Inattention In A Young Dog

[Rileys mum]

Hi

my 6 month old GSP has just begin obedience training I'm very excited about it ( prob alot more than him lol)

I find that he is very smart and picks things up quickly but once out the front door I really really struggle to keep his attention. He is not at all motivated by toys and, if distracted couldn't care less if I have food or not so I'm finding it tricky keeping his mind on the job lol ( I do realise he's only a bub but I still feel I should aim for his attention during any training , which at the moment is only for about 5 mins max at a time)

Also, when walking he does pull a tad, which I'm working on, but he literally has his nose stuck to the ground the whole time. He loves scent and as much as I'm training him when were out of the house/yard, I'm reluctant to b too harsh on hi

as he's still exploring the big wide world.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to keep, or get back his attention and whether or not I should be correcting him having his head on the ground during walks ( I guess by doing that it's another example of his innatention lol)

Am I expecting too much from him for his age or should I aim for obedience at all times n just patiently re-try commands etc until he listens.

Thanks in advance :p

[huski]

Hi

my 6 month old GSP has just begin obedience training I'm very excited about it ( prob alot more than him lol)

I find that he is very smart and picks things up quickly but once out the front door I really really struggle to keep his attention. He is not at all motivated by toys and, if distracted couldn't care less if I have food or not so I'm finding it tricky keeping his mind on the job lol ( I do realise he's only a bub but I still feel I should aim for his attention during any training , which at the moment is only for about 5 mins max at a time)

Five minutes of focus or attention is great! I used to struggle to get a few seconds, LOL. How long is obedience class? What do you do when he loses focus? Assuming class would be around an hour long? My dog has pretty good focus and I wouldn't ask her to work for that long continuously, it's boring and setting the dog up to fail because it's highly likely they will lose focus over that amount of time.

Also, when walking he does pull a tad, which I'm working on, but he literally has his nose stuck to the ground the whole time. He loves scent and as much as I'm training him when were out of the house/yard, I'm reluctant to b too harsh on hi

as he's still exploring the big wide world.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to keep, or get back his attention and whether or not I should be correcting him having his head on the ground during walks ( I guess by doing that it's another example of his innatention lol)

Am I expecting too much from him for his age or should I aim for obedience at all times n just patiently re-try commands etc until he listens.

I wouldn't be aiming for obedience all the time. I would ask for short bursts of attention and focus, I would rather a few minutes of 110% than an hour of anything less than that. Build him up to high levels of distraction gradually. I started in really low levels of distraction like my backyard, then when my dog was working really well there I would slowly increase the distraction level - so we'd move to the front yard and so on and so on. Obedience club can be great, but I use it as an opportunity to train in high levels of distraction once we're at a point when my dog can work well with lots of distractions around. I trained my dog and then took her to obedience club when I knew she could work in that level of distraction.

Oh and Daisy (my scent hound) will have her nose stuck to the ground often when we are out walking, I don't mind this if we are just walking because I know I can get focus when I ask for it. That took time though but I think it's good to let them have down time where they can do things like scent.

[Rileys mum]

Thanks so much for your reply.

He is in puppy classes at the moment and they go for 30mins.

At the moment I'm just getting him to do the "watch" command, getting him to look at me and then re asking for the command. He's great at home which i'm happy about so I guess I'll just try n keep things as fun as possible while still making sure he is attentive when I ask. he's a bundle of fun n is definately going to keep me on my toes

[huski]

Thanks so much for your reply.

He is in puppy classes at the moment and they go for 30mins.

At the moment I'm just getting him to do the "watch" command, getting him to look at me and then re asking for the command. He's great at home which i'm happy about so I guess I'll just try n keep things as fun as possible while still making sure he is attentive when I ask. he's a bundle of fun n is definately going to keep me on my toes

He sounds lovely!

What kind of food do you use as a reward? How heavily/frequently are you rewarding him for focusing on you?

[Rileys mum]

And sorry lol, his training sessions are only 5 mins. Not his attention span. I'd be stoked to get 5 mins from him lol at the moment it's about 5 seconds hehe.

[Rileys mum]

I'm using dried liver as treats and I give him a treat every time he looks at me and when I ask for a command and he does it

I find that he LOVES cheese but it gives him the runs so I tend not to use it which is a bugger.

[huski]

And sorry lol, his training sessions are only 5 mins. Not his attention span. I'd be stoked to get 5 mins from him lol at the moment it's about 5 seconds hehe.

Ah sorry I totally misread it LOL!

When I first started with Daisy, we'd do 30 seconds to a minute of training but it would be really high energy and fun and then I'd always leave her wanting more.

[Staranais]

That's one reason I don't go to obedience classes anymore - I think it's unreasonable for a dog to attend to you with full focus for 30 minutes at a stretch. Like Huski, I'd rather have 100% focus for minutes at a time, than marginal focus for half an hour.

It's not such a big deal if you just want household obedience, I guess, but if you ever want to compete I feel that it's better to just work the dog in short bursts and put him away when she's not being worked, so he learns that when he's with you it's working time. Another alternative is to have a cue that tells pup it is time to work (i.e., that rewards are available), and a cue to tell him that work time is over.

I wouldn't correct a baby like that for having her head down. He's just trying to learn about the world the only way he knows how. Rather, try to make what you're doing more interesting that the smells.

[huski]

I'm using dried liver as treats and I give him a treat every time he looks at me and when I ask for a command and he does it

I find that he LOVES cheese but it gives him the runs so I tend not to use it which is a bugger.

You need to be more creative with food!

I stick to anything soft and smelly - any left over roast meat, chicken, steak (cheap cuts you can get from the butcher like gravy meat/chuck steak), luncheon roll, sausages, 4Legs dog food, etc etc - all chopped into tiny pieces so it's easy and quick for the dog to swallow. You can also try feeding his daily food allowance through training instead of just feeding it to him in the bowl.

[huski]

That's one reason I don't go to obedience classes anymore - I think it's unreasonable for a dog to attend to you with full focus for 30 minutes at a stretch. Like Huski, I'd rather have 100% focus for minutes at a time, than marginal focus for half an hour.

It's not such a big deal if you just want household obedience, I guess, but if you ever want to compete I feel that it's better to just work the dog in short bursts and put him away when she's not being worked, so he learns that when he's with you it's working time. Another alternative is to have a cue that tells pup it is time to work (i.e., that rewards are available), and a cue to tell him that work time is over.

I wouldn't correct a baby like that for having her head down. He's just trying to learn about the world the only way he knows how. Rather, try to make what you're doing more interesting that the smells.

Totally agree with you

[OSoSwift]

I agree with everyone else

I train in very short burst with a baby. If they have no attention span at all, looking at me for two steps may be all I try for in the beginning - if that is too hard, one step. As they get better I still only train in shorter bursts. I never expect my dogs to train for 30minutes at a time - even when adults. The may get trained over half and hour, but it will be in shorter bursts with down time in between.

As for treats - this kid needs the lollies! Roast beef, roast chicken, yummy yummy stuff. easy to eat, tasty and soft. Small pieces, you are treating not feeding, but you need really high value treats to get his interest and keep it. Good luck

[Rileys mum]

Ok thanks guys. I'll get onto those treats. now that u are mentioning all the other treat options I could be using, dried liver just ain't that yummy lol. I don't blame him for turning up his nose. His mates are probably telling him what they get given and hes not Impressed with my choice lol

Cheers

[corvus]

And keep the reward rate really high. You should find he's more interested in training if he's getting a treat every couple of seconds. I like to have a dismiss cue so I can tell them to go and do what they like. That way when they're training they're always nice and focused on it because I dismiss them before their attention wavers. You can increase the time you ask for his attention when he's ready.

[Miss Monster]

I'm using dried liver as treats and I give him a treat every time he looks at me and when I ask for a command and he does it

I find that he LOVES cheese but it gives him the runs so I tend not to use it which is a bugger.

You need to be more creative with food!

I stick to anything soft and smelly - any left over roast meat, chicken, steak (cheap cuts you can get from the butcher like gravy meat/chuck steak), luncheon roll, sausages, 4Legs dog food, etc etc - all chopped into tiny pieces so it's easy and quick for the dog to swallow. You can also try feeding his daily food allowance through training instead of just feeding it to him in the bowl.

I understand what you mean about having no focus once outside. My dog is 3 and is still like that I've tried roast chicken, steak, cheese - everything and he still wont pay attention.

Keep trying the other things like toys, tugs and stuff as well in case his motivations change. The most animated I've seen Bakari in the show ring (and it still wasn't much) was when (out of pure frustration and as a last resort) I baited him with a toilet roll (he loves tearing them apart)

Good luck!

Edited June 9, 2010 by Miss Monster

[VJB]

I find Tuckertime a great training treat. You can get it in a big roll at some pet supply stores, or the vet. Cut into little bits, and put into zip lock bags with a mix of tiny bits of cheese (maybe too much for his tummy if you give him too much cheese in one go).

A bit smelly, but good, is mixing some kibble with a sardine. Let stand for a while to soak up any juice, and you will find most dogs loves the taste of anything fishy. I've even use fish flavoured dry cat biscuits on the rare occasion... not all the time, just as my emergency treats.

I would find it hard to think he will resist the temptation of tasty treats. It makes a huge difference to their ability to focus on you. Let us know how you go. He is still young.

[Vickie]

I find Tuckertime a great training treat. You can get it in a big roll at some pet supply stores, or the vet. Cut into little bits, and put into zip lock bags with a mix of tiny bits of cheese (maybe too much for his tummy if you give him too much cheese in one go).

Have you given up on the roasts VJB ? and what's with the recommendation for "little" & "tiny"???

[Nekhbet]

if you want them to be interested in food without the upset stomach just dont feed him the morning you intend to train. A hungry dog will always pay attention. Treats are fingernail size at the most and by that I dont mean your thumb.

He just sounds scattered. Put a martingale on him and give him a little correction if his excitement and inattentiveness gets too far. As for focus I would rather you mark the dog for naturally looking at you then using watch command. I see so many dogs just use focus as another trick. Everytime he looks at you mark, reward. Especially when you're out for a walk, change direction, speed etc and everytime he complies or looks at you mark (YES or GOOD) and reward ALSO VERBALLY. I also find owners talk too much at their dogs, so leave your voice simpy for verbal praise and marking, or giving cues like 'come on' etc. The dog will actually pay attention and want to do it for you, it takes very little time.

As for walking, if he shoots ahead do a 180 degree turn, let him have the leash and call him. If he doesnt follow he will correct himself, if he does follow and focus there is a reward.

This works for dogs of all ages, at 6 months dogs have more then a 2 minute attention span, the trick is to work out how to harness it properly.

[VJB]

I find Tuckertime a great training treat. You can get it in a big roll at some pet supply stores, or the vet. Cut into little bits, and put into zip lock bags with a mix of tiny bits of cheese (maybe too much for his tummy if you give him too much cheese in one go).

Have you given up on the roasts VJB ? and what's with the recommendation for "little" & "tiny"???

Hi Vickie.. ;) Your roast beef was the best....biggest treat chunk she ever got, but Heidi has issues with red meat, although Tucker Time seemingly has a reputation of giving no problems. It's been a while, but we're slowly giving off cuts of our roasts again, with no problem, so maybe its time to treat her to a famous roast again.

Edited June 9, 2010 by VJB

[Rileys mum]

Ok thanks for all the help. I've cooked up some chicken pieces so I'll see how he goes with that. I think the key might be variety to keep him guessing what's coming next as his treat.

I will also try out the training ideas too n keep you all posted. I did some training at home tonight and he didn't take his eyes off me for one second so I think I need to gradually expose him to distractions n keep on keeping on

thanks again

[Skye GSD]

Ok thanks for all the help. I've cooked up some chicken pieces so I'll see how he goes with that. I think the key might be variety to keep him guessing what's coming next as his treat.

I will also try out the training ideas too n keep you all posted. I did some training at home tonight and he didn't take his eyes off me for one second so I think I need to gradually expose him to distractions n keep on keeping on

thanks again

My GSD is now 10mths old and we have had the inattention "thing" going since 5-6mths in our obedience classes but have now started to turn the corner Not sure if this is due to my training or the fact that she is growing up!!

Roast or BBQ chicken/pork/lamb is always on the menu for Sat nite as the leftovers are now cut in to thumbnail size treats and bagged for training on Sun morning.

Training during the week I use polony/cheese/schmackos - all in very,very small pieces.

We walk every morning for 30-45mins and finish with a 5min training session at a different park each morning (we have 14 small parks in our suburban area plus an oval so I have no excuse not to train!).

If Skye starts to lose focus in the training class I take her out of the training area and train on my own while still maintaining contact with the instructor but not slap bang up against other dogs that are just there to socialise.