Hello people I have an intact 16 month old male Labrador and I'm just starting to practice Dog Puller with him. At home he works very well, taking little moments of distraction when he is already tired, he is usually very focused. The problem arises when we leave home he loses focus completely, especially if he has other dogs around that he would rather go to them than practice. Any suggestions to improve his focus on more distracting environments? Our first competition is October 26th.
Hi! What is dog puller? What does your competition involve. If he is losing focus with training, it is usually because the distraction is more interesting to him than the training. Bear in mind that he is still a puppy and make any training a game.
https://dogpuller.com/en/rules-of-dog-puller-sport/ is this link accurate for the competition you're asking about? Whether the link is accurate or not, the issue you are asking about can be addressed the same. Your pup is more excited about what he is seeing rather than what you are asking and expecting of him. How to fix it? 1. Make yourself more interesting. This can be done with more energy and excitement in your voice, playing a game with him before you start the training/activity, or other ideas. If you don't gain, and keep, his attention, why would he listen? 2. Reduce distractions. I had a real hard time understanding this. Training in my back yard was going GREAT! It was a different story when we went on the other side of the fence. The same birds, the same jet noise, the same tree branches, etc were distracting my intact male as if he had never seen them before. I had to start the training, in the new area, as if we were starting from scratch. It was definitely discouraging, frustrating, and even disappointing to be repeating work that we were already masters of in our backyard. What gave me the energy to keep going was that the training went much faster. It was not that he had to learn the commands, behaviors, or expectations all over, he had to learn to execute them the same way he did with less distractions. 3. Reward and praise differently. This goes along with making yourself more interesting, but i feel it is important to understand them as their own part of training. Being interesting keeps the pup attracted to you before, during, and after training or other activities. Rewarding and praise reinforces to the dog that his behavior is correct and desired. It strengthens his desire to perform it again and again. Being in a more challenging environment, maybe change the treats and/or increase the praise. Using the new types of treats or praise do not have to become the new normal for all training; they can be phased out to the standard treats and praise. Lastly, post some videos! Videos of your training, competitions, etc. are great, and their are many on this forum who will provide great recommendations and assistance.
Yes, is accurate. For us is the same thing inside the fence he is so good really good focus. When we cross the gate I lose him. We had some little progress but just little
