# how to get his attention



## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

man zero is just batting a thousand lately, at home he is very food drivin. will do anything for a trat, but as soon as we go outfront or the dog park or his puppy class he acts like i dont even exist, i act super hyper and fun to make him want to pay attention to me but all he does is stare at other dogs and wnts to play with them. when i finally do get him to sit and i give him a trat he wont even take it because he doesnt care lol. shoud i just take him to the dog park and work him there everyday? the trainer says he is just so excited to see dogs, that i need to desensitize him. but how do do that if i dont exist around other dogs uhg! his next class is this sat and i want him to "watch me" should i be stern or super hyper. idk what to do anymore.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

You are jumping to too much distraction too fast. Try adding a person or dog where you train and normally have attention. Slowly step up the distraction level


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## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

should i have my friend bring her dog to my house? he does fine with my lab. but maybe i am pushing to much to fast


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Find out what you can do to distract from the distractions! My GSD was too laid back in class. I found that boiled chicken (still his #1 valued treat) and/or a squeaky toy would keep him focused on me. I didn't let him see the squeaky toy, I kept it in my fanny pack. Before he disengaged I gave it a squeak. The trick was to catch him!


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## szariksdad (Jun 25, 2010)

Do you have a watch me command you can give to get your dogs attention?


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

act with calm authority instead of being the clown or another "puppy" 
Have him give you focus and work first , before he gets released, then bring him back and do focus work and attention again - and when YOU are ready , release the dog. Pressure on , pressure off. 
Make sure your recalls are totally reliable . 
First steps to training should be done absent of conflicting interest. What is the likelihood that you are going to get a recall with dogs romping around. Zero for Zero , and others.
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Lilie said:


> Find out what you can do to distract from the distractions! My GSD was too laid back in class. I found that boiled chicken (still his #1 valued treat) and/or a squeaky toy would keep him focused on me. I didn't let him see the squeaky toy, I kept it in my fanny pack. Before he disengaged I gave it a squeak. The trick was to catch him!


I think this is different. Getting attention bc he is bored is diff than getting attention bc he is highly focused on something else. You need at least the majority of the time to have attention to correct for not paying attention, otherwise you're correcting too much, causing the dog to demotivate out of confusion and feeling he cant win and the corrections are coming no matter what he does


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## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

at home he knows watch me. but i dont think he knows it strong enough. once we are outside he goes wild eyed and doesn't pay attention to me. im gonna have to give him treats he doesn't get normal i think too


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Build up the watch command until you can do it for 5 mins without losing it


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## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

okay, im going to work with him more. he recall is pretty good. but not 100 %


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## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

okay im still having a bit of trouble with watch me. he will look at me then look away then back at me then turn his head. when he looks for a few seconds i click and treat an praise him, i did it like 20 times in a row. but hes not consistent and i don't think he understands that looking at me is why he gets a treat. i have to blow at him or make funny noises for him to look even for a few seconds. ugh its frustrating


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

Oh, dont get frustrated! Training is fun! Its a project. Dogs would be no fun if they came pre-trained! 

JUst expect little bits of improvement daily..some days less..some days more and then it will build. By the time your pup is two years , he should be pretty solid. Then you will be bored..lol


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

It can take quite awhile to teach these things. Takes a lot of patience. I don't ask too much of a puppy or young dog. It really depends a lot on the dog and also the experience of the trainer. I always just think "we are where we are with this" so as not to get frustrated.


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## szariksdad (Jun 25, 2010)

When I teach watch me and if he knows the command but breaks I give a little no or uhh-uhh to remind what he is supposed to be doing until I give the release.


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## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

yeah i need to be more relaxed, he just gets distracted easy, and i feel like he doesnt like looking me in the eye. hes very submissive.


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