Training Tips for Sensitive and/or Distracted Dogs - Episode 4. Mr. Focus & Mrs. Feedback

Us being focused and giving our dogs Feedback - as obvious as these may seem... they might get missing sometimes when we are training our dogs. It might be because we are in a class and we want to listen to the instructor, or to a friend on a walk, or we are too busy looking at the other dog... or we just did not feel we are not giving our dogs enough attention and information! It's a crazily important thing, the very baseline of communication - no matter if we are training Agility, working on obedience or dealing with reactiveness!

The social part of Dog Training

Having a dog is for many of us connected to social life in some way. It might be through meeting friends on walks, going to obedience classes, going to beauty shows or training dog sports. It's absolutely great - we can share our hobby the highs and the troubles with like-minded people. Unfortunately, these are frequently the situations when our mind gets diverted from our dogs to other people - and this is when Sensitive/ Distracted Dogs start snifing, zooming around or switching off. And don't get me wrong! I know we need to teach our dogs how to live without our constant support and attention... BUT... if you are working on your dog's reactiveness and there's a stranger dog coming... focus on your dog not instead of saying hello to the owner going past. If you are on Agility training and your dog has a short attention span - give your full attention to your pup to help them. If you are in a busy place and your pup is very distracted - be there for them.

Focus on your dog

Leave all the everyday worries behind behind the door. Or at least try as much as you can! When you go for training with your dog this should be a time for you and him/her. Some dogs will require even more attention as they are sensitive and prone to be affected by what is happening in the environment or to what you do - or don't do. If you can't sometimes focus on your dog and you know your sessions need to be more 'with your dog' put a bit more structure into your training. Put your pup in the car for a break, in a crate or sometimes even putting them on the lead or in a sit will do the job (as long as it's a comfortable spot in this given moment, not a scary one). This will prevent your doggie from getting a habit of sniffing around and getting into trouble. You will also need to work on your 'transitions- but I'll be explaining this tool more in my next blog.

Give Feedback

Sometimes all we need is communication. First of all, make sure you let your Sensitive/ Distracted dog know they are doing something you appreciate right now. Feedback is always important but even more for S/D dogs - some of them find it punishing if the are not given enough feedback. Don't go too crazy though! Sometimes too much enthusiasm can overwhelm a delicate dog, even though the only thing we want is telling them how happy we are 🙂 You can use your voice and praise but also you can do certain things that will give your dog instant feedback eg. your dog brings the toy back, grab it for literally 1 second and let them win again! Try to adjust to your dog and make sure the reward you are offering is actually something your dog truly enjoys and is reinforcing the behaviour (for more information about rewards have a look at my previous blog! 🙂).

On my workshops I frequently see people with S/D dogs that know what they would their dog to do in a particular situation but they forget about all the steps of how to get to that place. They want a good attention throughout the exercise but they don't sometimes get a glance form their dog BEFORE the exercise even starts. And... even if the dog does look up, there's no feedback, and the dog goes back to sniffing etc. Please always try to start with Focus and Engagement, especially if you're in a new or difficult environment. There's no point of 'trying' the exercise if your pupster is very distracted and does not feel confident enough to give you attention. They might be ready in 2 minutes - but help them and give feedback (yes! & for example give a treat) when they look at you from time to time. To make it a bit more clear I'll put example steps here:

1. Dog is VERY distracted. Stand in one place, a bit further away from difficult distractions and allow them to acclimate.

2. Dog is distracted but looks at you from time to time - give feedback when they do and reward.

3. Dog still notices the environment but looks at you more often - feedback and reward, you can probably add a bit playing.

4. Your dog is focused but still aware of what is happening - do some easy exercises/ tricks, reward.

5. Your dog is fully with you! You can start the exercise you wanted to do!

We are asking our dogs to focus on us - let's make sure we are focused on them as well! :)

Thanks for reading

Lila