# HELP! lots trouble with distraction & focus.



## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

Hey everyone, ive been reading and studying since i cant remember on how to train my GSD I dont know what im doing wrong but im having huge issues when xferring from my home, yard to outside at the park on walks etc. 

At home, he does awesome. Comes when i call. He gets confused about sit and down atm but we can work through those.

Ive been using clicker training with him and its worked well so far, ive never done it before im sure my timing is off im used to the older method. ><

He tends to wanna pull very hard on the leash when i take him out, or try to go back to our yard. Hes 12 weeks old on tuesday. Im just wondering am i pushing him to hard? I dont wanna over do it but id like him to behave so that i can socialize him properly. The major issue is hes going through his fear stage towards strangers, he loves kids so much he just wants to sit and watch them forever (in turn ignoring everything i say) I use just plain chicken to train him, which is highly motivational for him because when i have the chicken he gives me eye contact for a split second and breaks it immediately back to the treat bag or the hand with the treat, ive been trying to capture the eye contact but even over the last week or so it seems to have gotten worse.


He will offer down, but will not get back up for sit. When i was teaching him sit and down i taught him in front of me now trying to get him into a heel position and stay is almost impossible (he wants to be in front looking at me at all times)

Anyone have any suggestions or questions to maybe clarify this. It seems to have gotten worse as he gets a bit older. My brother has a standard GSD that we took trick or treating last night and zack was pulling like no ones business trying to get to Tobi, and he was exercised very well. 

>> im losing my cool. halp! 

btw, the puppy is pretty darn chill any other time, he gets so much training walks and play time that all he does when he comes inside is sleep! lol

tired is good i know but he immediately wakes up outside the house and fence and goes ballistic. I dunno what to do /cry


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

My opinion,,slow down, you may be expecting to much to soon from an almost 12 week old puppy

Work on one thing at a time, untill he really 'gets' it. Then move on to another. Plus at this age, they have the attention span of a gnat so don't be frustrated if they get it one minute and forget it the next

Since he is afraid of strangers but is intrigued by kids, let him interact with what he's intrigued with,,kids Sit on a bench somewhere, let him watch the world go by, if people stop, ask them to toss him a treat or that yummy piece of chicken.

At this age, I just work on really basic stuff, sit, most importanly COME, and let them be a puppy, explore, check new things out, etc..


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Aww, he's just a baby! I have leftovers in my refrigerator older than him! I agree with Jakoda- let him do really well with one thing before you move on to another. Are you using a clicker, have him in puppy class?


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

Thanks you guys! that was a huge eye opener, i was really worried that i was pushing him to far to fast. He really is an amazingly attentive dog and very responsive when he can focus. 

I take him to the park when there is a bunch of children there and he just loves it! He could sit there and watch them forever and they absolutely love him because he is so excited to see them and play with them, but at the same time the parents are very happy because he doesnt get rough with the kids at all and is very submissive towards children. 

I adore how he acts with kids, my niece and nephew call him bolt and play him to death! He is very good with down, and has learned to settle when im standing he either sits or lays down next to me unless there is alot of distraction or something he wants to get to. 

So hes okay? Im not screwing him up thats what im afraid of. I dont spend hours training him, i do small spurts of instruction daily. 

Ill have to get a video and let you guys make a decision on how he is doing so far. 

Hes so cute people wanna come up all the time so unless its unexpected or a dog thats barking at him hes like "OH HAI HOW ARE YOU, ::ROLLS OVER:: PET MAH TUMMY!" lol so cute  :wub:

I do not have him in a class, i live in Mississippi and im absolutely terrified of taking him to a trainer around here because everyone ive seen is punishment and intimidation based. I do not like those training methods and ive seen dogs trained that way, i do not want him to fear me at all. I also want no aggression from him towards anyone. I just want him to understand and have fun with it. He gives me alot of love and happiness and i just want the same for him. 

I do clicker train him, and hes very good with it and i can just see the gears rolling when i give him a command lol


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

your not messing him up,,and I think it's great he gets to play/interact with a bunch of kids,,keep that up for sure !!!!


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

JakodaCD OA said:


> your not messing him up,,and I think it's great he gets to play/interact with a bunch of kids,,keep that up for sure !!!!



ty! i will. Ill just stick to the stuff he can do pretty instant for now once i get him really stable on those things ill move forward. My first puppy, the other dogs ive trained have been full grown. 

THANKS AGAIN!:wub::wub::wub:

two things, you guys have any tips for GSD pups on being dominate and alpha without intimidating, like going out the front door of the house? 

secondly, how old should i wait for him to be before i let him jump out of the jeep or off my bed. At the moment he cannot get up or in either of these should i just wait til he can enter when i tell him. I already taught him UP and he will try but he cant reach BUT HE TRIES! lol


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Sounds to me like you are doing a great job with your pup! Agree with Stosh and Jakoda, you may be expecting too much from your pup. The most important thing you should work on at this stage is developing your relationship with him, and having a lot of fun!!! He will come to associate work and training with having fun. Training sessions should only be five minutes long or so, and it is normal for pups (and even adult dogs) to focus beautifully when in the house with no distractions, but be too distracted when outdoors to do the same. So not anything that you are doing - just a silly pup with limited ability to concentrate and stay in focus. 

A couple of tricks to keep him focused on you and not the treat bag: I'm thinking that after the click, the reward is not fast enough (hard enough to time the click correctly, but the timing of the reward after the click is also important). So you might try spitting treats at your pup to keep him looking at you, not at the treat bag. Have a treat in your mouth (aren't you glad you are using cooked chicken?), then when you have that elusive eye-contact for a split second, click and spit your treat at him. At first, he won't realize what you just did, so it will take several tries to get him to catch on, and after a few more tries, he will be catching the treats out of the air as you spit them. 

To get him to focus longer, keep the focus for longer periods before you click. If he looks away, wait for him to look back at you. You can help him by softly saying his name or making weird noises to get his attention back - don't help him too much though, let him figure it out. Always reward almost as soon as you click. Do not try to work on extended focus by stretching the time out between the click the reward - you are clicking the extended eye contact, and every click should be closely followed by a reward. 

To start getting him used to the heel position, keep kibble-like treats in you left pocket (cat kibble works well). At first, every time puppy happens to be on your left side, praise and give a treat. Don't set it up, just do it as part of a normal day, as often as possible. You will notice that pup will start seeking out your left side! When pup does this, hold kibble in hand down at pup's level, and move forward a step or two. Your pup should follow focused on the kibble, and let him have it. 

Do this when out on leash walks - let pup explore around on leash, but if he looks at you, moves to your left side, walks accidently in heel position, be quick to praise and reward. This is just getting your puppy used walking next to you, and being comfortable there. When he starts walking on your left on his own for treats, extend the number of paces he walks before a reward gradually. 

Next step is having him walk next to you, and give you eye contact before he gets a treat. Work on these basics for a few weeks - don't ask for too much too fast, show your pup that you are always happy with him - if you get frustrated, he really won't understand why, and may stop offering and trying new behaviours for fear that he will displease you. 

Hope this helps! 

As for jumping, you will run into some heated debates on what is best for a puppy, but for me, if the pup could easily jump in and out of my vehicule, than that was when I stopped the lifting and carrying.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Try to think if it from a dog's point of view - sitting (down) from a stand is not the same as sitting (up) from a down. To us it is, but not to a dog. Obviously, he hasn't generalized the sit command yet to understand it means his butt is planted on the floor no matter what position he was in prior to that. And as Diane said, he's just a baby! So I wouldn't expect him to understand the difference yet and I'd be helping him when he gets stuck by luring him with a treat and then marking and rewarding when he gets it right. Eventually he'll get it, but please keep your expectations realistic. 

Right now his attention span is very short, so several small burst of training a day is MUCH better than longer sessions where he can't help but check out on you.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

LondonnZack said:


> you guys have any tips for GSD pups on being dominate and alpha without intimidating, like going out the front door of the house?


I'm not sure what you are asking? Are you looking for tips on how to establish yourself as Alpha without intimidating him? 

Don't worry about it. In his eyes, you are a King Kong, and he is a baby - he looks up (waaayyyy up) to you for protections, for leadership, for play, for food, for safety and survival. If a pup this age is secretly plotting to overthrow your Alpha status so he can take over, send him to a science lab for testing and study, because that is not how puppies think or behave. 

I don't let my dogs rush out in front of me when I open the door, because I expect them to sit and wait until I tell them it is okay - not because I have to re-inforce my alpha status, but because I want well-behaved dogs that listen to me and don't run out the door the minute it is open. So my Alpha status is reinforced just by me expecting every-day good behaviour. So just by training him, working with him, teaching him what you want and what you don't want, daily interactions, asking to sit for treat, being consistent, etc, should be all you need to maintain your alpha status.


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

Thanks so much you guys ill try those tips out and yea i dont wanna be the "alpha" per say I just dont want him bolting out of the house, and the jeep.

I just want him to understand that stay means ::sit in the jeep and dont move til i get back:: i have to get him to understand this before next summer. 

I dont mean push him to hard i only do short intervals of training during the day. Lots of play and loving attention and socialization is what i want from him now. I just wasnt sure at his age what to expect from him but now thats all clear! 

XOXOXOX ty!:wub:


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## JessWelsch (Oct 2, 2010)

Wait is a great command.... we use it at every door Jordan and I come to in the house (I leash her if we arent in the bedroom so I can kep my eye on her). We use it in the car (when I get out) then I release her and she jumps out and comes to me, we use it when getting in the car (she sits and waits, till I call her, then she gets in the car). We have recently starting using it mid-walk. For instance to stop in an aisle or at a cross walk I say Wait, Jordan! and she slows and looks at me, I come to a stop and she sits down to wait till I lead off again. 

Anyway, Wait is a great command to work on if you are worried about him bolting  We have had great success with it.


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## df1960 (Nov 6, 2009)

Castlemaid said:


> I don't let my dogs rush out in front of me when I open the door, because I expect them to sit and wait until I tell them it is okay - not because I have to re-inforce my alpha status, but because I want well-behaved dogs that listen to me and don't run out the door the minute it is open.


Pleeeeeeease tell me how you've managed that, I've tried so hard to get them not to rush the door, but OMG it's not working. If I as much as go near the door it's a mad dash for the door........ I HATE IT! But how can I stop it. Any advise please!


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

df1960 said:


> Pleeeeeeease tell me how you've managed that, I've tried so hard to get them not to rush the door, but OMG it's not working. If I as much as go near the door it's a mad dash for the door........ I HATE IT! But how can I stop it. Any advise please!



This is the guide im following and so far so well. I was just pushing to hard. It helps alot if you wanna go that route.


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

Cant edit just noticed i didnt link

YouTube - kikopup's Channel


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

df1960 said:


> Pleeeeeeease tell me how you've managed that, I've tried so hard to get them not to rush the door, but OMG it's not working. If I as much as go near the door it's a mad dash for the door........ I HATE IT! But how can I stop it. Any advise please!


have them on leash leash before you even open the door. Open the door just a bit and block the exit. Have them sit and give you eye contact before you release them. At First, even a glance at you, a nonosecond effort to sit will win a release. Gradually expect more. Always be consistent. Plan ahead how you will handle the dogs each time you open the door. 

Set them up for success - set them up to do what you want and reward them (the release) for doing what you want - waaaaayyyyy more effective then letting them do the wrong thing over and over again, and then having to get upset at them to let them know they did wrong - they don't know what they did wrong, because they don't know what is right.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

And if their butts leave the floor before you release them, the door gets shut. It works for Jax. What she wants most is to rush out the door so by shutting the door I'm doing two things. She's not getting rewarded for breaking a command and I'm removing the visual stimulation of the outdoors.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Jax08 said:


> And if their butts leave the floor before you release them, the door gets shut. It works for Jax. What she wants most is to rush out the door so by shutting the door I'm doing two things. She's not getting rewarded for breaking a command and I'm removing the visual stimulation of the outdoors.


YES!!! And if you have to stand there for 15 minutes and keep closing the door on them a 100 times, that is what it takes.

It will be a challenge with several dogs all at once. Just one more good reason why it is recommended to not add new dogs until the existing dogs are older and well trained.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I do this all the time with Jake....most of the time now he waits but every now and then we do the open the door, close the door routine...sometimes 4 or 5 times when he is very excited. Like others have said be consistent....


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## szariksdad (Jun 25, 2010)

First it is a small pup of 12 weeks so patience is a good thing. Also when it comes to the focus. I out the small treat between my eyes and when they look I mark with my marker which is more a word than a clicker. Then I slowly work up to having them look and take the food away. I prefer to use a word and not a clicker since I can say the word faster when the hands are busy. Also for the door rushing everyone else brings up a great idea of having them sit before you open the door and making them wait with a release before they can go through the door. The thing I do is make them wait until I have at least one foot out the door before I release the puppy. When i am walking the pup and they pull I stop and become a statue and ask the pup to come back to me after they come back i praise and let them go again this works to keep them from pulling so hard for me.


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## Montana Scout (Sep 27, 2010)

yesturday i took my pup to the fairgrounds (the only real place to let him off leash) and he did WONDERFUL!!! i mean he did EVERYTHING i told him to do but also just let him sniff around and do his curiosity stuff... but today i took him to the exact spot and brought a tug toy with and he wanted nothing to do with me... i would tell him to come and he would grab a piece of deer poo and run away from me w/ his ears behind his head... he was being so dang cocky after 20 minutes i just said screw it and we came home....

is this normal? yesterday we did leave in the morning around 9am but today we left around 2pm... i know he doesn't have the greatest attention span, but i would at least acknowledge me when i call his name (he knows how and does it all the time, i would say his name and put a treat between my eyes so he would look at me, and he normally does this).. but today he was just terrible, he kept eating poo, so i would put my foot on it and he would just sit there waiting for me to lift my foot... so i lifted my foot and shoo'ed him away w/ my foot (not kick, just a firm nudge) and that worked until he found another flippin poo...

today i just went out of my mind with him, he is doing everything he knows he's not supposed to do

<grumble>


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Come on! You're trying to compete with poo!!! LOL! He may have been hungry and the poo was more enticing than the tug. 
You may need to experiment with him to see if he is more motivated by food or by toys.


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

Thanks you guys for all the help! Ive started working with him the backyard with stuff before i moved him out of the yard. It worked!
he just turned 13 weeks. Im going to probably make a video of him soon with all the neat little tricks hes learned so far. He eve offered me shake all on his own so we went with high five and learning to shake with each paw and stuff. They are so smart its really mind blowing!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Did you have a chance to check out this recent post? Really has a few good videos to show how a training session with a puppy is SUPPOSED to look. So gives us a great visual to compare what we do have.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...gagement-not-obedience-1st-goal-training.html


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## LondonnZack (Oct 3, 2010)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Did you have a chance to check out this recent post? Really has a few good videos to show how a training session with a puppy is SUPPOSED to look. So gives us a great visual to compare what we do have.
> 
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...gagement-not-obedience-1st-goal-training.html



I will check it out right now


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