How to Keep Their Attention?
Does anyone have any ideas on how I can keep my corgi's attention when we are in obedience class? Jack is only 7 months old but when we go to his puppy class he focuses on everyone but me. I have tried getting really excited and being firm and having irresistable treats, nothing seems to work. He likes to watch the other dogs training and bark at them. If anyone has any ideas or has any stories to share that would be wonderful, I want to eventually get him in agility but at this rate I feel like I am failing as a trainer!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Molly on
-
Thanks for the encouragement! His next training class is on Saturday, so I am going to try my best to keep is attention by breaking up his gaze, I sometimes forget he is just a puppy still and a corgi :-)
-
Permalink Reply by Sir Bobby on
-
I have the same problem! I bring with me his favorite treat, like freeze dried liver. I only give him this when I know he will be distracted. Like the vet, or dog park ect... I give him a little just to let him know I have it and when he has worked really hard ignoring everything else. It seems to work better now the more we have practiced.
-
-
I am glad to know I am not alone but I think your right, a really delicious treat is the way to go, something he only gets when we are training, thanks for the tip!
-
Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
-
The first thing they taught us in basic obedience was "watch me". If they have taught that to you, practice it until you both have it down well. If they ahve not taught it, what you do it take a treat, make sure Jack knows you have it. Say "watch me" and hold the treat up to your eyes. As soon as Jack looks at you, reward him with a "good job, boy!" and the treat.
When we took Sid to his first class...wow, it seems like SO long ago...he barked at everyone. They gave us a squirt bottle and whenever he barked, he got a negative sound ("ack" or something like it) and a squirt to the head. He was quiet within a few minutes.
To show they CAN come a long way: last night Sid had to pass his test to progress in the therapy dog program. Part of the test was that we had to put him in a sit/stay while a stranger with a strange dog approached us to say hello. Sid had to maintain the sit/stay (quietly!) with this dog right in his face. He did it! So there is hope...it just takes consistency, rewards, and negative stimuli when behavior gets out of hand.
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
I tried to teach "watch me" to my son's doberman. It was hilarious! She ignored me while my two corgis barked and jumped trying to get my attention. She is getting better but I have to work with her without the corgis because they are like that obnoxious smart kid in school that always knows the answers!
-
-
OK, THAT made me crack up! That was too funny, Bev.
-
-
That is really impressive about Sid and good to know that it is possible to get to that point with consistency. Jack does great at home with the watch me, sit, down, but when we get out in public it is an entirely different story, like he forgets everything or isnt interested is more like it. So I think I will try the training in a distracting place more often and after repition I am sure he will catch on. Thanks for the advice!
-
Permalink Reply by Wendy Hixson on
-
precisely...he is a puppy...he is supposed to be goofy and inattentive, unless it moves and or is shiny.
Absolutely on the "watch me" and moving into his path of vision.
You might also want to take him for a super long walk before training classes so as to drain some of that never ending supply of puppy energy.
We have a 9 y/o foster now that never received ANY training except house breaking. So we are dealing with the barking at people on the other side of street through the window stuff and we squirt his butt with water accompanied by a stern "NO". Only started Thursday and he is getting the point.
-
-
I think I might try the water squirt technique, I have been trying to say the "NO BARK" command but I never know what to follow that with so that he knows to stop.
-
-
Let us know if it works!
One thing that several trainers will recommend is NOT to use "no" as a correction sound, since it is used too much in regular conversation. Choose a specific harsh sound to use when correction your dog, one that is only used for that circumstance (we use "ack")...it sounds funny at first but soon you'll find yourself automatically using it. Sometimes I find myself using it with my kids or nieces/nephews....and it works!
-
-
I completely forgot to let you know how Jacks last class went :-) I tried a few techniques you suggested and he was a lot better, more focused on me and not the other dogs so thank you for your suggestions. Last night he started a new class and he is much more focused, it is amazing!
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
My corgi's name is Jack too!
I'm glad things are going better with your Jack.
The thing to remember is that until a dog is at least a year old, or in some cases 18 months or so, all training should be very positive and upbeat, and some distractions are past their ability to cope with.
All the suggestions are great. When my dog was a puppy, I made sure all my encouragements were about 3x as enthusiastic as I would normally make them. If your pup is distracted and you say his name and his ear twitches in your direction, say "good boy" and then when he looks at you, tell him what a wonderful incredible genius puppy he is. Your enthusiasm will go a long way in showing him how much more fun you are then whatever he was watching.
If a certain distraction is really tough for him to cope with, start facing it from a long distance away. So if for example in class you can't get his attention if another dog barks, when you take him for walks at home, take him past a barking dog and see how close you can get before you lose him. Then start just a bit farther than that (and it might be a whole block away) and give him a simple command and praise him to the high heavens when he responds. Gradually get closer and closer over many weeks until you can keep his attention right in the face of the distraction. If you lose his attention, you know you've gone too far too fast and back up a little.
At this stage, I would not really give any stern corrections at all, except maybe for a major transgression. It should all still be a game to him, really.
My own Jack was totally inattentive in the face of any distractions til he was around a year old, and he passed his CGC/ TDI tests when he was still two month's shy of his second birthday. They come a long way in a hurry once they mature, if you have a good foundation under them.
Good luck! :)
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
