TEACH YOUR DOG TO FOCUS AND HE'LL LEARN
SOME SELF-CONTROL
What is it about humans that makes us send our dogs off to run amok with
their friends at dog parks, then expect them to be focused on us at other
times? "Focus" is becoming a buzzword in dog training, and so it should be.
It's nearly impossible to teach a dog anything new, or even give directions
in words the dog already understands, if it refuses to even look at you.
Teaching your dog to focus. is well worth the effort. Of course, there's a
time and place for our dogs to socialize with their buddies, but that time
and place should be under our control.
Not looking at something is a lot to expect from a dog. What we're seeking
is attenŽtion to us in general, not a military-type non-blinking stare.
We're looking for voluntary attention, not obedience to a "watclf' command.
Your dog must understand that he should be focused on you, regardless of
whether you pay attention to him. The okay to play is given only when you
have your dog's attention. What better reward for your dog?
INSTILLING SELF-CONTROL
In the grand scheme of things, does it matter if your dog pays attention to
you? Focus and attention are important exercises, not only because it's much
easier to communicate to a dog that's engaged, but a focused dog is less
likely to have issues later in life. Think about it. If your dog learns to
pay attention, he learns self-control. Self-control exercises can teach your
dog that he will not get what he wants unless he pulls himself together.
Teaching voluntary attention is quite simple, but takes patience. First, get
a four-foot leash, hold onto the handle with your hand near your belly
button and stand still. If you have a large dog, brace yourself so you can't
be pulled forward. This is to anchor your dog. Once you have your anchor in
place, the waiting game begins. Wait, then wait some more.
If your dog glances your way, mark the behaviour. You can use the word "yes"
paired with a treat, or click and treat. Do not coax or speak to him. By
waiting, you'll be teaching him that he's on his own to show you attention,
and he'll get his reward only by doing so. Remember that the more a
behaviour is rewarded, the more likely it is to occur. You might wait a long
time for the first few glances, but eventually your dog will be in the game.
Soon you can wait for more than a glance -- you can wait for him to look
into your eyes. Again, waiting it out is the key. Remember to reward
frequently at this stage. Once he understands that he gets the reward for
looking up, you will have him hooked. Of course, we don't want a dog that
sits and stares at us. Our goal is a dog that occasionally looks our way to
see if anything is happening. To do this, start to treat only on occasion,
as a surprise. This should turn the stare into glancing, unless you share
your home with a Border Collie, in which case you likely don't need focus
work.
ADDING DISTRACTIONS
As your dog becomes more proficient at the attention work, you can start to
add distractions. Food and toys on the floor are a good start. Mark
attention to you while your dog is stationary, then progress to walking past
the distractions.
Your dog should be allowed to look at the item, or even look at other dogs
in the vicinity, but know enough to refocus back to you. Having your dog
stare into your eyes while other dogs are present may cause stress and even
escalate other issues. Imagine if you were told to not look at a tiger in
the room. You wouldn't know what it was doing or where it was. Wouldn't it
make more sense for you to look at the tiger, see that it's sleeping on the
other side of the room, then look away? Not looking at something is a lot to
expect from a dog. What we are seeking is attention to us in general, not a
militaryŽtype non-blinking stare.
It's also important to proactively manage your dog's environment. This means
avoiding behaviours before they start. If you know your dog reacts to other
dogs and you want his attention, don't put him in a group of dogs initially.
The more you put him into situations he'll react to, the better he'll become
at reacting (lunging and barking). Start slow and build up. Use distance .as
your friend. Don't make it impossible for your dog to succeed.
Once your dog is consistently walking past items of value on the floor, you
can introduce "Leave it." This command will enable you to help your dog
direct his focus from the item back to you. Again, start slowly. Do this in
your home first, with controlled items; after that is mastered, you can
venture outside, where the distractions will escalate.
Another important thing to note is that the absence of misbehaviour deserves
a reward. This means you need to improve your own focus work. You must be
tuned into your dog, and reward him promptly when he's not lunging, or when
he's sitting nicely and ignoring the cookie that was dropped from the high
chair. It's easy to jump all over our dogs for misbehaviour; we're less
inclined to catch the moment of being good. Let's improve our own goals in
that area, not just assume "he knows it" and will continue to be attentive.
Education requires hundreds of repetitions of the desired behaviour, not
just a few times doing it correctly. Consider this the next time you try to
learn a new skill. Look at the time it takes you and the instruction you
needed (and our dogs don't speak English), then look at what we expect from
our dogs. When you think of it .... they are amazing!
The next time you want your dog to enjoy a romp with some well-chosen canine
friends, or if he's itching to get out into the backyard, consider waiting
for his attention before you unsnap the leash or open the door. Once he gets
the hang of it, this reward will be well worthwhile. |
The director of
Who's Walking Who (Toronto and Ajax), and co-author of the book Citizen
Canine, Gillian Ridgeway has been working with family dogs for over 34 years.
|