Canine Training Skill: Focusing on Humans
The first step in Eowyn’s Behavior Modification Plan is to teach her to focus on me a lot better. The first step was to create a scarcity of affection… which is working, even though it’s WAY more difficult on me than it is on the dogs! They’re both getting used to the idea that I won’t walk up to them and give them affection. They MUST earn it, and in Henry’s case, he only gets affection during training periods. I’ve had to watch where my hands are when I’m asleep because I’ve found if I leave them dangling off the side of the bed, he’ll crawl under them and try to ‘pet himself’ …
The second step in Eowyn’s Behavior Modification Plan is to get Eo to start focusing on me more. We’re starting to work with it during the day by correcting her instinct to run to the front door barking when she hears something outside or the dogs next door bark. I’m trying to replace that behavior with “Come to Me”. The other thing I’m trying to get her to do is to look at me for cues all the time.
Can’t get your dog to focus? Don’t know where to start? First, remember that you have to get a dog to display a behavior before you can reinforce it. Jennie Chen, who’s a member of the local kennel club and who also trains and shows her Swiss Mountain Dog and Lowchen in the Texas region, posted a video on youtube that details a technique that I’m going to start working with Eowyn on. It involves holding a treat in your mouth and spitting it at the dog so that they look at your face — after all, that’s where treats come from!
As Jennie says, most of dog training is actually human training.