Dog Training Games Archives - Page 6 of 14

Train both sides of your dog

One of our Rally student’s dogs was having an issue with lameness. A trip to the veterinary chiropractor yielded some relief, and some good advice. Whatever the dog does on one side, balance it with an equal exercise on the other side. Train both sides of your dog.

Regardless of your opinion of chiropractic practice for either people or dogs, the advice is good. Common sense tells you that all beings with bilateral symmetry, both dogs and people, should strive for equal strength. The classic example of asymmetrical development is baseball pitchers. The difference between their dominant arm and shoulder and the subordinate joints is dramatic.

So how does this apply in dog training? Most people will notice that their dogs have an easier time moving to one side than the other. Just like people, dogs have a dominant side they tend to favor. The “Spin!” game is usually where the dog’s preference shows most dramatically. It’s up to you, as your dog’s trainer and coach, to make sure the dog’s non-dominant side gets an equal, or greater, workout.

Why it matters

When your dog is young and healthy you may not see any obvious benefits resulting from two-sided training. But as your dog ages, their weaker side will be more prone to injuries, issues, and arthritis. When they’re old and creaky, an evenly-developed dog will have better muscle tone and be, perhaps, slightly less creaky.

If you’ve ever trained your dog in Obedience, you know that it’s almost exclusively performed with the dog on your left side. And some Obedience competitors question the need for training on both sides. After all, if dogs are always supposed to “Heel!” on the left, why bother with opposite-side practice?

There are obvious benefits for even muscle and balance strengthening. The less-apparent reason is to keep your dog’s attention and interest. You know that dogs love routine and patterns. Given the opportunity, dogs will follow known patterns and even try to anticipate the goal of any exercise. To avoid anticipation (which gets a disqualification in Obedience), it’s a good idea to switch up your training. It keeps sessions fresh and interesting for both of you.

Do it the “other” way

We also teach Rally, which is a bit more evenly distributed between left and right. Your dog still maintains heel position on your left, but many Rally signs have both left and right variants – 360 degree turns both ways, 270s both ways, etc. Even the Spiral signs have two options – either “Dog Inside” (closer to the pylons) or “Dog Outside” (handler closer to the pylons). This creates both inside and outside turns for your dog, balancing bilateral training exercises.

It’s easy enough to set up a mini-course with these easy heeling exercises. You don’t have to have cones or pylons, just three (or four) similarly-sized objects you and your dog can heel around, and the space to do it. If you want the official instructions, the Rally signs are readily available online.

Both sides of the coin

We’re always surprised when one of our students tells us their dog “only” goes one way on a behavior like “Spin!” or “Roll Over!” It may be easier to indulge your dog’s “handedness” preference, but it’s not what’s best for your dog. Train on both sides of your dog. Make a point of working the “hard” side more than the other. Your dog will be in better physical shape, and their physiology and gait will stay strong.

As with all dog training, your dog may resist your emphasis on their “off” side. Like all dog training, the most difficult part is patience. And rewards. The more difficult something is for your dog, the more valuable the reward should be. Make it worth your dog’s time to expend the effort. We all work a little more diligently for a great pay day.

Dogs Are Binary

With absolutely nothing to do with gender identity, all dogs are binary. It’s the way they think and the way they learn. If you understand that, you can train your dog successfully.

So what do we mean by binary? Dogs don’t understand “maybe” or shades of gray. Things are either yes or no. On or off. Do or do not. There is no try. If you want to communicate to your dog, be clear. You decide the criteria and stick to it. Otherwise, you’ll just confuse your dog.

Stay Means Stay

Two behaviors where we see people waffling with criteria are stays and positions (i.e. Sit, Down, Stand).

In competition Obedience, if your dog moves anything other than their head or tail, it’s not a stay. It’s just not. Any movement of your dog’s feet isn’t a stay. Settling to rest on a hip isn’t a stay. Do you need to hold your dog to that standard? That’s up to you. If you’re fine with your dog’s “stay” being “in the general vicinity” that’s up to you.

The other part of “Stay!” that people muddy up is when the dog is allowed to stop “Staying.” The end of “Stay!” is the release word you’ve taught your dog. The one that lets them know they’re off the clock until you tell them something else to do. If your dog self-releases, that’s not a “Stay.”

To differentiate “Stay!” you may also want to teach your dog a similar behavior with different criteria. “Wait!” could mean a temporary halt, usually while you perform some task. We tell our dogs “Wait!” when we go downstairs to retrieve the laundry. We don’t care what they do once we close the door. Likewise they “Wait!” when we open the door to get the mail. Or when we open the oven so they don’t get burned.

There’s some discussion among trainers on whether to teach “Stay!” at all. Some suggest that your dog should keep doing whatever you told them until released. If you tell your dog to “Sit!” they should just keep sitting until you release them.

It’s up to you. With decades-long habits behind us, it would take more effort than it’s worth to us to stop using “Stay!” We can see the reasoning on both sides of the issue. You choose what works for you.

Be absolutely clear

For dog sports people, “Sit!” and “Down!” have very specific meanings and distinct criteria. But many people, especially in puppy classes, are so happy their dog isn’t jumping around like a nut job that they accept either one, regardless of what they asked for.

Again, it’s a case of what matters to you. If you don’t care whether your dog knows “Sit!” from “Down!,” that’s fine. But realize that your dog will never understand there’s a difference between them. It’s easy enough to teach your dog positions – a daily minute of Puppy Pushups takes care of it quickly. We recommend throwing “Stand!” into the Puppy Pushups mix. Your dog’s veterinarian and groomer will thank you for it.

Don’t fix the flubs

Say you’ve decided to get nice, clean, crisp Sits, Downs, and Stands. If you think your dog knows it, say it once and wait. As soon as they do it, reward. Five seconds later is too late. Time the reward immediately after the action.

But if you said “Sit!” and your dog went into a “Down!” they’re showing you they’re not sure what you want. Dogs need your feedback. So – Wait. Look at your dog’s butt. Wait a little longer. If the dog doesn’t do it, don’t repeat the command and don’t fall into the trap of “fixing” it. Move a couple feet away and start again.

Attempting to “fix” what the dog got wrong makes it part of the whole “Sit!” experience. If you always have to say it twice, or make a particular motion, your dog doesn’t know the word. They know the whole ritual the behavior has become; say it three times, point at their butt, get a treat and hold it up over their nose.

Keep it simple. Say (or signal) it once. If your dog doesn’t do it, start over someplace else. Commit to clarity for your dog. Remember that dogs are binary. Give them the information they need – yes/no. Off/On. Black/White.

Stairs are hard for dogs

Stairs are hard for dogs. They may mimic many human actions, but stairs don’t translate well from two legs to four. We can’t help them coordinate their motion. But we can teach our dogs to climb and descend stairs safely.

Stairs are common in houses, apartments, and most human living situations. But they don’t occur in nature, and they’re not something dogs inherently know how to navigate. Is your dog afraid or unwilling to climb or descend stairs? It’s only natural – all mammals, including humans, have an innate fear of falling. Dogs don’t understand the engineering behind stairs. They don’t know it’s the “easy” way to get where they want to go.

Look at the situation from your dog’s perspective. How would you feel if you had to climb an obstacle multiple-times your height? What if you had to do it several times a day? If it were something you’d never seen before? And you didn’t really understand the purpose?

Start at the very end

We’ve always had small dogs, so stairs are something that must be taught. Contrary to almost everything else in dog training, you don’t start teaching puppies or dogs stairs from the first step. Instead, you take the smallest chunk and teach your dog from there.

For teaching “up” the stairs, start at the first step from the top. Carry your dog to the top step. If you’re alone, stay behind the dog so there’s no chance they can go backwards – either by accident or on purpose. With another person available, have one behind the dog and one in front. Use the treats your dog values most for this training. Hold the treat above the top step, make sure the dog knows it’s there, and encourage him/her to climb that step. This is a behavior that can be lured.

If your dog is truly terrified of climbing up, reward for the slightest motion in that direction. Touching the upper step with one paw, two paws. Even looking at it, if it’s been a real issue. The point is to reward all progress in the right direction.

Lately we’ve noticed that many people in our classes asking too much of their dogs. They ask for something like “Come!” and rather than rewarding the dog for a speedy response, they pile on more stuff for the dog to do. Every single thing your dog does because you asked them to should be rewarded in some way. Even if all you do is say “Good dog!” please acknowledge their good effort. Stairs are hard for dogs and if you take your dog’s good behavior for granted, they may not bother.

Step by step

When your dog is comfortable with climbing one step, carry him to the second-from-the-top. Rinse and repeat, for as many steps as necessary. Once the dog catches on, they may not need a lesson for every step. That’s fine – you’ve achieved the objective.

Keep in mind that things people don’t really notice can be weird, different, and wrong to dogs. In our house, the steps take a 90 degree turn at the last four steps. Those are wedge-shaped, and not rectangular. To us, it’s just a little wider step at one end. To the dogs, it’s not the same as the rectangular ones above. If you can’t figure out why your dog hesitates at a certain point, look around and see how it’s different. It could be different because of shape, surroundings, floor covering, lighting, etc. And train it like it’s brand new. For your dog, it is.

Going down

By now you’ve probably figured out that the key to teaching dogs to go down steps is the same – one at a time. Because all animals fear falling, take your time and let your dog get comfortable. Carry them down to the first step from the floor so they only have one stair to go down. Reward when they do. When they’re okay with it, move to the second-from-bottom step. Rinse and repeat.

What brought stairs learning to the fore right now is having to start almost from scratch with Torque. Since he lost his eye, he also lost his confidence on the stairs. It’s the one area that seems to be hardest hit by the change.

Once again, his familiarity with the 2-Minute-Trainer program saved the day. In just a couple of sessions with single-step training, he was back to zooming up and down the stairs. Of course it helps that our training area is downstairs and it’s his favorite place in the world.

Double down on dog training distractions

Does your dog lose focus easily? Does any sound or movement get them off their game? If that describes your dog, it’s time to double down on dog training distractions.

One of the nosiest dogs on the planet lives right here with us. Simon has to know what everybody’s doing at all times. And if it’s something he’s interested in, his brain melts out of his ears and his focus is gone. How does Fran get it back? She has the yummiest treats, the best toy, the most enthusiastic attitude. The objective is to let Simon know that what he’s supposed to be doing is more fun and more interesting than anything else happening.

Calm isn’t the answer

Like parents of newborn babies, the natural instinct is to hush everything when you’re trying to get baby to sleep or dog to focus. But that’s not real life. Babies have to learn to sleep through normal household sounds. And dogs have to learn to pay attention through everyday distractions.

You may want to limit distractions when teaching your dog a new game or behavior. When dogs don’t know what to do, many will sidetrack or disengage rather than be “wrong.” Others will start showing off all the tricks and behaviors they know, trying to figure out what you want. The initial phase of any new training game is when you want to control the environment and keep dog training distractions to a minimum.

Increase dog training distractions during familiar games

But once your dog is familiar with a new game, it’s time to let chaos reign. Today Simon’s focus and concentration was severely challenged. Fran was planning to practice the Directed Retrieve with him. In non-obedience terms, that’s where you put three gloves out, spaced pretty evenly apart, and tell the dog which one to get. They’re supposed to bring it back to you, sit in front of you, drop the glove on command, and go back to heel position when directed. It’s a complex behavior with lots of parts to train.

Take it to extremes

Simon was doing okay with it until the other dogs started squeaking their toys in their crates. Everybody gets their turn, both playing training games with their person, and waiting in their crates. Today Torque and Booker got new toys, the squeakers were still intact. That won’t be true for long, but it was today. (Simon got a new squeaky toy, too.)

As soon as the squeaking started, Simon’s head swiveled to see where it was coming from. Another squeak and he dashed over to see what the other dogs had that he didn’t. Fran ditched her plan for the session and went into “dealing with distractions” mode. We’ve talked about this before, with the “Look- Loo” game, but this is taking the game up a notch, with the squeaking.

That’s not chasing him, yelling at him, or scolding him. It’s changing what you’re doing so you’re more interesting than the distraction. As soon as Simon glanced in her direction, Fran praised him and started running away. The fastest way to get a dog to come to you is to run away from them. When he followed, she gave him multiple high-value treats, praised him, and started a very-familiar routine. In Simon’s case, he loves heeling practice, so that’s what she did. She kept her eyes glued on his face. Every time he made eye contact, she praised and rewarded.

Watch where they’re looking

Dogs are pretty easy to read. If they’re not looking at you, chances are they’re not paying attention to you. If you tell them to do something at that point, it’s probably not going to happen. We’ve seen it lots of times, especially in an exercise like the “Recall,” or “Come!” If you’re across the room and your dog is looking right at you, you can say “Come!” and they probably will. If they’re watching something else, that’s where they’ll go when you call.

That’s when you use your dog’s name before the command. If your dog doesn’t look at you, don’t continue. Go back to your dog and start over. The last thing you want to do is set your dog up for failure. You do want to work through the distraction.

With the squeaky toys, we couldn’t predict when the other dogs would make noise. To target working on Simon’s focus with a squeaker distraction, Hope picked up a toy and made noise at regular intervals. Fran was able to focus on getting eye contact with Simon and continue her 2-Minute session.

Was Simon perfect after a couple minutes? No, of course not. But he made some progress and happily played with Fran. Tomorrow’s another day to try again.

3 ways to streamline dog training

Training your dog should be one of the most joyful and stress-free parts of your day. Each little two-minute session should be fast, fun, and something you look forward to. Here are three ideas to make getting to the fun part a little easier and for you to streamline dog training.

Idea Number 1: Covered treat bowls

It’s easy to find inexpensive little bowls with lids. Make up a big batch of your dog’s favorite “trail mix” and distribute it among the bowls. Scatter them around the house so every room has a treat container. Customize your dog’s treat mixture to reflect their preferences and make the mix a combination of high, middle, and low-value treats. That way your dog never knows what’s coming, and always hopes it’s the favorite. Be sure that all the treats are shelf-stable and will not get moldy. Some ideas to include are: kibble, air-popped popcorn, freeze-dried chicken heart pieces, circular oat cereal pieces, anything that’s small, dry, and a favorite for your dog. A recent student of ours used woven-wheat cereal squares. Worked beautifully, because her dog is crazy about them.

Having the treats close by makes it convenient to reward your dog spontaneously, especially when you’re trying to build your dog’s vocabulary. Say you walk into a room and your dog is lying there, it’s the work of a moment to say “Good Down!” and hand your dog a treat. But if the bowl wasn’t there, you couldn’t do it. If you had to leave the room to get the reward, your dog would probably follow you and the moment is lost.

With rewards close at hand, it will also remind you to mark the good decisions your dog makes – even if you’re just hanging out together on the couch. If a TV doorbell rings and your dog perks up but doesn’t bark – that’s a good decision worth rewarding. If someone walks by your window with a dog and your dog watches silently, that’s worth marking.

One of the most basic tenets of dog training is “what gets rewarded, gets repeated.” Make it easy for yourself to reward good behavior so your dog’s scales tilt that way more often.

Idea Number 2: Keep a list of games

You have all kinds of training games you play with your dog. Some have the names we gave them, others you’ve adapted and have your own names for them. If there’s a specific place that you go to train, keep a list of all your games there. That way, when it’s time to train but you don’t know what to play, the “cheat sheet” is right there. An instant way to streamline dog training.

You can keep your list with your Session Log Book, even inside the front cover. We even try to jot down the date when we play a training game. We don’t want to go too long without playing certain skills games, like “Whatcha Gonna Do?” or “Looky-Loo.” Like any skill, training games can get rusty if they’re not used. (In the photo, Torque is doing “Gimme Your Face!“)

Idea Number 3: Keep a phone stand handy

Of all the training tools available to you – video is the most useful. You don’t have to share, or post, or even keep the videos you take of your training. But you should watch to get a different perspective on your training game sessions.

In addition to seeing (and hearing) all the times your timing was a bit off, or that you gave your dog the wrong direction, you’ll also see all the things you did right. It’s actually fun to go back and see how far you’ve come from where you and your dog started.

Another reason video is so valuable is that you can see and appreciate how smart, happy, and adorable your dog is. To actually see how your dog looks at you from a different perspective will make your heart swell. In a recent class, Fran took Booker for a spin through the Rally Obedience course and a student remarked on the lovely attention he paid to Fran throughout. The student didn’t even realize her dog’s gaze was almost identical when it was their turn.

We’re always open to new, fun, and functional hacks to make playing dog training games better and more fun. If you have a favorite trick you use to streamline dog training, please let us know!

Getting your dog to think about it

How do you get your dog to think about it? To take a moment and choose well? We’ve said many times that the point of training is to get your dog to make good decisions. But what does that look like?

The biggest part of the formula is on you. Stop making all your dog’s decisions. Stop telling them what to do all the time. Stop using “No!”

Instead, when you see your dog about to choose poorly, how about you make an attention-getting sound and say “think about it.” Don’t move in unless you see your dog decide. Give them a moment to realize there’s a better choice.

Whatcha Gonna Do?

The game our students seem to play the least is “Whatcha Gonna Do?” Which makes us sad, because it’s one of the best ways to teach your dog to practice impulse control. And almost all naughty dog behavior stems from following their impulses.

Instilling some self-control goes a long way to curing most bad dog behavior. Give them the skill to pause and think, rather than just give in to their worst tendencies.

Totally worth it

Last week Hope introduced “Whatcha Gonna Do?” in her household obedience class. And met with the usual resistance. It’s not the game that’s most fun for people. Your hand can get all slobbery and some dogs will nibble, so there can be a little bit of pain. But it’s worth it.

The whole premise of “Whatcha Gonna Do?” is letting your dog discover that it’s rewarding to not follow impulse. The dog gets nothing as long as they’re being impulsive. The moment they choose to think, they’re rewarded.

When you start playing “Whatcha Gonna Do?” the dog doesn’t understand the rules of the game. At first they may get frustrated and just glance away by accident. Reward that. Even if it’s not deliberate. It’s the first clue your dog has to figuring out the rules of the game.

Be patient

It’s really hard to communicate with a different species who doesn’t speak your language. Who doesn’t think as you do. But you can explain things by teaching in ways they understand. Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards. If you’re playing “Whatcha Gonna Do?” and the dog looks away just because they’re getting frustrated, reward that.

It wasn’t on purpose, but it was what you wanted. And dogs can figure out what got them the reward. For most dogs it’s a process of trial and error. “I don’t get what I want by nibbling on mom’s hand, what should I do instead?” Or “I got a treat for turning my head. Maybe I should do more of that.”

Precepts of training

The three dog training truths to apply in all your games:

Dogs always do what’s most rewarding to them.
What gets rewarded gets repeated.
Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards.

Your job as a dog trainer is to be clear about what you’re rewarding. In time, your dog will discover how rewarding it is to think before they act. And they’ll do more of it.

Treat your dog’s symptoms

Treat your dog’s symptoms. You can’t know the cause.

It’s a harsh truth all dog owners must face. You’ll never know why your dog does some stuff they do. They’ll never tell. Even if you’ve known your dog since they were born, you can’t know what they’re thinking so you have to treat your dog’s symptoms.

Most of us get pretty good at reading our dogs’ unique signs and patterns. The good, the bad, and the silly. We’re pretty convinced that potty-training dogs is a combination of teaching the dog and starting to recognize your dog’s signs that urgent action is required.

Since you can’t know the “why,” you’re left to deal with treating the symptoms of your dog’s quirks.

Some don’t matter. We have no idea why Simon, Fran’s six-year-old Boston Terrier, thinks he can dry himself on the hardwood floors. He runs around rubbing himself on the floors as if there were moisture-wicking properties in wood. He does it every time he comes inside from the rain. It’s weird. But it’s harmless. We ignore it, other than to watch him, thinking how strange it is.

Not so benign

Other behaviors aren’t so benign. The dog of a training student of ours started growling and showing teeth to her 13-year-old son. The dog was only recently adopted as an almost-two-year-old. She’ll never be able to tell us why she was feeling threatened by that son, one of four in the family. But she was, so we developed a plan to treat the symptom. That son now hand-feeds the dog her dinner, plays training games with her, and always interacts positively with her.

In this case, sharp observation also helped. The owner noticed that this son was the only one who constantly wears a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head. When the son didn’t have the hood up, the dog was fine. Why is the dog threatened by people in hoodies? We’ll never know. And she’ll never tell us. We treat the symptom and gradually let the dog learn that hoodie-wearing people are okay.

Deal with the quirks

Some people think dogs are dogs. That dogs are interchangeable. We recently spoke to someone who called about classes. She urgently needs help training her 13-month old Bernese Mountain Dog / Poodle cross breed dog. In the conversation, she mentioned that her current dog isn’t anything like the dog she lost, a Labrador Retriever. Of course not. They’re completely different kinds of dogs. She said she’d thought a dog was a dog. As if only the color, size, and fur differed among dogs.

Every dog, like every person, is a unique individual. Unlike people, we have no way of communicating in words with our dogs. We can never get explanations of why they do what they do. We can only deal with and train the symptoms.

Watch for when

If your dog has a behavior that needs to be turned around, notice when it happens. And where. What’s going on that might have triggered it? You may not hit the nail on the head right away. But knowing how to play training games has given you the ability to break things down into small chunks. Experiment with the circumstances that trigger your dog’s unwanted behavior. When you hit on something that may be a factor, you’ll know where to start training.

In the case of the dog fearing the hoodie, they’ll start with a sweatshirt by itself. Let the dog check it out. Sniff it. Paw at it. When she no longer reacts at this stage, the son can put it on (without the hood up), sit quietly, and give her treats for being close. When she’s okay with that, he can fold up the hood a bit at a time. Step by step, treating the symptom.

We had another student whose Great Dane puppy wouldn’t go for walks without their older dog. He stopped dead in the driveway and refused to move. We’ll never know why solo walks were scary. Treat the symptom. Start even with the older dog and gradually let him (and the person walking him) lag behind. Over time, the distance will increase to the point that they’re not walking together at all. Treat the symptom.

Dog biting pants? Why it happens and how to stop it

Most first time puppy owners have identical wardrobe malfunctions.There are holes in the bottoms of their pants. Sometimes also in their legs. So your dog biting pants legs is a common malady.

So why do dogs, and especially puppies, grab onto your pants when you’re walking? And what can you do to make them stop?

The simple answer is that dogs are predators and designed to see and chase motion. Their vision may not be as acute or colorful as ours, but they’re aces at seeing movement.

Pouncing on prey

Dogs still have most, if not all, of the instincts of their wild canine ancestors. We’ve heard domestic dogs described as perpetual juveniles. They’re practicing their hunting behaviors; chasing, pouncing, and shaking.

Of course your dog or puppy has no intention to hurt you at all. That hole in your ankle where a tooth snagged was purely accidental. But it also means it’s a behavior you have to stop. It’s only cute the first time you imitate Frankenstein’s monster’s walk, dragging one foot with a puppy attached.

What to do about your ankle biter

Now that you know what’s going on, you need a plan to stop it. Since your dog is actually inviting you to play, the first option would be to have a tug toy you “trade” for your pants.

It may be a bit of a pain to have a toy stuffed in your pocket to whip out whenever your dog is “chasing” you, but it’s better than trying to mend another pair of pants.

You don’t have to play for long, and it should be a tugging game. Remember to tug side-to-side, never up and down, to avoid damaging your dog’s neck.

In time, your dog will associate your movement with playing with a toy and will get one for the game. You can encourage this by naming the toy when you toss it and tell your dog to fetch it – “Get the tuggy!”

What if there’s no toy?

If you forgot to carry a toy, the way to stop the pants-biting is to stop all resistance to the tugging. This is the same technique you use to get your dog to drop something. If there’s no tension on the object (or pants), there’s nothing to tug.

Stop moving and pulling away from your dog. If you’re incredibly agile and your balance is amazing, you can move when your dog moves, hopping to keep tension off your pants leg. We don’t know anyone who could actually do this, but it paints a funny mental picture, doesn’t it?

Another way is to walk out of your pants and leave them with your dog. If you’re not in them, they’re not interesting.

Not cute anymore

Unfortunately, pants biting isn’t a puppy behavior that dogs grow out of. They have no reason to. They get your full attention, a fun game, and you used to laugh when they did it. So your dog biting pants is not something the dog is motivated to stop.

You can get them to stop, if you take away the fun of the game. Think about what your dog is getting out of it, and remove it from the equation. If there’s a particular place in your house where your dog does it, change the way you walk there. Walk backwards (facing your dog), or remove your pants before you go there. Or arm yourself with a tug toy to have a minute of fun with your dog.

Train. Don’t Complain.

Train, don’t complain.

After Rally class one evening we were standing around, talking with our students. One of the great things about getting involved in dog sports is the terrific people you meet. You may have absolutely nothing else in common, but there’s a connection you share. We all love doing stuff with our dogs. Anyway, she was saying that she didn’t dare bring her significant other to class because her dog would be distracted and want to go to him. Which is exactly the wrong way of looking at the situation. You shouldn’t avoid the things that distract your dog and cause them to lose focus. Train, don’t complain!

All the “excuses” we make

It doesn’t have to be something as big as a person. We’re all guilty of trying to avoid distracting our dogs. Have you ever hidden a toy behind your back? Or “shushed” someone making noise elsewhere in the house? Or asked a spectator at a dog even not to rattle that candy wrapper? Or keep dropping popcorn? Or wafting delicious hot dog smells into the ring?

Life is full of distractions. People drop things that make noise. At dog events people applaud. Or slam doors. And make announcements over public address systems.

We can’t keep our dogs in a sound-proof, distraction-proof bubble for training. To succeed, in competition and in life, dogs have to have the skills to tune out the distractions and focus on what’s important. We talked about this with the “Looky Loo” game previously.

Train through the distractions

If there’s someone in your family that your dog absolutely adores – do your training while that person is around. Every time your dog looks at you, have a party and reward. If the other person cooperates and ignores the dog, you should have your training partner focused in short order. When you and your dog succeed, the other person should celebrate along with you and your dog. This lets the dog know it’s okay to be with somebody else.

It’s really just a matter of proving to your dog that playing training games with you is more rewarding than anything else around. Easier said than done. But you can do it.

Distraction training

One of the very first household obedience classes we ever took had a wicked “final exam.” Keep in mind this was just a class at our local park district. Before class, our instructor picked up multiple orders of french fries from the golden arches place. And he threw them all over the floor in the training room. Our exam was to walk our dogs from one side of the room to the other. Without our dogs nabbing any of those yummy-smelling french fries.

And you know what? Every single one of the dogs (ours included) was able to do it. Because in just six weeks. our dogs learned that playing with us was more rewarding than anything else.

Take your time

Start out simply. Whenever there’s a tempting distraction, just reward your dog for looking at you. If it’s something the dog really, really loves, like their favorite person, make the reward the highest-value treat in your arsenal. Before long your dog will glance at the other person coming in and snap their attention to you – source of all things good and delicious.

Build up your dog’s tolerance for the distractions. You don’t want to flood the dog with so much input they’re overwhelmed. Be mindful and creative with your distractions. Before you dump a bowl of popcorn in your training area, start with boring wads of crumpled paper.

Build on success

Like all training, push ahead when your dog is successful most of the time at the level you’re at. When your dog can ignore their favorite person sitting still, can they still focus if that person is on the phone? walking around? headed for the door?

The key element is to realize when and how you’re protecting your dog from distractions. If you’re holding a toy behind your back so your dog won’t see it, it’s time to bring it to the front, stick it in your waistband, and let your dog see it. When your dog actually does what you’re asking for, whip that toy out and have a great game of tug. No more excuses. Train, don’t complain. Remember that dog training is a bargain we have with our dogs. They get what they want when we get what we want. It’s how all great teams function.

Build confidence with “What’s That?” Dog Training Game

The “What’s That?” dog training game helps your dog explore the world with confidence. It’s great for every dog, but can be life-changing for shy or timid dogs.

It also encourages you to shop in one of our favorite places for dog-training gear – your local dollar store. You’ll want a variety of different objects. Vary the size, shape, and material the objects are made from. You can certainly start with stuff you find around the house. Just be sure that nothing you use is breakable or cherished by someone.

First step:

Get your clicker, your timer, a boatload of treats, the object you’re playing the game with, and your dog. When you’re ready, start your timer and place the object on the floor.

Typically, your dog will glance at the object. Click and reward near the thing. Looking at it is the first step. If your dog doesn’t keep looking at it, stand over the object and stare at it (like in “Boxey”). Kneel if you need to get closer. Your dog will probably be confused, especially if you’ve spent their life telling them “leave it.”

That’s okay. Be patient. Stare at the object and wait for your dog to look at it again. You’ll almost be able to see your dog shrug and think “I don’t see what’s so fascinating, but she thinks it is, so I’ll humor her.”

When your dog has received three to five rewards for looking at the object, it’s time to ask for more. It can be anything – nosing at it, pawing at it, stepping on it, mouthing it, licking it. Whatever your dog does, click and reward near the object.

You never know

Every dog is unique and despite knowing your dog well, you can’t predict how they’ll react to different objects.

In Hope’s Beginner Obedience class there are two dogs with opposite personalities. One, a Newfoundland, seems outgoing, confident, and ready for any game.

The other, a miniature Poodle mix, is shy and often tries to hide behind her mother.

Which dog do you think was freaked out by the idea of walking on bubble wrap? To everyone’s surprise, the Newfie was scared of it. The Poodle mix didn’t really even notice it was there and danced right over it.

Take it at your dog’s pace

Decide what the goal is for every object you introduce to your dog. If it’s something they can pick up, you may want them to pick it up and hold it. Something like a small white board that you can write messages on. It may be something you want them to carry, like a small tote bag. Or a foam roller you want them to push. Or a step you want them to sit on.

With your ultimate goal in mind, shape your dog’s behavior with your rewards. Remember that what gets rewarded gets repeated. If you want your dog to hold the object in his/her mouth, only click and reward for using his mouth. Every object can have its own game, but they all start with “What’s That?”

Next step

You can also let your dog guide the direction of what’s that. If you don’t have a particular goal in mind, see what your dog does with the thing and go with it. Always ask for more after your dog has received a few treats for a particular interaction. Look can be followed by sniffing, licking, pawing, etc.

If your main objective is to build your dog’s confidence, you can set up a circuit of different things around your training area. Encourage your dog to check each one out. If they’re not interested or confused, go stand by the object, stare at it, move it a little, and wait for your dog to come check it out. With patience, it will happen.

Expanding their world

“What’s That?” can be played anytime, anywhere, as long as you have rewards with you. When you’re out on a walk and your dog sees something new and different, how do they react? If they’re hesitant, it’s time to get enthusiastic and say “What’s That? Let’s go see!”

The more things your dog has the opportunity to explore, the more confident they will become. Once they’re familiar with the “What’s That?” game, they’ll know they’re safe if you’re encouraging interaction.