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How to Get a Dog to Listen When Distracted

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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0
A golden retriever runs towards it's female owner during playtime in the park.
his is the dream: A dog who listens to our cues and easily complies with our requests, even outdoors in a distracting environment. But the dream doesn’t get accomplished overnight! Start small, training for your dog’s attention indoors with not-very-compelling distractions, and build on those successes. Photo by Srdjana1, Getty Images

Perhaps your dog responds to your cues reliably when you’re home, but as soon as you walk out your door, all his training flies out the window. You’re not alone; this is a common problem. Many dogs become highly distracted as soon as they step into the real world. You can teach him to focus around distractions – but the key is not starting the process in a highly distracting environment. 

Add Distractions Gradually

Ideally, you already use high-value reinforcers in your training. (If not, do!) Yummy food treats are a great choice. You can also use you dog’s favorite toys and play opportunities. The squeak of a squeaky toy is a great attention-getter!

Start your training sessions in a low-distraction environment (indoors) with high-value reinforcement. Reinforce lots of “Look at me” and also other behaviors your dog knows well, including his recall. If you want him to come to you past distractions outdoors, he needs to be able to rock it with distractions indoors, first.

Now introduce pre-arranged distractions that are of a medium-amount of interest to your dog, such as having your child skip by the area where you are working, or your partner dropping a box. The more variety of distractions you an employ, the better. Use high-value treats or favorite toys to reinforce looking at you if he gives you his attention when asked, or to get his attention if he doesn’t volunteer it. Try squeaking a squeaky toy for his attention, and when he looks at you, start playing with the toy; then play with the toy with him.

Work at this level until he quickly and reliably looks at you when you ask for attention. Then gradually increase working with him in the face of all sorts of distractions until he can focus on you indoors, even with children running, balls bouncing, and more.

Focus Outside

When your dog is successfully orienting to you and able to listen to your cues in the face of distractions indoors, take the work outside. Again, start with fewer, low-level distractions until he shows that he can be attentive in the face of those things. Then gradually increase the distraction level as he succeeds with various new stimuli. Reinforce him for any attention he gives you! As you add distractions, practice other known behaviors (especially his favorites!) including coming when called, so he’ll be reliable with all of them.

With time and your commitment to working with your dog, you’ll have a canine pal who is super-focused even with a circus of activities happening around you.

More Distraction Training Tips

Here are some more quick tips to help with focus and attention:

  1. “Walk Away” is a fun game and dogs love it, so it works beautifully to get your dog’s attention away from something he’s really focused on. See this article on how to teach this game.
  2. Use the “Premack Principle,” where a less likely behavior is reinforced by a more likely behavior. “If you looks at me and sit when asked, you (sometimes) get to go chase the bunny!” (For more information, see the Premack Principle section in “Beyond Basic Dog Training.”)
  3. Use a “naked squeaker.” Buy squeakers without toys online, or rescue them from toys your dog has disemboweled. Keep one in your pocket and give it a brief squeak or two at opportune times, then reinforce with treats or play.

Success!

Most important, as with all force-free training, set up your dog to succeed. Create environments with distraction levels where he is able to pay attention so you can reinforce him for his lovely behavior and convince him you are worth his focus even around bigger distractions.

Crate Training Tips

By
Editorial Staff
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Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

A crate is an invaluable management tool. It is an artificial den for your dog that makes housetraining a breeze and gives your dog a safe place where he can stay. Here are some tips to remember:

  • It should never be a place of punishment.
  • Your dog may adjust more easily to stays at the vet hospital when he can take his portable bedroom with him.
  • Puppies can be crate trained with relative ease, so start early.
  • Crates should be just large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably.
  • Start with the door open and just toss the treats inside.
  • Gradually toss the treats further and further until he is stepping in to get them. At this point you can use verbal cues, such as “go to bed”.
  • When your dog is staying in the crate with the door closed for at least 10 seconds without any signs of anxiety, close the door and latch it. Then step away from the crate.
  • When you are not actively training, leave the crate door open.

For more details and advice on crate training, download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook Crate Training Made Easy.

Panicking in the Crate

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Editorial Staff
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Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

This is very different from demand barking. Some dogs, particularly many of those with separation anxiety (SA), can’t tolerate the close confinement of a crate. They experience a full-blown panic attack, and frantically try to escape from their prison.

A panicked dog’s efforts to escape from his mental and emotional anguish may include hysterical, non-stop barking and howling – for hours and hours without pause; frantic attempts to bite and claw his way out – often breaking teeth and ripping out nails in the process; and stress-induced urination and defecation – which he proceeds to paint all over the walls of his crate as he thrashes around.

Solution to panic: Don’t crate!

You cannot subject a panicked dog to these conditions. You must address the SA problem through behavior modification, and may someday be able to use a crate with your dog, if you are successful in modifying the SA. In the meantime, look for doggie daycare-type management solutions.

For more details and advice on crate training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Crate Training Made Easy.

Say Goodbye to Crate Anxiety

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Editorial Staff
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Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

Most puppies, even the majority of adult dogs, can be crate-trained with relative ease. Remember that the crate should be just large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. He doesn’t need to be able to play football in it. If you want to get one large enough for your puppy to grow into, block off the back so he has just enough room, and increase the space as he grows. Cover the floor of the crate with a rug or soft pad to make it comfortable and inviting, and you’re ready to begin training.

Start with the crate door open, and toss some irresistibly yummy treats inside. If he is hesitant to go in after them, toss the treats close enough to the doorway that he can stand outside and just poke his nose in the crate to eat them. If you are training with a clicker or other reward marker, each time he eats a treat, Click! the clicker (or say “Yes!” if you are using a verbal marker).

Gradually toss the treats farther and farther into the crate until he steps inside to get them. Continue to Click! each time he eats a treat. When he enters the crate easily to get the treats, Click! and offer him a treat while he is still inside. If he is willing to stay inside, keep clicking and treating. If he comes out that’s okay too, just toss another treat inside and wait for him to re-enter. Don’t try to force him to stay in the crate.

When he enters the crate to get the treat without hesitation, you can start using a verbal cue such as “Go to bed” as he goes in, so that you will eventually be able to send him into his crate on just a verbal cue. When he happily stays in the crate in anticipation of a Click! and treat, gently swing the door closed. Don’t latch it! Click! and treat, then open the door. Repeat this step, gradually increasing the length of time the door stays closed before you Click! Sometimes you can Click! and reward without opening the door right away.

When your dog will stay in the crate with the door closed for at least 10 seconds without any signs of anxiety, close the door, latch it, and take one step away from the crate. Click!, return to the crate, reward, and open the door. Repeat this step, varying the time and distance you leave the crate.

For more details and advice on crate training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Crate Training Made Easy.

How To Get Your Dog To Go Into the Crate

By
Editorial Staff
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0
Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

A crate, or, in other words, short-term close confinement, can be used to help dogs teach themselves two very important skills. The first is eliminating only when and where it is appropriate. The second skill is keeping out of trouble – behaving appropriately in the house. Without these two skills, a dog doesn’t have much of a chance in this world.

To get your dog to go into the crate, start with the crate door open, and toss some irresistibly yummy treats inside. If he is hesitant to go in after them, toss the treats close enough to the doorway that he can stand outside and just poke his nose in the crate to eat them. If you are training with a clicker or other reward marker, each time he eats a treat, Click! the clicker (or say “Yes!” if you are using a verbal marker).

For more details and advice on crate training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Crate Training Made Easy.

How Long Can a Puppy Stay in Their Crate?

By
Editorial Staff
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0
Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

A crate, or, in other words, short-term close confinement, can be used to help dogs teach themselves two very important skills. The first is eliminating only when and where it is appropriate. The second skill is keeping out of trouble – behaving appropriately in the house. Without these two skills, a dog doesn’t have much of a chance in this world.

A crate is inappropriate for long-term confinement. While some puppies are able to make it through an eight-hour stretch in a crate at night, you should be sleeping nearby and available to take your pup out if he tells you he needs to go.

During the day, a puppy should not be asked to stay in a crate longer than two to four hours at a time; an adult dog no more than six to eight hours. Longer than that and you risk forcing Buddy to eliminate in his crate, which is a very bad thing, since it breaks down his instinctive inhibitions against soiling his den.

For more details and advice on crate training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Crate Training Made Easy.

Should I Use a Crate To Discipline My Dog?

By
Editorial Staff
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0
Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

A crate, or, in other words, short-term close confinement, can be used to help dogs teach themselves two very important skills. The first is eliminating only when and where it is appropriate. The second skill is keeping out of trouble – behaving appropriately in the house. Without these two skills, a dog doesn’t have much of a chance in this world.

A crate is not a place of punishment. Never force your dog or puppy into a crate in anger. Even if he has earned a time-out through inappropriate behavior, don’t yell at him, throw him in the crate, and slam the door. Instead, quietly remove the dog from the scene and invite him into his crate to give both of you an opportunity to calm down.

For more details and advice on crate training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Crate Training Made Easy.

Benefits of Crate Training

By
Editorial Staff
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0
Crate Training Made Easy eBook from Whole Dog Journal

A crate, or, in other words, short-term close confinement, can be used to help dogs teach themselves two very important skills. The first is eliminating only when and where it is appropriate. The second skill is keeping out of trouble – behaving appropriately in the house. Without these two skills, a dog doesn’t have much of a chance in this world.

When the crate is properly introduced using positive training methods, most dogs love their crates. Canines are den animals and a crate is a modern den – a dog’s personal portable bedroom that he can retire to when he wants to escape from the trials and tribulations of toddlers and other torments. He can take it with him when he stays at boarding kennels, and when he travels with you and sleeps in hotels and motels.

For more details and advice on crate training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Crate Training Made Easy.

Symptoms of Hip Displaysia

By
Editorial Staff
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Complete Healthy Dog Handbook Book from Whole Dog Journal

My six-month-old Rottweiler has a goofy, bouncy walk. Does that mean she has hip dysplasia?

A lot of puppies – especially big, gangly ones – have a clumsy, bumbling gait, and this does not mean they have hip dysplasia. If your puppy had a hip dysplasia, you might notice that she limps sometimes, especially after strenuous exercise. You might hear or feel her hips “click” in and out, or notice that she stands and walks with her hocks or hind feet very close together. You might notice her struggling to push herself up into a standing position when she’s lying down, or she might have trouble climbing stairs.

The way vets assess a puppy for hip dysplasia is by looking for a limp as the puppy walks and runs, then checking whether the hip can easily be pushed out of position in the socket (this feels like a “click” and is called the Ortolani sign).

If there’s a suspicion of a problem – or if owners simply want more information – x-rays can be taken to check for hip dysplasia. Although a six-month-old puppy whose hips looked normal on plain x-rays might still develop hip dysplasia later, signs of the disease are often visible at this age. These x-rays are taken with the dog lying on her back in a frog-leg position. The puppy is sedated for a few minutes while the x-rays are taken. Sedation is required to relax the hip and thigh muscles and keep the dog in proper position for accurate x-rays. These x-rays can also be taken while a pup is under anesthesia for spaying or neutering.

On the x-rays, the vet will look at whether the head of the femur is smooth and round and fits snugly into the pelvis. In a puppy with severe hip dysplasia, the head of the femur may be out of the socket, or it may be obviously flat or misshapen.

Looseness in the hip joint – another sign of dysplasia – is measured by PennHIP x-rays. Very loose hips are a sign of dysplasia, and a good indication that a dog will develop arthritis over time.

You have a puppy of a breed that is known to have a high incidence of hip dysplasia, and you’re obviously concerned about it. If you haven’t already asked your vet to evaluate the puppy for hip dysplasia, I encourage you to do so. If her hips are normal, you’ll be reassured, and if they are abnormal, you’ll have surgical options for correcting the problem before arthritis sets in.

For answers to all your canine health questions – big and small – buy The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M from Whole Dog Journal.

Getting Rid of Goo

By
Editorial Staff
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Complete Healthy Dog Handbook Book from Whole Dog Journal

Sooner or later, your dog will get chewing gum, tar, tree sap, burrs, or some other sticky or tenacious substance in her fur. To get rid of sticky stuff without cutting the hair, work some vegetable oil into the goo with your fingers. The oil will help break up the goo into smaller pieces, which you can gently pull out of the fur. When you’re done, bathe your dog with a mild dog shampoo to remove the vegetable oil.

Never use paint thinner, turpentine, nail-polish remover, or other solvents to remove messes from your dog’s fur: they are toxic if licked off or absorbed through the skin.

For answers to all your canine health questions – big and small – buy The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M from Whole Dog Journal.

Speed Eaters Anonymous

By
Editorial Staff
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0
Complete Healthy Dog Handbook Book from Whole Dog Journal

Excerpted from The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook, by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M.

“I feed my two dogs together, and the smaller one seems to gobble her food without chewing it and then throws it back up a few minutes later. Why does she do this?”

She may be worried that if she doesn’t wolf down her food, your other dog will get some of it. This is rational fear, but her coping strategy isn’t ideal. How about feeding your dogs in separate rooms so the little one feels less pressured by the presence of the bigger dog? If she still eats so fast that she vomits even when she eats in private, then spread out her food over a large surface (such as a cookie sheet) or in several small bowls in different parts of the room so she can’t hoover up her entire meal in one breath. And if you now feed your dogs only once a day, divide the food into two or three smaller meals per day instead. Knowing that her next meal is just around the corner may help your gobbler to relax and enjoy her food less anxiously.

If these measures don’t work and the vomiting continues, make an appointment with your vet to check into the possibility that she’s regurgitation rather than vomiting.

For answers to all your canine health questions – big and small – buy The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M from Whole Dog Journal.

How Do I Get My Dog To Listen Without Treats?

By
Editorial Staff
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Chill Out Fido! Book from Whole Dog Journal

Excerpt from Chill Out Fido! by Nan Kené Arthur

Once your dog knows a behavior well, and can perform it in many locations and with many distractions, you can fade the use of your marker signal and rewards. In other words, you don’t need to click and treat every time your dog sits for you. However, it’s also important to pay off every now and then to keep your dog in the game and gambling. “This time might be the time the reward happens, so I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, just in case.”

Here’s an example of how you can fade the use of treats when using a verbal marker while teaching a behavior like “sit”:

  1. Ask your dog to “Sit.”
  2. As his butt hits the ground, say, “Good boy,” give a treat (praise and treat paired together) and release him with a release cue such as, “All done.”
  3. Ask your dog to sit again, but just say, “Good boy,” without the treat (builds anticipation of the treat), and release him.
  4. The next time, give the treat after your verbal praise (score!).
  5. Ask for the sit once again and give the treat again after your verbal praise (score again!).
  6. Use just the verbal praise for a couple of rounds, and so on until your are only using treats occasionally but still getting good responses from your dog.
  7. You can also add in other rewards that your dog likes, such as asking him to sit and when he does, saying “Good boy,” and throwing a ball or playing a little tug. You could also open a door, pet him, or allow him access to something like the car if he enjoys car rides. These are called “real life” rewards, and anything your dog wants or likes can and should become a reward as you progress in your training.

Reducing the use of food rewards should be a goal, but always be ready to go back to using more or better treats when you add more distractions, duration, or distance to a behavior – at least until your dog has a clear understanding that this is the same training as before, just in different context. If a well-trained behavior falls apart when you go out into the world, that’s information for you. It’s time to help your dog by going back to food – usually a high value reward.

Once your dog demonstrates that he can stay focused on the task at hand, you can switch to a lower value food as long as you maintain the successes you achieved with the high-value food in that same location or with the same distractions.

Once you have decided to use fewer treats, bear in mind that never using treats again would be like asking yourself to give up ice cream, cake, or other goodies. There is nothing wrong with using food to reward your dog, just use it to your advantage – to help him get better with his skills. Sometimes it is fun to give your dog a treat, just like it is fun for us to get unexpected rewards. Also, if your dog does something really amazing that you would like repeated, then food is the best paycheck you can give him to keep him in your employment.

For more advice on training your dog, purchase Chill Out Fido! from Whole Dog Journal.

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