Clean Run - January 2011 - 58

There’s Only One Training Rule The actual process of teaching a dog to offer focus is not complicated. I am not a big believer in having any kind of training rules. Every team is different and there is no one-size-fits-all method, but the one rule I do have, and follow compulsively, is the one that teaches the dog to choose focus. Quite simply, I never, ever train a dog that is not asking to be trained, and offering me focus and attention. I always allow the dog the choice, and if the dog chooses not to work with me, I do not coerce, beg, correct, or in any other way try to convince the dog to work with me. I want the dog to always feel in control of the situation, to feel as though training time is an opportunity I am giving him to spend quality time with me, having fun and learning new things. I don’t ever want the dog to think that training time is something he is doing for me, or for ever higher value treats. Training time is a gift I offer the dog, and like all gifts, it does not have to be accepted. The additional benefit of only training when the dog offers focus and asks to be trained is that there’s never a chance of inadvertently working a dog that is not feeling 100%, that has a mild injury or illness that might not yet be noticeable, but is already making itself felt to the dog. Of course, when they hear this rule, many people assure me that their dog, if allowed to choose, would never, ever choose working over other things. It can be hard to believe that the dog really does prefer spending time with you to playing with other dogs, chasing squirrels, or eating hot dogs; but in my experience, dogs really do prefer spending time working with their human teammate once they understand that they are in control of the situation. The trick to making it work is presenting the concept to the dog in a clearcut and simple way.

By Sassie Joiris, photos by author People often treat it as common knowledge that some breeds of dogs, the ones that are not necessarily immediately considered the “agility breeds,” are not terribly focused or driven to work. They don’t like repetition; they get easily distracted; they shut down as soon as they think they’re wrong. Sometimes handlers of these less than driven dogs are told it’s their responsibility to make themselves more interesting than the distractions that abound. They’re told to use higher value rewards, be more coordinated, not make the mistakes that can cause their dogs to become confused and stop focusing. All this is true enough, as far as it goes. If a handler always has perfect coordination, excellent timing, and reinforcers that are more valuable to the dog than any possible distraction might be, and if the training sessions always end at exactly the perfect moment, you won’t struggle with focus at all. There certainly are trainers like that, and I have the utmost respect for them and their abilities. For the rest of us though, that’s more of a pipe dream, a goal to work toward, and in the meantime we still need to find ways to teach our dogs to focus. There is a way to achieve focus, drive, and desire in virtually all dogs without having the best reinforcers or the best handling skills. It is entirely possible to teach even the most gregarious dog to choose to work with you over playing with other dogs, to teach the biggest chowhound that focus on training is more fun than being fed hotdogs, to teach the diehard hunting terrier that he can do the weave poles with a rat in the room. There isn’t even any big secret to it; it’s simply a matter of making training the dog’s choice. The dog that chooses to focus rather than being bribed or begged to pay attention is a dog that will focus for longer periods and with far more intensity. The dog that focuses with intensity develops more drive and more discipline, allowing for longer and more intense training sessions. When a dog offers focus, the dog is also more forgiving of training and handling mistakes, instead of getting discouraged and wandering off. The focused dog eagerly waits for the handler to clarify whatever was confusing.
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There is a way to achieve focus, drive, and desire in virtually all dogs without having the best reinforcers or the best handling skills.
Clean Run | January 11

Clean Run - January 2011

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