Struggling to Get Your Dog's Attention Around Distractions? Try This

It can be frustrating when it seems like your dog is choosing to ignore you in favor of everything else. When you understand how dog training works, you will have more success getting your dog’s attention, and addressing other problem areas as they arise. 

Dogs can learn new skills quickly with the use of positive reinforcement, but training is more complex than giving your dog a treat when you catch the behavior you are looking for. To successfully train your dog for real-life distractions, you should first think about what this looks like. In many cases, it can help to train your dog that the distraction is a cue to check-in with you. For recalls, at MJ’s Pet Training Academy ® we teach dogs that the distraction indicates a faster and more motivated recall back to the handler. 

Ready to learn how to train your dog for any distraction? Follow the guidelines below to simplify distraction training. 

Identifying the Cause of Distraction

Not all dogs are equally distracted in different environments. Some may seem unfocused even in what you consider low-distraction settings, like your living room. If your dog isn’t responding well during training, consider whether the activities are engaging enough. Sometimes, it’s not about the distractions outside but rather the training itself not holding your dog's interest. You don’t have to jump around to get your dog’s attention though. In fact, earning your dog’s attention calmly is the way to go. 

Try implementing shorter training sessions and using techniques like Trickovation (™), which makes learning feel like a game. You can also use other types of rewards. It's not just about food treats. You should use a variety of rewards in training. 

Navigating More Distracting Environments

When you're in a busier setting, like a dog training class or a park, the stakes change. Wondering how to train your dog for distractions when the distractions are more interesting than you? Your dog is noticing all the stimuli—leaves blowing, squirrels darting, and people walking by. The key here is to keep your requests simple. Focus on building your dog's ability to engage and play in these environments before asking for more challenging behaviors. 

Engaging your dog in play, like tug-of-war, can help them learn to focus on you amid distractions. If they struggle to engage, it’s a sign that they need more practice in these varied environments with less demanding tasks. You can use play as a way to gauge your dog’s ability to pay attention. Another great skill? Step up! If you have trained your dog to step up, you can use the play and step up to get some great focus from your dog. Step up is a simple trick where your dog steps front paws only onto an object and remains there until released with your release signal.

Again, you do not have to act like a circus clown to get your dog’s attention. Try calmly walking a few steps and wait for anything you like from your dog such as a slight glance in your direction. At this moment, present your dog’s toy giving the mark to get the toy as you move back. Next trade the toy for a treat and then ask your dog to step up onto anything around (trees work well). Use your release signal to break your dog from the step up and then calmly begin walking again. After a few times, repeat this and then add other skills after the step up such as flip to heel, orbit, down or anything else. Follow this by encouraging your dog to go sniff. Encourage engagement with the distractions. Don’t beg for your dog’s attention. Your dog will be the one demanding you notice that he is paying attention with a bit of practice. The game should vary, but two keys are the play and step up as both tend to be engaging for most dogs. Plus, the step-up requires a bit of duration. 

Using Distractions as Cues

A fun strategy is to turn distractions into cues for attention. When something catches your dog’s eye, teach your dog to look at you instead. For example, if someone makes a noise near your dog, reward him immediately when he turns to you. This can help your dog understand that responding to you when distractions occur earns high rewards.

You can practice this by having a friend create distractions while you encourage your dog to focus on you. As your dog gets better at maintaining focus, you can gradually introduce more complex behaviors rather than rewarding for the attention only.

Promoting Positive Interaction with the Environment

Sometimes, what looks like distraction is actually stress. If your dog seems reluctant to engage with you in a distracting environment, the environment might be demanding in ways beyond distractions. Dogs that give slower cue responses, and move with less enthusiasm in new environments, might need more experience being exposed to higher demanding environments. This is often seen with ring pressure. A motivated dog can shut down and begin sniffing in a trial as a result of trial pressure. Dogs might also appear to be more cautious or slow to respond when the human is stressed, as is sometimes the case during competitions. The dog can smell the humans’ stress as demonstrated by a Queen’s University Belfast study.

If your dog finds it difficult to focus under pressure, consider your own response to the environment and remember that your calmness will have a positive effect on your dog’s behavior. A dog struggling to pay attention in new places, may also just need more experience.

Building Attention Through Play and Exploration

Incorporate more interactive games that allow your dog to engage with the world after focusing on you. Play “find the stick,” or encourage sniffing. The idea is to make the environment an extension of your training rather than a barrier. Think beyond food rewards. When your dog offers attention, you can use the environment as a reward. When strategically done, this can be a powerful part of a training system and should be implemented as you learn how to train your dog for distractions. 

Conclusion

Every dog can learn to pay attention around distractions; it just takes time, practice, and a little creativity. By understanding your dog’s interests and adjusting your training methods accordingly, you can help them navigate distractions more effectively. Remember, the key is to make training fun and rewarding, leading to a more attentive and engaged dog.

Use play and the environment rather than relying only on food to train your dog.