Does your dog constantly get distracted? Hope is on the Horizon! We have a few tips to keep your dog engaged with you!
Set them up for success
Make a list of potential distractions for your dog and rank each on a 1–5 scale. Let 1 be a very mild distraction and 5 a more serious distraction. Work your dog starting at level one, as your dog is responding reliably at level 1, move onto level two, as they are responding reliably at level two, move to level three, etc. Rinse and Repeat!
If your dog is unable to respond to a cue in a new environment, temporarily lower your criteria. For example if you are wanting to teach your dog to respond to their name, start by rewarding your dog for simply checking in with you, as they become more focused, raise the criteria to eye contact before rewarding them. Your dog will soon start to give you more focus reliably. Then you can start to use your cue.
Higher Rate of Reinforcement/ Higher Value of Reinforcement
Create Distance
