HOW TO GRAB YOUR DOG’S ATTENTION AND GET THEM TO RESPOND TO YOUR COMMAND
Do You find yourself struggling to get your dog’s attention? Do you feel like it is going in one ear and out the other? Or does your dog find it easy to listen to you until they hear the mail come? It doesn’t matter what the case is, it’s important that we dog owners are able to capture and hold our dog’s attention. I don’t even want to think of the consequences if our dog ran onto a busy road and did not listen to us calling him back!
This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thank you.
This article is going to cover 5 simple tips you will be able to apply immediately to help your dog become more attentive.
- Brain Training
Brain training your dog is a very effective way to increase your dog’s ability to pay attention to you! Brain training your dog is fun, cognitive training games to make your dog smarter. Brain training goes beyond basic obedience training and has plenty of fun games for dogs that will be cognitively stimulating on top of being entertaining for both you and your dog. Many of the games in the Brain Training For Dogs course are designed to improve your dog’s attentiveness. One of my favorite games is “The Airplane Game.” The Airplane Game is a simple game that your dog will love learning how to do the following important skills….
- How to pay attention to you on command.
- How to maintain focus on you and ignoring all distractions. This unlocks the pathway to super obedience.
- How to use their hidden intelligence to figure out puzzles.
This system of reinforcing good behavior is based on straightforward science. The concept of “neuroplasticity” in the human brain may be familiar to you. It’s a well-established theory that has been extensively studied at prestigious universities like Harvard.
In other words, just like soft plastic, our brains are always adaptable and able to form new habits and behaviors. The brain of your dog is exactly the same. Your dog’s brain will grow more open and responsive to learning new knowledge with the proper mental stimulation and training.
Your dog will pay closer attention to you and comprehend your instructions more clearly. When this occurs, your dog’s undesirable habits just disappear and are replaced by more appealing ones.
2. The Smacking Sound!
It sure would be great if there was a noise we could make and get our dog’s attention! Well, fortunately for us there is, and it’s called the “smacking sound”! But before we can use the smacking sound we need to teach our dogs that the smacking sound = food.
You are going to need to your dog in a quiet room. You don’t want any distractions while teaching your dog this. Make a smacking sound as though you were kissing the air, then immediately give them a treat. It doesn’t matter what they are doing when you give them the treat. The idea here is simply to show them that whenever they hear this sound, they get treats. It will take some time but after doing this for a while, you should notice that your dog looks at you for their treat whenever you make the sound. Practice, practice, and practice this some more. With continued practice, you will be able to use the smacking sound whenever you want to grab your dog’s attention!
You want to keep in mind though if your dog is worked up the smacking sound will be less effective. For example, if they have seen something outside that they react to strongly, your sound may go unnoticed. Adding the look at that game to your training, found in the Brain Training For Dogs course, will specifically teach your dog to pay attention to the smacking sound despite any distractions.
3. The Importance Of Incentifying your dog
How would you like to go to work every day and not get paid? You would not have that much drive to get up and go to work. This is exactly how our dogs feel when we ask them to sit, stay, come, stop, and do anything else we ask our dogs to do. This is why incentives are so important to have in your dog training.
There are many different types of incentives, but food rewards are typically the most common. You want to give rewards whenever your dog successfully performs a certain action. So for example let’s say we just started teaching our dog to “sit” for the first time. When they sit successfully, we should reward their effort by slipping him a doggy treat or piece of kibble. The next time you ask your dog to sit, they will be more eager to do so because they know that they will get something yummy in return.
4. Reward your dog voluntarily checking in
How often does your dog check in with you when you are in the yard? Most dogs are far too busy exploring the big world of the yard to pay attention to us. It is time to train your dog to periodically check in.
Make it a habit when you are out in the yard to bring along their favorite treats. We typically cook chicken and cut them into little slices. We store them in zip lock bags in the refrigerator. While you are in the yard keep them handy in your hand or pocket. Now every time your dog happens to walk within arm’s reach of you, praise him and extend your hand to offer him a treat. If you do this often enough, positive reinforcement will work do its magic and you’ll soon notice your dog checking in with you more and more. The great news about this is that your dog is learning that you are worthy of their attention.
5. Being At The Right Place, At The Right Time
Beginning training sessions at the right place and right time can play a big role in whether or not your dog is able to pay attention to you.
You don’t want to train your dog when you first get home or right after mealtimes. They are too excited to see you or hyped up by the energy from eating their food. Instead, you want to wait until your dog is calm and more capable of focusing. When you find your dog relaxed use those times to your advantage.
Try to find an environment where you can train them that does not have a lot of distracting sights, sounds, and smells. Distractions make it harder for your dog to stay focused on you. The best places are quiet private quiet areas where your dog has nothing to look at besides you. You are going to want to avoid rooms with windows because dogs can be easily distracted by what they see outside.
Brain Training exercises for your dog are just as important as physical exercise for a well-rounded dog. These games and others strengthen not only your dog’s mind but your bond with your little fur baby. The benefits of training your dog to pay attention to you will not only make your life easier but will make your dog’s life better too.
If you have made a number of unsuccessful attempts to train your dog or puppy on your own with no success, you need to take this online course. Brain Training For Dogs has garnered high praise from a number of renowned dog trainers. It was created by Adrienne Faricelli, a certified dog trainer with more than ten years of expertise.
Comments
Post a Comment