is simply something they relate to and instinctively strive to earn access to. If you dont want your dog to get spoilt, dont reward anything other than good behavior! If you want a dog that comes to you when called and is very interested in what you are doing or wanting it to do, make yourself the most delicious or interesting thing in the room or the situation. The easiest way to do this is through a reward system, treat training or praise. Getting a dogs attention is easy...make it fun! Ironically, making it fun for your pet, also makes it a lot more pleasant for you. Coming when called and recalls can be turned into attention games that are easy to do and will most likely lead to faster success for you and your dog.

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