How do you teach focus? - Page 1

Just trying to generate some "worth while" threads........ that being said, I know everyone has different training views(so NO arguements please!) but a new person can utilize each training viewpoint and use what works for them and their dog!

How do you guys teach focus?

Vickie
www.PowerHausKennels.com

Some dogs can focus better than others. I teach focus between me and my dog with rewards as a pup and then a long line at around six months. Then it's trial and error, rewards for good focus and corrections for not paying attention. For the long line to be effective you must have distractions to refine focus. This is old school Koehler. Set ups with distractions is the key for me. And rewards are as important as corrections.

I start by teaching the dog to look in my face.....with food! It took no time to accomplish...Now I make him look at me for everything.

Toy under the chin, hot dogs in the mouth. Start as soon as you get the pup.    

Start spitting treats to the puppy at 8 weeks old.

Start playing the "look at me" game at 10 weeks old [hold a treat or toy at arms length, and reward when the dog looks AWAY from the toy and into your face].

Always praise the dog for looking into your eyes, never reward a dog who is not looking into your eyes [unless by virtue of the command, the dog cannot].  With young puppies you can do this by bringing the treat in front of your face before you reward.

When the dog is older, and fully understands commands, you can begin pressuring the dog when it looks away, and removing the pressure and rewarding when it looks back.

It does no good to nag a dog who is already looking away, in an attempt to get it to look at you.
The trick is to start with the dog's attention, and the second the [adult dog, remember?] looks away, you pressure the dog for looking away.

The second the dog looks back, you remove the pressure, and praise/reward the dog for looking again.
You're teaching the dog that looking away is NOT what you want, and looking at you IS what you want.

However, this is only fair if the dog already understands the commands and you're working on duration.
This is NOT how I would teach the foundation of focus.

One of the best methods I've seen is to sit the dog in front of you, hold your hands in front of the dog, with a treat in each hand.  Slowly pull your hands apart and the dog will look from one to the other, confused.  Say nothing.  He eventually will look at your face for direction and you IMMEDIATELY say marker word and treat!  It only takes a couple of times doing this before the dog looks at you first.  It's wonderful when they "get it", you can see the light turn on in their heads.  The thing I like best about this exercise is that it teaches the dog NOT to look at your hand for the treat.  Try it!

Mudwick, 

how do you pressure your pup? Specifically when doing this exercise. Do you have multiple methods of applying training pressure? If so is it dependant on the exercise you are doing or more so out of preference depending on its effectiveness with each individual dog?

Thank you  for the input ahead of time if I don't answer back very soon (extremely busy) 


Great thread powerhaus

To be clear, I would never pressure a pup.
Proofing comes in long, LONG after the behavior is first taught.

How you pressure a dog depends on the dog, and the level of distraction.
If you've got a dog aggressive dog that could care less about you the second another dog is in range, obviously its going to take a much harder correction to get the dog's attention.

If you've got a dog who just seems to forget to focus, a verbal correction is often all that is needed to remind them to refocus.

Focus and drive,
                                 It starts with puppy selection..... The more times
you have gone through this process the better you get at picking a good
puppy and knowing what to look for. Say if you were Hans with his Czech lines
or Power Haus with her Karthago lines. There are always tell tell signs to look for.
The thing is picking a good puppy makes it easier to train the dog for the task he will used
for. Like the Basque people and their sheep dogs, focus is the dog staying on
task and drive is the energy he exhibits doing it. The two go hand and hand.
A puppy is an unfolding bundle of genetic energy and, they see you as the big everything.
So the cards are stacked in your favor. As he gets older and the task you put before
him, ...he will do mainly because this what he was bred to do, but also it is his bond with you.
So even if it is something he does not like to do that much he will. because you have
his focus.

Now we can talk about focus, .... about 80% of his training will making things
 that you want him to do comfortable, and when he does not do what you want,
you make it uncomfortable to do the things you don't want him to do.
Set him up for success and don't turn into a correction machine. Bring him
along as he matures into an adult,.... and be consistent. Focus and drive is
a big deal, and can not be imparted to some one easly.
Do alot of watching older dogs work, that have the skills.