Training Your Dog Around Distractions
In dog training we aim for our dog
to be able to follow commands even in a distracting area. Each dog gets
distracted by different “triggers” and will react to them depending upon the
context. Our job as the trainer is to help our dog get used to these
distractions while performing at the same level when in a neutral environment.
When we choose our training
scenario we need to know our dog and his limitations. We do want our dog
to be working hard but at the same time we want him to succeed. We do
not want to train our dog where there are too many distractions that he cannot
cope with at this point in his training.
A good place to start training
around distractions will be at the park. You want to choose the far corner of
the park, outside the dog park. You should choose a place where your dog can
still hear, see and (most important for dogs) smell the dogs in the park but
where he can still listen to you. Have your dog perform easy and simple tasks
like “sit” and “come” from a short distance. If your dog fails to obey, move
the training area a little further or make the tasks easier.
In order to succeed, you should use
exercises that your dog is already good at. For example, sit, down, loose leash
walk and leave-it are all activities that are important
for a dog to practice while in the presence of can dogs and people. Some dogs
will find it hard to lie down at the presence of other dogs.
If your dog is very reactive to
other dogs you might want to choose a location where people are present but not
dogs. Some big box stores allow people to walk in with a dog. You can use these
places to train your dog around people.
If your dog is afraid or reactive
to people we will need to use counter-conditioning methods to get him used to
people. We will discuss these methods in a future posting.
There are two very important rules
that you will need to follow in order to train your dog for good obedience
around distractions:
- Do not teach your dog a new behavior when he is around distractions: take him back to a neutral location where you can get all his attention and teach him the new behavior there.
- “Back to Kindergarten:” this rule means that if your dog fails to listen to you, you need to make things easier for him. For example, ask your dog to stay for shorter period of time (if you were working on stay) or stay closer to him if you are working on a recall.
Training around distractions can be
very demanding for your dog. Keep your training sessions short, rewarding
and fun. Your dog will thank you and his
training will get better much faster.
- Learn more about our training at ramreizel.com
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment