# Focus training…



## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Will focus training help stop our girl from fixating/ wanting to chase things?

Long time Shepherd owners here, and this is a first for us. We adopted a 3 yr old last year, she is now 4 of course, and sweet, loving girl with a one fault we’d like to figure out how to correct if possible. She listens very well indoors, never runs out the door, knows sit, wait, leave it, treat, go get the ball, or toy, etc. very affectionate, plays hide and seek with us, basically nearly perfect for us. We live in the country, no fences. 
Only thing we’d like to correct, she hears a motorcycle, or an atv, and just fixates on that, and chases them. Any calling her, saying no, it’s like she doesn’t hear us. We found out by accident when our new neighbor went out on their atv thru their fields, and she took off after them, and we had to chase her down and try to catch her, but she ended up running back to me while hubby apologized to the neighbors after chasing her. Prior to that, she had listened being off leash as I’d been training to stay inside our boundaries and she had behaved perfectly. I had started on leash, with commands, and had slowly transitioned to off leash for short periods of time.
Not sure how to stop her from taking off like that. I found out motorcycles were in the same gotta chase category when she took off after one, and followed him down the road. She came back each time, but I do not want to endanger her in any way. I have been only taking her out on leash since then, to keep her safe. We do have deer and coyotes as well, so I would never let her out by herself without me anyway.
it’s like she goes deaf when she hears a motorcycle or atv. Even inside the house, if she hears one, she will bark and run to the window or door all excited, even though we try to correct her.
we’ve had Shepherds for over 30 years, and the last 4 were rescues or adopted , and each of them had acclimated and listened beautifully once they realized this was forever home. She is our first that acts like this, and I wouldn’t mind some advice. Thanks in advance!


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

YES!! You can stop this behaviour!

Keep her on leash - at ALL times, even in the house! If she runs to the window to bark, you immediately tell her 'NO' and pull her away! Crate her if necessary if she immediately wants to go back to the window. The punishment has to remove any reward she's getting for the behaviour.

Start focus training at home - have her sit beside you - in the house, no distractions. Say 'watch' or 'look at me', and when she does so, say YES! and give her a small treat. Could be a single piece of kibble or a hotdog bit - whatever you prefer.

Keep doing this, at least twice a day. Once she's got it down pat, you can introduce distractions. If she begins to focus on the distraction, first say 'NO - look at me!' If she doesn't respond IMMEDIATELY, snap the leash to correct her. Once she responds, "YES!! GOOD GIRL!" then immediately treat.

When a dog starts to fixate, timing is CRUCIAL! You must stop them the very second you see them start to turn towards the distraction. If they reach the point of lunging, you're much too late. The behaviour is self-rewarding for them - you must stop it before it starts.

When you THINK she will obey you if given more freedom, I still would not let her off leash. I would get a long line of some sort, and keep her on leash until you are absolutely sure the behaviour has been stopped. I use a 30 ft. horse's lunge line for this. 

Good luck - this is going to take patience and above all, CONSISTENCY!


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Sunsilver said:


> YES!! You can stop this behaviour!
> 
> Keep her on leash - at ALL times, even in the house! If she runs to the window to bark, you immediately tell her 'NO' and pull her away! Crate her if necessary if she immediately wants to go back to the window. The punishment has to remove any reward she's getting for the behaviour.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this advice. I’ll start this with her. She is treat oriented too, so that will probably help. Like I said, she’s the first we’ve had with this issue, have always been able to train all the others, with success.


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## Sonny1984 (Oct 25, 2021)

Focus training, leave it, and recall should all help. Have you considered training an e collar? I put on the e collar just for emergency recalls. Can’t remember the last time I used it, but I like knowing it’s there just in case the dog decides to take off after something it shouldn’t.


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Sonny1984 said:


> Focus training, leave it, and recall should all help. Have you considered training an e collar? I put on the e collar just for emergency recalls. Can’t remember the last time I used it, but I like knowing it’s there just in case the dog decides to take off after something it shouldn’t.


That’s just it, she KNOWS the commands, listens perfectly and comes when called, it’s just the over reacting when the occasional motorcycle goes by, or if the neighbor gets out their atv. It’s not something that happens daily. I had her recalling perfectly, had a herd of deer run thru our property and she stopped when I called her, and she came back to me. It’s something about those two vehicle that she just fixates on and turns deaf to me. 
she’s a sweetheart, perfect in the house, and we’ve had her just over a year, and I’ve been trying to work with her when I can. so I want to try and get her to always look to me, and ignore those vehicles. Trouble is, they don’t happen all the time. And I have asked the neighbor to come by with the atv, but so far,they haven’t. Don’t want to use an e collar, she was sensitive with corrections when we got her, and I don’t know if I could be on the spot with the right correction with those. But thank you for the suggestion. I think once I can get her to know to focus on me, that should start making her more reliable with outside distractions.


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## Sonny1984 (Oct 25, 2021)

wildwolf60 said:


> That’s just it, she KNOWS the commands, listens perfectly and comes when called, it’s just the over reacting when the occasional motorcycle goes by, or if the neighbor gets out their atv. It’s not something that happens daily. I had her recalling perfectly, had a herd of deer run thru our property and she stopped when I called her, and she came back to me. It’s something about those two vehicle that she just fixates on and turns deaf to me.
> she’s a sweetheart, perfect in the house, and we’ve had her just over a year, and I’ve been trying to work with her when I can. so I want to try and get her to always look to me, and ignore those vehicles. Trouble is, they don’t happen all the time. And I have asked the neighbor to come by with the atv, but so far,they haven’t. Don’t want to use an e collar, she was sensitive with corrections when we got her, and I don’t know if I could be on the spot with the right correction with those. But thank you for the suggestion. I think once I can get her to know to focus on me, that should start making her more reliable with outside distractions.


Does just the sound trigger her? You could see if playing a video of motorcycle gets her going, and then train her. It would be a start. Sounds like she just needs to practice obediance around that particular disctraction.


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Sonny1984 said:


> Does just the sound trigger her? You could see if playing a video of motorcycle gets her going, and then train her. It would be a start. Sounds like she just needs to practice obediance around that particular disctraction.


Yes, I think it’s the sound. She doesn’t react to trucks, or lawnmowers. Just the motorbikes and atvs. She even is good with delivery drivers, lol. She will bark, but not try to chase, etc.
and like I said, it’s not a daily thing, would have to see if playing the sound would trigger her, hard to do on a regular basis if it’s not regular traffic. We are in the country, so It’s not like she will hear them daily,
will have to find a recording that could be played loud enough to simulate it being outside I guess.


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