Getting and keeping attention

[merritt.alan]

I have a 10 month old GSD a female. When at the puppy school she does pay attention to me and seems to be more interested in other dogs in the room how can I fix we are about to join a puppy class. I need to keep her attention on me.

[Howler]

Hello Merritt, alan

At this age, your pup is in the teenager phase and it's not unusual for pups of this age to be more interested in things in their environment. You can read more about what happens during this phase here: (you need to be logged-in to the course to access these).

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

There are several fun attention games in the brain training course, some extra helpful one to do at this stage are these:

1) Look into my eyes:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/look-into-my-eyes/

2) The Airplane Game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/the-airplane-game/

3) Look at that: You can practice this in a variety of settings indoors, in the yard, on walks and around various distractions

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

4) Targeting

Targeting can come useful when you need your pup to re-focus on you:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

 

Another great exercise is to walk in the yard or other safely fenced enclosure and hold several high value treats in your pocket. Reward every time your puppy comes near you. Paying attention is something that comes with time, training and after forming lots of positive associations through the interactions with you.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli