The majority of our clients are truly dedicated owners who really care about getting their training right.
They come to class each time, they try really hard to learn just what to do, then they go and practise at home.
Finally they take their dog out, ready to receive praise from people they meet about their well-behaved pooch.
But there’s a big danger lurking on the horizon.
It’s a hulking big thing that scuppers your training.
It takes you right back to square one.
You end up feeling frustrated, annoyed and disappointed and this produces a range of common feelings
– the training doesn’t work
– my dog is untrainable
– we’re going backwards instead of forwards
– I’m just going to give up
What is this dreadful beast?
Distractions.
People, other dogs, cats, rubbish blowing in the wind, birds, discarded food, animal poo, traffic, balloons, children – the list is endless.
Your dog can be distracted by any, or even all, of these.
You may think it took a long time to get your dog to walk on a loose lead in your house and garden.
But that’s nothing compared to getting the same response when you’re out and about.
Dealing with the things that distract your dog (and sometimes you) will be your greatest challenge.
So, what can you do?
First, make sure you’ve taught the exercise really well where there are no distractions – in your house and garden. Ask yourself – can your dog do it easily every time you ask? Does he do it naturally or do you have to pester him, or ask repeatedly? Be honest!
Only when you can answer a resounding yes to these questions should you even consider taking your dog out and about.
Secondly, start somewhere where there are as few distractions as possible – a quiet corner of a field or park, the beach very early in the morning, that patch of grass near your house mid-morning, whatever and wherever you can find.
If you live in the middle of a town, or near things that are really distracting for your dog – one of our client’s neighbours has a cat (big distraction) that sits on the wall opposite our client’s house – then you may have to think laterally.
Perhaps take your dog in the car to somewhere quiet. Or monitor when the distraction is there (presumably the cat has to eat sometime) and pick a time when it isn’t around. Change the times you walk.
Thirdly, work on finding something your dog would kill for – your dog’s Kryptonite. It may be a particular high value treat, or a specific toy, a plastic bottle, a feather, or perhaps a tug game or a game of chase – it can be anything. But you need to find it for your pooch. The audit you did for the Perfect Pet course will help – repeat it with different things until you find it.
You can use that Kryptonite to help you pass or avoid the distraction, or to keep your dog’s focus while you move quickly away.
Off you go – find that Kryptonite! See you soon
Carol
PS If you need help finding the magic thing, book some help – all the options are on the website.