# getting puppies to pay attention



## Mr & Mrs Kirkley (Mar 9, 2012)

The only commands we've had limited success with so far are come and sit. I say limited because they are only sometimes followed. The problem is, all Xena seems to focus on is finding something to sniff, chew, or play with. Standing up from a sitting position only gets her attention for a few seconds. Walking away from her gets her attention for longer because she follows us around, but once we stop, her attention shifts elsewhere. Everything is a distraction. She'll be 12 weeks old Saturday, but she's larger than average so we were hoping to have her trained to come, sit, stay, lay down, roll over, and heel sooner rather than later. How can we get her to focus on us for more than a few seconds so we can train her?


----------



## Big68stang (Oct 23, 2011)

Shes still a puppy. Her attention span is about the size of a gnat. Be patient and give it time and it will continue to get longer. 

Keep training times short and fun! 

If she driven by treats or a toy try using that as a means to get her to pay attention to you.

I'm sure more will be said so anybody feel free to correct as I am far from a professional!


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Reward her whenever you catch her looking at you. Keep a pocket full of treats. 

I think you are expecting to much from a baby. Size has nothing to do with maturity. Attention span of a gnat is right. Would you expect a 3 month old human to do arithmetic?


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Are you planning on taking her to obedience school? Leave it and Watch me are great commands that she can probably learn pretty easily. My dog was 12 weeks when she learned those two. Just put her in a sit and tell her watch me, when she looks at you give her a treat and repeat--she does not get a treat until she looks at you. After a while when you say watch me you'll notice she is more focused on you and will stay focused longer as she gets older. Use this when you are outside and she is watching something else..always have treats ready in the beginning--after a while you won't need treats and when you tell her watch you she will I still treat my dog on these commands periodically and she is 7 months...she never knows when she'll get a treat so she does it in hopes that she will.


----------



## Mr & Mrs Kirkley (Mar 9, 2012)

I'm not sure how old 3 months is in dog years. We picked what looked to be the alpha of the litter because we were inexperienced and looking for a future watchdog. So we're dealing with an adorable puppy that's big for her age, strong, and full of energy. What age can they be trained in basic obedience? I watched a you tube video of a fairly young German Shepherd puppy that was obedience trained. We don't want to expect too much, but we would like to train her before she gets too big to control lol.


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Mr & Mrs Kirkley said:


> I'm not sure how old 3 months is in dog years. We picked what looked to be the alpha of the litter because we were inexperienced and looking for a future watchdog. So we're dealing with an adorable puppy that's big for her age, strong, and full of energy. What age can they be trained in basic obedience? I watched a you tube video of a fairly young German Shepherd puppy that was obedience trained. We don't want to expect too much, but we would like to train her before she gets too big to control lol.


Mine started school about 2 weeks after I got her..so she was 3.5 months. She is now in her third class. Ever since I've had mine, she has never pulled on the leash and she stays close by. When we go on hikes she goes no more then 10 ft and either waits or comes back to me. I am hoping she stays this way The most amazing thing my dog has done and I am really proud of is while she was in a down/stay at school and another dog decided that he didn't want to do it, so he jumped on my dog...he was biting her back legs and laying on top of her and she never moved or looked at the dog. She just kept watching me and remained in her down/stay until I released her. This was about two weeks ago, so she was about 6.5 months--I don't think that if I was training her at home without any obedience classes that she would have done this....lots of work,patience, and socialization really make a good solid dependable dog


----------



## Mr & Mrs Kirkley (Mar 9, 2012)

There are no classes where I live specifically for puppies. The nearest Petsmart is an hour away. There is one basic obedience class, but when we took our other puppy there, he was the only young puppy. He did manage to learn to sit, but was very distracted by the adult dogs.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

classes are great, and that's what classes are for, working dogs thru distractions . 

It's not just a one / eight week course, it's continuing . Beneficial to YOU and the dog.

So my suggestion is, take the obedience class and continue taking classes.

At this age they have the attention span of a gnat. You also have another young puppy right? They could be more into each other than you (not saying this to be harsh or mean)

I have always had multiple dogs, and never have had a problem with them bonding to each other more than me. Lots of feeding by hand, one on one interaction. Once you create a really good bond with your puppy, the training is the EASY part

You will get out of a dog what you put into it is my motto


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Mr & Mrs Kirkley said:


> There are no classes where I live specifically for puppies. The nearest Petsmart is an hour away. There is one basic obedience class, but when we took our other puppy there, he was the only young puppy. He did manage to learn to sit, but was very distracted by the adult dogs.


Mine actually skipped the puppy class and went right into the beginner class, she is the youngest by about 4 months in her present class. Even at her younger age, she is way ahead of the other dogs...GSD's are just a smart breed Distractions are good, this is what the puppy needs in order to learn, focus and socialize. When we are home and doing training I will take her down to the pond with tons of geese and ducks and have her do sits, stays, downs..all the while we are surrounded by some very big birds..I look for distractions for training purposes..I love when kids are out playing too..this is the true test!!


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Mr & Mrs Kirkley said:


> I'm not sure how old 3 months is in dog years.


A toddler.


----------



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Do I remember correctly, you have a second pup? How old?


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Work on restrained recalls for now, and engagement/focus with you. Recall is the most important thing to imprint on a young pup. Always make _you _be the best place for your pup to be! You should watch some of Falons videos, they are really good for teaching young pups and she doesn't push the pup to be more than what it is for its age. Here is a link to her blog: King of the Kastle and a youtube with more of her vids:


----------



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

Jax08 said:


> Reward her whenever you catch her looking at you. Keep a pocket full of treats.


Exactly - the simplest most basic rule of dog training is that what you reward is what you get. If you want attention, reward attention. Frequently.  By 12 weeks old I usually have a puppy who will stare at me raptly (at least at home, away from major distractions) because I've spent the past few weeks marking and rewarding whenever they looked at me. 

Another simple basic rule of dog training is that you can't teach your dog anything if you don't have her attention. Which brings us right back to the rule above.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

enroll in a puppy class and find a trainer.


----------



## TCAP1 (Mar 28, 2012)

Attention span of a gnat hehe. 
Remember some of those early training sessions, Zach would get distracted from the grass moving in the wind. 


keep at it, short periods, patience & find whatever works best.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I think if you would spend a ton of time teaching this:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ime-owner/162230-engagement-key-training.html

You will later be AMAZED how much more attention/focus and 'obedience' you'll be getting from your puppy.

Because suddenly being with you is fun and learning is FUN. So worthwhile for a puppy rather than causing lack of focus, walking off, sniffing and other 'calming signals' our puppies all toss our when they are confused and not understanding the 'blah blah blah' that our human language is for them.

Also, if I were you I'd force myself to learn new skills that I then would start up with the puppy. The learning shouldn't all be on our pups end. It's amazing how when I learned I am more than half the training PROBLEMS with my puppies and addressed that, my puppies suddenly became so much smarter!

So LEARN THE CLICKER!

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...0-intro-clicker-training-perfect-puppies.html

While I am ALL about dog classes... 'real' obedience classes aren't a option for me until my pups are mentally able to start learning in that environment, and that's over 6 months for my pups. A puppy class is different. But true obedience classes with older dogs is for when my dog is also older. Not fair to through you 8 yr old human child into high school and it's the same for a puppy....


----------



## Dakotasmom23 (Jan 11, 2012)

The very first, and imho, most important thing I teach my dogs is "Watch Me". Google how to teach it, and gradually with time and maturity, your puppy's attention span/focus will increase. The Watch Me is a critical foundation building block.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Dakotasmom23 said:


> The very first, and imho, most important thing I teach my dogs is "Watch Me". Google how to teach it, and gradually with time and maturity, your puppy's attention span/focus will increase. The Watch Me is a critical foundation building block.


Dakotasmom is right...another great skill needed BEFORE 'obedience' training...


----------



## Phoondaddy (Sep 11, 2007)

I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks to everyone for their input on the forums of training suggestions.

We have an 8 year old GSD and she is a one in a million, best behaved dog, but I probably forget how tough she was when she was a pup, and now we are training our 6 month old which seems like a whole different beast. So I appreciate these boards very much when I come to them in times of frustration, they quickly remind me to be patient and focus on making it fun for the dogs.

THANK YOU GERMANSHEPHERDS.COM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------

