How to get a dog to pay attention with distractions?

Play must always come first so that you are interesting and relevant. Play a lot, play at least once a day for 20-30 minutes per session. We want to positively condition a way to get their attention when they’re focused on other things, and you can do this a number of ways. We would start with leash pressure most likely, as that’s the easiest form of communication for your pup to understand, and teach them that when they follow the leash pressure (and not fight against it), they get praise and reward. Once we’ve begun teaching them how to follow the leash, we can then use that to teach them how to understand an electronic collar. Much like the leash, we would start with low levels of distraction and practice understanding the language before we graduated to those bigger distractions. We want to ensure they know the language before we lean on it when it matters.

Gradually introducing different distractions during your training time can help your dog learn to focus on you at all times. Once your dog has mastered a basic command like sit, try to add in some attention-grabbers that will make it harder for the dog to focus on you during training time. This can be anything from placing a favorite toy just outside your training area to playing music or a television show in the background. The more you can master training while your dog is distracted, the better your dog will be able to focus on walks. If you are coming upon a distraction on a walk, like another dog or a group of kids, move your dog to the opposite side of it. When passing another person walking a dog on your right, for example, move your dog to your left. Sometimes the physical barrier you create with your body is enough to keep your dog from getting too distracted by whatever you encounter. Teach Your Dog to Watch You is a great way to remain the focus of your dog’s attention. If your dog starts to get distracted on a walk, say “watch me.” Train Your Dog to Check in During Walks by periodically saying your dog’s name so they stop and look at you. It’s a good idea to supplement this with a small treat to create a positive association.