I'm not listening.....I want to play with that doggie across the street!

Lance gets very excited when he sees a neighbor dog or any dog walking and wants to go play. It is to the point that he looses his concentration and doesnt hear a word I am saying. Does anyone have any help on how to make him concentrate on me and not the other dogs he sees. He is on a leash and still cannot hear me talking.

What are your experiences with this and what did you do to help the situation. Luckily this time I was standing in front of my house so I just took him back inside.

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Comment by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on July 18, 2008 at 7:39pm: Thank You everyone for the greatadvice! :)

Comment by Bridget on July 15, 2008 at 5:17pm: Great thread here! I also read a suggestion to start in a pet store parking lot (or Wal-Mart, or public library) very far away doing obedience commands. As they progress to calmly doing the commands successfully, gradually move closer to the door and distractions. Might be slow, but I think it would be great experience.

Comment by Sam on June 28, 2008 at 2:15pm: Good to expend some of the energy prior to settling down to train. If he is a youngster he is probably full of himself! Perhaps play some ball or retrieval games in the backyard prior to going for your walks. Make the walk a total training experience by having him walk loose lead/heel position. Practice your sits and recalls along the way. If you reach an area that has a bit of space you can give a release word such as "free or ok" and let him sniff a bit. Then back to work you go. Typically when training a dog one teaches them commands in a familiar and comfortable environment with few distractions. As the commands become more solid then one ventures to different environments adding more distractions. Having treats is most handy. You may also wish to add clicker training which is a wonderful tool for focus. Practice, practice and more practice. Good training takes regular practice and is a forever comittment. So much training can take place in ones everyday routine. I do sit/down stays before all meals, sits at doorways and a multitude of other things. This keeps the training connection very fresh in a dogs mind.

Comment by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on June 27, 2008 at 11:04pm: I actually have tried that and it did not work! That is how determined he is to play! I actually think we need to have training sessions out front of the house and practice making him sit and lay down while I talk with other owners. I did that tonight after I wrote the blog, took him outside again and saw a person walking their dog across the street. Not everyone is willing to wait and talk while you train your dog to be calm though! Maybe I need to take him to the pet store and practice there. Thanks for your suggestion though. You would think food would work.

Comment by FuzzyButt on June 27, 2008 at 10:56pm: Food.

Have some treats on hand and show him that you have them. His attention with come right back to him.