How To: Get Your Dog to Pay Attention – Part 2

Ever wish you could get your dog’s attention no matter what was going on around you?

In this series of videos, we’re showing you how you can do exactly that! In the first video, we taught you how to teach your dog to look at you without anything else going on. Your dog has to be good at that step before you move on to this one. [If your dog’s not looking at you frequently, there’s no way we can add distractions and expect him to look at you!]

How to Add Distractions

1. Start with something easy — not your dog’s favorite toy. In the video, I used an old, roughed up yogurt container that the dogs had already pretty much destroyed.
2. Call your dog’s name, then click and treat when he looks at you.
3. Get him interested in the object again and repeat step #2.
4. When the dog gets really good at that, choose an object that’s a little bit more difficult for your dog to disengage. Your dog should still have a really good chance of succeeding.
5. Call your dog’s name — once! — then wait for him to look at you. Click and treat when he does. Note: in the video, it may be hard to see that Schooner’s eyes are moving from the distraction to me. His head isn’t swiveling away from the object, but his eyes are sliding from the object to me. He gets a click and a treat for any eye contact, it doesn’t have to be a massive head movement. 
6. Continue to ratchet up the distraction gradually, so that your dog is able to look away even when you have food in your hand.

Check out the video to watch Schooner learn how to leave toys and food alone when he hears his name.

Your turn: What’s your dog’s biggest distraction? Is it another dog? A scent? People? Noises? Leave a comment and let me know!