Doggie Distractions
Every dog is an individual - but some distractions are more common. Other people can be a distraction for dogs who are very friendly, nervous, or scared. Dogs can also be a challenge for similar reasons. Many dogs are interested in wildlife or objects that look like wildlife. A plastic bag blowing down a street can be mistaken for a small animal.
Sometimes scent is a distraction. Some dogs will notice every crumb of dropped food on a city sidewalk. Vehicles, skateboards, and bikes can be a challenge.
The world is full of sights, sounds, and smells for dogs.
Finding Your Dog's Distractions
Make a chart with columns 1-5. Level 1 distractions are things that your dog notices in his environment. Level 5 are the distractions that make them lose their mind and go wild! Levels 2-4 are those things in between.
Be as specific as you need. A level 5 distraction might be “A person approaching, smiling, reaching out to pet them,” and a level 1 person distraction could be a person walking on the sidewalk across the street ignoring you.
Use High Powered Rewards
Dogs don’t typically get distracted while chasing a squirrel. That’s because the activity is hugely reinforcing. We want to do everything possible to make working with us very reinforcing too.
To make working with us reinforcing, we need to build a history of using high-level rewards and being generous with our rewards. We want to create habits and expectations for our dogs. This will help us overcome distractions in our environments.
Some families get stingy with the rewards when they feel a dog should “know” something. Others are predictable and always use the same convenient treats rather than exploring new options to keep a dog’s interest.
Here are some additional ideas on ways you can use food to play with your dog, test your food rewards and use play rewards for your dog.
Check Your Foundation Skills - and Train to Weaknesses
Distractions will expose our weak areas. In training sessions at home, test your dog’s understanding of the skills that broke down in the face of distractions. For example, maybe your dog had trouble with a spilled ice cream cone on the sidewalk.
For some more detailed tips, review our leash walking series and spend extra time on the Lesson 3 distraction activities. At home, you can set up a plastic bowl in your driveway. Walk past it at 20’ away a few times, then 18’, then 16’... You get the picture! Reward your dog for focusing on you and moving with you as a team. Do not let them investigate the bowl. Then, put something with a mild scent in the bowl, such as a few crackers. Repeat the lesson. Then you might put a tablespoon of ice cream in the bowl and repeat the lesson.
Play Distraction Games
If your dog had trouble responding to a “sit” cue at the park, you might test your dog in each room of the house. Then you might practice in different areas of the yard. Another test could be with you standing, sitting, and lying down. Will your dog sit under these circumstances? What if you’re facing the wall? What if you are waving a treat? As always - reward your dog for correct responses and make an activity easier if they can’t do it yet.
Most dogs catch onto this type of training. With more practice, they will learn it’s all a trick - and they should pay attention no matter what is happening. We want to find friendly ways to challenge your dog and reward them for their effort.
Don’t Overwhelm Your Dog
Like us, dogs can only handle so much distraction at once. If your dog is doing well with an environment, give them a break rather than continuing to keep them in the environment.
If you are unsure how your dog will respond to a specific distraction, you can find an opportunity to expose them to a lower-level distraction and work your way up. While occasional errors can be part of the learning process, we want to minimize rewards where the distraction is fun or scary for your dog. This can break a dog’s trust in us or make him really want to access a distraction!
Start easy and work your way up the distraction scale.
Ask for Help
If you’re having trouble with distractions, you may find it helpful to consult a professional. A dog trainer can help you break a task into smaller pieces and systematically add distractions. Often these suggestions will seem obvious once you hear them, but it can be much faster than trying to problem-solve on your own.
For example, a dog might be awesome in the house and very distracted outside. A trainer recommendation might be to train in the house with the main door open. This lets a dog see, hear and smell some outdoor distractions, but the dog is still inside and with limitations. You can move further into the house or closer to the door, depending on how your dog is feeling. Then train just outside on the porch. Gradually move further out into the yard.
We’re here to help you with distractions. You can reach out to us and schedule a training session to help your dog overcome distractions too!
