Dog training – keeping your dog motivated

Keeping your dog's attention when training is not always easy. Dogs and puppies are easily distracted.

It is also important make the training sessions interesting, so the dog or puppy will not become bored.. Making training fun for the dog and the human alike is vital to creating a happy, well adjusted and well trained dog.

Let your dog or puppy look forward to doing things the dog enjoys, such as a walk in a park or a playful romp in a dog park, riding in a vehicle, and playing with other dogs, This is a great way to keep the dog’s attention and reward him for small successes.

As an example: in order to reward the dog for coming to you, ask the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about a car ride, a walk, or other treats. After the dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be anything the dog or puppy loves to do.

Providing some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a scratch behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want, is a great way to keep your dog motivated. If the dog knows something great is going to happen every time he obeys your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.

It is important to not let distractions disrupt the training of your dog.. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These types of distractions can even be used as rewards when training the dog to come when called.

If your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, for example, whether in a local dog park or with the neighbor’s dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog. When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to go back to playing with his friends. Repeat this several times and praise the dog each time he comes to you. The dog will quickly learn that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

Try not to get discouraged If the dog does not master this particular type of training right away. Distraction training is one of the most difficult things to teach. Dogs are naturally social animals, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably reluctant to leave their canine companions, but it is important to persist.

Training the dog to come to you may require some creativity such as waving a favorite toy, or a tidbit or treat at first. A quick click can be a good motivator if your dog has been clicker trained,

Once the dog begins to come when called, you can begin to reduce and then eliminate the visual cues such as waving a favorite toy or treat, and focus on getting the dog to respond to your voice alone. It is important that the dog respond to voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.