Gaining Focus

[codmaster]

Got a question for you experienced (and successful) trainers:

Any suggestions for how to get and keep your dogs focus?

My dog, Baron (20 month old unaltered male), is extremely intelligent but also equally curious and interested in other dogs and all things going on around him.

For example, in the training building with a full class of GSDs and other dogs, he will be the first and sometimes the only dog to notice someone coming into the building or even one leaving.

Sometimes I can get his attention and other times and situations forget it! This is either with or without the use of treats!

I took him to an all breed dog show today (outside) and could not get his attention at all - he had to watch everything going on around him. I then took him to a pvt obedience lesson with a trainer in her building and his attention was awesome! Even looking at me the entire time while heeling - very unusual for him.

Now when he is in his not attentive mood, he actually will usually listen and do commands - a little slow but he does do them. Ever see a dog doing a down while facing in the other direction and staring at another dog and/or person. Funny! But not what I want.

His trainer suggests that he is nervous and fearful or maybe in "sensory overload", and I should just take him out of that environment. Is there anything else I can do to get and keep his focus?

Thanks!

[Barb E]

Have you read through this thread on teaching focus?
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...&gonew=1#UNREAd

Of course it can take a lot of time to get that focus under distraction!!

[Castlemaid]

I don't think there is anything wrong with your pup, just a very aware and curious dog.

I'd find the level of distraction that he CAN work in, and then GRADUALLY increase the distractions.

One thing you can try is to catch him BEFORE he loses his focus, and get his attention BEFORE he looks away and reward him.

Have someone help you with this:

Have him sitting and focusing on you. Ask an accomplice to start moving about where Baron can see the other person. Now you KNOW Baron will want to break focus and look at who is moving around, so be ready for it, and try keep him from looking away.

Start talking to him, silly, baby talk, or whatever it takes to keep his interest. Reward heavily! If you see his body or eyes starting to shift, give a quick little leash correction, call his name in a happy voice, use your silly voice, get his attention back and as soon as he looks back at you, reward him, and release him. Release him and play before he has a chance to decide to look at the distraction again!

He is still very young, so keep the sessions very short, as I am sure you do. Use yummy treats, and work on this when he is hungry! Though some dogs just get more hectic when they are hungry, so see what works best for Baron.

If you can get ONE second of eye contact with him consciously ignoring the distraction, that is progress! and work up VERY gradually from that point.

My rescue is like that - no natural focus, had to be taught and learned, and always watching and aware of everything - a lot of work in a lot of different settings to teach her to focus, and since she was older - a lot of corrections (but only AFTER she understood what my expectations where). In classes I was always talking to her to maintain her attention - much better to carry on a happy pratter and reward for correct heeling and focus than to just trump around the room with you jerking the dog back to you frustrated because it keeps trying to check everything out. Not saying AT ALL that is what you are doing, but in the classes I attend a lot of people do just that - so not a dog issue, but a training technique issue - so hope you can find something that will help.

But she does a beautiful eye-contact, happy, animated prancing heel now, so it can be done!

[codmaster]

Thanks! I will try it!