1.Use food to attract attention
The easiest way to train your dog to focus is with food. Put food such as meat strips in your hand, let the dog smell the smell, and follow your hand. Then, command the dog to notice your hand by saying “Attention!” in a serious and firm tone. If the dog looks at your hand, reward it immediately and praise its behavior.
2.Strengthen the training command tone
Next, raise your hand up and point to your mouth, face or eyes, still using the command “Attention!”. When the dog is able to stare at your mouth or eyes on command, reward it immediately, such as spitting out the food in your hand. If your dog is distracted while on the move, use explicit commands and the help of a leash to get the dog to stop and focus on you.
Below we will explain in detail the specific steps of this dog training method
When it comes to dog training, we often think of the picture of “sit down” accompanied by the owner’s order, and then we see the dog obediently changing from upright to sitting. But in fact, no matter which project is trained, it is necessary to let the dog focus first.
This is very important, so it needs to be trained separately, not interspersed with other kinds of training. The easiest way to get attention is with food.
1.Prepare food and attract attention: Take some food that dogs like, such as meat strips. For example, you hold the strip of meat in your hand, walk past the dog’s eyes, see it smells, and its eyes purr to follow your hand
2.Give an order: At this time, the dog is probably still staring at your hand, so that we can give it a small piece. At this time, the owner should adjust his tone and give the order in a serious and firm tone – “Attention!”; If the dog finds that the owner still has it in his hand, it may look into your eyes to distinguish the face of the owner. When you say “Attention!”
3.Reward behavior: If your dog looks at your hand firmly, then we will continue to stroke it and immediately reward it, such as giving a small piece of food and praise it with a tone of approval.
4.Strengthen training: the next step of training is to change the position of the hands. The master raises the position of the hand, points to the mouth, face, and even the eyes, and keeps the command “attention” unchanged.
5.Reward again: When the dog can stare at your mouth or eyes under command, reward it immediately, such as spitting out the food in your hand, and praise it by stroking.
6.Gradually increase the requirements: If the dog is attracted by other things and wants to run forward during the march, you yank the belt and shout out the command “Attention!” If your dog stops, look at your Eyes for 3 to 5 seconds, then this kind of training is very successful, of course, it still needs to be rewarded: stroking and feeding.
7.Continue training: conduct training once or twice a day, and train for 10 minutes each time until you have no food in your hand, but as long as you say “attention”, the dog can watch your hand, then the training can go on The next was carried out.
It is worth emphasizing that any training should be as serious as possible, but it must not make the dog afraid of you.
(Take your dog out and let him wear a tactical dog harness, he’ll look really cool)
Core Points and Principles
At the heart of attention training is the use of food as an attraction tool, combined with clear commands to direct the dog’s attention. By gradually increasing the demand and strengthening the training, the dog can focus on your mouth or eyes under command. During training, be serious but not intimidating to create a positive training experience. By insisting on daily training, the dog’s concentration will continue to improve, thus laying the foundation for various other training.
Training your dog to focus is an important step in building a good training foundation. Using food as an attraction tool and a clear command tone can be effective in keeping your dog focused.
Questions and answers about training dogs to focus
Q1: Why is it important to train a dog’s concentration?
A: Training your dog to focus is important because it is a critical step in building a good training foundation. Only when the dog can concentrate, can other various training, such as sitting down, shaking hands, etc., improve the training effect and smoothness.
Q2: How long does the concentration training take?
A: The time for concentration training varies with individual dogs and their personalities. Generally speaking, one or two training sessions a day, about 10 minutes each time, for a few weeks, the dog can establish initial concentration.
Q3: Is there any other way to improve the dog’s concentration?
A: In addition to using food as an attraction tool, try using toys or other forms of rewards to get your dog’s attention. At the same time, providing proper physical and mental training to keep your dog active can also help improve his focus.
Q4: What should I do if the dog does not focus during the training process?
A: If the dog is not focused during the training process, you can review the training steps and methods to ensure that your command tone is clear and firm, and gradually increase the training difficulty. Also, be careful not to overtrain and tire your dog out or get bored.
Q5: Is concentration training suitable for all dogs?
A: Yes, mindfulness training is suitable for all dogs, regardless of age, breed or personality. This type of training is the foundation for good behavior and relationship building in dogs, and is an important training step for all dog owners.
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