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Does your dog sometimes lose focus during training? Does their mind wander away when you need them to pay attention? Getting your dog’s attention back on task is more important than you know. Let Steffi Trott with SpiritDog Training explain why.
A Pro Dog Trainer Explains Why Refocusing your Dog’s Attention is Important
There’s a common dog training mistake that I see pretty often. Dog parents work hard to get and keep their dogs’ attention. They choose great treats, play attention games, and practice often and consistently. This is wonderful, but for all that work to train their dog’s brain, focus is often forgotten.
For example, it’s time to go for a walk, and your dog is focused on you and ready to go. But by the time you’ve hit the end of the driveway, your dog’s attention has been diverted to something else. While it may not seem like a big deal, believe me when I say keeping your dog’s focus and learning mindset is an important part of training.
In the instance of the walk, the last thing you should do is keep walking when your dog has lost focus. Think about it this way. If you suddenly realized you had lost your wallet, what would you do? You’d certainly stop and trace your steps back to the last point you had your wallet.
Nobody would keep walking, believing their wallet will magically appear farther down the path. That makes no sense. The wallet fell out of your pocket sometime between when you left the house and when you realized it was gone. So, you have to stop and return to where you knew you had it.
Retrace and Find Your Dog’s Focus Again
Precisely the same thought applies to your dog’s attention. If you lose your pup’s attention, there is no reason to assume you will get it back by further feeding them more distractions and input. If they lost their focus half a block from your house, they won’t magically regain it once you make it to the dog park. Every step (both literally and metaphorically) you continue to take towards the distraction further removes you from your dog’s attention (just like with the wallet!)
Let’s see what this looks like in practice. In this video, I’m working with my dog Shine. When we filmed this, he was a younger dog, and he LOVES his toys. When he wouldn’t listen, we’d stop all the excitement and return to the last place (in this case, a “mental place”) where he was focused.
Next time you lose your dog’s attention, ask yourself, “If this were my wallet, where would I go to get it back?”
The answer is never forward. It’s always to stop and retrace/redo. I hope you have the patience and consistency to stop and redo. This simple practice will help your dog’s training more than you know!
Check out more online training courses from SpiritDog Training to help your pup be the best they can be.
Toledo, United States.
