Building focus to handler ? - Page 1

Could anyone give me some useful tips on builing focus towards handler. Any comment will be much aprecciated.

In what context are you referring?? overall focus, specific instances such as heeling??? I guess regardless of what area you want focus in, you must first become everything that is good in the world to the dog.. all food, toys and play come from you All games start and end when you say so..... Also what age is the dog you are thinking or speaking of?? I start with a hungry dog or puppy and great food treats and a toy he/she would die for!! The possibilities are endless at this point..... Can you be more specific?

Hi sorry i was a bit bland in what i said, i mean so that the dog has full intrest in me instead of anything else such as distractions. The dog i am referring to is a 7 month old bitch she is doing great with her training but her mind seems to wonder a bit at the slightest distraction. Thank you

Hello im sorry i didnt explain well enough, what i meant was is there any useful techniques to use to get my 7 month old bitch to focus on me more regards food and play, she is doing really well with her training its just that sometimes she doesnt seem intrested. Thank you

Hello im sorry i didnt explain my self, what i meant was have you any successful techniques i could use to get my 7 month old bitch to concentrate on me an not to be distracted as easily because its a shame she is doing so well really quick an precise but her mind wonders a little. Thank you

interesting how in the dog world fad expressions become the norm --- focus -- ... to share with you i don't teach my dogs to focus in the sense of attention --- rather i teach my dog to attenuate to me --- qualitatively a difference -- i do not wish for my dogs to be staring at me -- i do not want my dogs to be looking at me --- i want my dogs to be attentive in the sense that they are seeking interacting with me and communicating with me with their eyes -- i want them to have intent and motivation -- to be seeeking permission to act/ to interact with me -- to attenuate to me so that i may give to them direction [ a command as you would call it except i do not command dogs] -- i give them direction , a way of life to follow . -- i want them to try to be pushing my buttons .. this is how i get my dogs to do what we want -- that is to say i am manipulating their intentions and motivations --i do not ask for attrention -- they can't wait to offer attention and behavior .. they are attentive to what i am doing -- i do not ask them to heel .. they are the operators .. they think they are working me to heel , -- we have the notion that dogs should be working for us when in fact a better notion is that we are working with synergy and in synchrony , mind , body and spirit.-- i want my dogs to initiate --- fine bring me the ball for it is in your best interest .. sao where does the start of the desire to retireve come from... with me or my dog ?? sorry if i do not articulate well but i think i have awkwardly explained the point .my dog's games do not start and end with me -- i do not control them -- they are taught to control themselves by requesting my direction and guidance --

Alphapup, sorry... not even going there..... Lewis, you have to build everything in small steps, a 7 month old is very young ... I train in short very active sessions, 1 or 2 things at a time.. always in play at this age.... every dog is different and you have to learn how much she can do and how long she can go and then try to build upon that.....And I always end a session when the dog wants more, it creates more drive for what you are doing for the next time... There is so much, way too much to write in 1 post or 2..... There are many websites to visit and lots of reference material.. feel free to contact me privately if you wish

D'Kiah .. sorry but this is the problem --- to create drive ?? that is hogwash and a cop-out for lack of certain behavioral traits -- i know my dogs and i know the GSDD about as well as anyone -- -- not once did i have to promote drive -- first they either have the potential or not --if the desire to interact is there -- i merely channel what they wish to do to -- again a folish schutzhund fad / lingo -- old has been thinnking -- everyone says that way so everyone does it ..--- ..forgive my words but and my foundation is schutzhund -- i do not mean to be antagonistic -- but contemplate -- a dog has thoughts , needs , wants and motivations -- drives ?? that is how we are to percieve dogs -- gee you drive cars not animals !! when one understands what motivates a dog it is easy to get a dog to attend to you becuase you can teach it you are the way to it's desrires , needs. you cna motivate and/or affect your dog's motivations --just they have to be inreality what you really want or you affect your dog's motivations and convince him to chage them --- i affect my dog's motivations so that for example they want to initate a heel ,they want to bite/out and bite / to look for mefor permission -- -- this too is the problem with the terminology in Sch --- it is not about training -- it is about fostering a two way RELATIONSHIP with your dog --- cannnot you understand what attention /focus really means -- it is not about a dog looking at you -- it's about a dog trusting you , , communicating with you , interacting with you --- when you wanted to play ball with your dad and you knew he was wqilling -- you coulnd't wait to attend to him -- to help him finish what he was doing just so you could get out there and play .. right ?? why are dogs so different than people other than they also rely on innate instincts ?? point made --either you can util;ize the shared thoughts or disnmess it- as for me -- i would say look into my dog's eyes and they will tell you all

And I am talking about my relationship with my dogs.... but I'm talking to Lewis not wanting to get into a rambling session of semantics with you.. thank you.

lewis -- if you wish --learn about clicker trianing --that will help you -- i teach my 10 week puppy to begin to attend to me and not pay heed to things that distract it - in our club we all do obedience with a half a dozen dogs present , heeling anf doing ahility , whatever at one time -- our dogs are tuaught nothing else amtters but what me and the dog are doing -- same way i teach bite work -- in the dog's mind " nothing matters but the bite' , and ditto for healing -- nothing matters but the two of us heeling BTW aside from attention that you wish .. how about similarly teaching your dogs to concentrate ?? -- in brief wht i am encouraging is if you know what interests you dog most utilize that to bring your dog mentaly, spiritually and physically to you -- again reference clicker training -- also for a reference about $6.95 you may wish to read Karen Pryer's book " Don't Shoot the DOG " she goes back to 1950's dolphin trianing - sheila booth has a nice book on interavting with your dog too -- i think it is named "Positively Training " or something titled that --