Amber.Faith
Old Kaki
Mar 5, 2008, 7:48 AM
Post #2 of 22
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Re: [mickey123] How to get pup's full attention?
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Hey there again!
ALL 1st time dog handlers will get very stressed up about this paying attention problem. It's very normal. All my dogs were like this during their 1st few puppy classes. It's perfectly normal for all new comers to not pay attention to their owners.
The reason why? There are sooo much more interesting stuff to look at & sniff, lots of distractions, sounds, dogs, people, all types of stuff! Why pay attention to my owner when I can have more fun with the other stuff out here? All dogs will do well at home but once outside, pening wor!
So, upon reaching your training ground, let her do everything that she wants to do 1st before you start your class. Let her sniff everything, do her business, meet & play with other dogs till she's all satisfied & a bit tired. It's so much easier to handle a tired dog then a hyper active one...
Before you start training, take out a very loud squeaky ball & play with her. Don't let her play with the ball too long coz you don't want her to get bored with it. Do some recall exercises. Play type of recall. Run backwards & call her enthusiastically with a very high voice whilst squeaking the ball. When she comes towards you without you having to pull or tug her, praise her & play fetch.
The whole idea of this is that you want to get her attention. Later on, even at home you can do this, do the same thing again & then ask her to sit in front of you & ask her to "watch" you. Point your finger at your eye. The moment she watches you, just for 1 second, praise her & reward. This command is actually very hard to teach. Some dogs can take up to months or even a year or more to learn this command. Amber still can't do it for long while heeling...
Anyway, you can then slowly progress by asking her to sit in the heel position & ask her to "watch" you. Once she watches you in the eye, praise & reward. Make sure the squeaky ball is still in your hand. Make sure she can see it too. Take a few heeling steps & then reward by throwing the ball. You can also try & put the ball under your armpit & ask her to look there while heeling but only take two or three steps. Take it slow...
In a few days, your dog will be able to pay attention to you. But if you keep bringing your dog to the training ground every week without fail, she will get used to the surroundings & all & she will not be so gila outside. Now she's still young, she has only been to two or three classes, 1st time seeing sooo many dogs, people & other stuff around her. Give her time. Amber took about 3 to 4 months till she actually calmed down. I wouldn't say she was really paying attention to me but she was a LOT calmer then the 1st few weeks. So this takes time...
Try training her more in your yard, on the road so that she will get used to all the distractions. Try not to train her in your home anymore unless it is raining, then you'll have no choice. I started training Amber outside our house on the road since she was still in puppy class. She could already down stay off-leash while other dogs & people walking pass by her the age of 5 mths.
This will take time but not to worry, she will calm down & pay attention to you one fine day...
(This post was edited by Amber.Faith on Mar 5, 2008, 7:55 AM)
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sigh... 
(the trainer told me last weekend if my furkid fail the test, she'll need to pay RM 30 to repeat the course.) 
