You go to any Petsmart class or most group classes and what will they teach your dog?
How to sit, down and come and stay. These behaviors are good, but not without something to power them. What I mean by power them is purpose. We as humans are motivated to do things. We never do things for no reason unless its out of habit. We are motivated to do things by getting a reward for our actions. The same is true for dogs.
Let me tell you about when I first discovered this 1 thing was so important.
It was at my time that I spent at Michael Ellis school for dog trainers. I had just arrived in California and I was excited. It was my first time there and I was going to be surrounded by people who also shared a passion like I did for dog training.
Since I traveled from New York I didn’t have a dog to bring as my dog was too old. I also didn’t want to pay to ship him over there. So Michael offered me a loner dog.
This was a sweet malinois by the name of Phoeby. She was a sweet dog and a bit socially sensitive. I started bonding with her on that day. I would take her out at night and first thing in the morning. We would also work on the exercises that we learned in class on the training field.
One day in class we were focusing on luring and getting our dog to commit. This is when I discovered this 1 thing you have to do before teaching behaviors. This had to be day 7 or 8 and we were working on the focus heel with our dogs.
This can be a difficult exercise since the dog has to lift their heads up for an extended periods of time. Phoeby was not willing to do this. She would walk a little bit with her head up then drop it.
I was getting frustrated and annoyed. Not because of the dog but because I couldn’t figure it out.
All through that week I worked on the exercises and tried to build a bond with Phoeby. I focused on keeping her engaged with me instead of doing the exercises. I would play with her and she would bring the toy back to me. Something was different about her energy. I saw an immediate change in her attitude and focus towards me. She was ready to work.
Engagement
Phoeby like many dogs easily learned the exercises or behaviors we want to teach them. Its not hard to teach a dog to sit or to down. What is more difficult is to teach a dog to have a positive attitude about training. They need to want to do it. I receive so many phone calls about a dog not listening, not about how the dog doesn’t understand. Most dogs know the exercises, but it takes time and skill to encourage a dog to want to train.
Before you focus on behaviors try this first. Take your dog to as many environments as possible and see if you can get them physically focused on you. They should be looking into your eyes with the “what do you want me to do now” face.
This is very simple and often overlooked. Remember that dog training is just big pieces broken down. Take your time with training and do the ground work.
One way to accomplish this is through playing with your dog. Remember that all good things must come from you. Don’t allow your dog to play with their toys on their own if you want them to focus on you. Throw a ball or play tug. Do something your dog likes.
Then once they are playing with energy start to ask the for behavior before you give them the ball or tug. Since they really want the toy, you will see how much energy they put into getting what they want.