Keeping the attention of your dog during training is not always easy. Dogs can be easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is vital to creating a happy, well adjusted and well trained dog.
You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to keep the attention of your dog. Doing things the dog like, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must reward him for small successes.
For instance, to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, tell the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.
After the dog has come over to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the afore-mentioned stroll in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog enjoys doing.
Giving some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a scratch behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want, is a good method to keep your dog motivated while you are dog training.
If your dog knows something good is going to happen every time he follows your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.
Distraction training.
When training any dog, it is important to not allow distractions disrupt the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can also be used as rewards when training your dog to come when told.
For example, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in a local dog park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.
When he comes to you, give him lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to go back to playing with his friends. Repeat this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.
The dog will soon learn that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).
So-called distraction training is one of the most difficult things to teach, because dogs are naturally social animals, and breaking away from the pack is one of the hardest things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably unwilling to leave their canine companions, but it is important to persist in dog training.
Training your dog to come to you when you call may take some creativity on your part at first. For example, waving a favourite toy, or a lure, is a good way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too, when training your dog.
Once the dog begins to become used to coming when called, you can start to reduce and then stop the visual cues and focus on making the dog respond to just your voice. It is vital that the dog obeys voice commands alone, as you will not always have a toy or lure to hand.
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