How to Improve Your Dog's Attention (For Obedience Trials)
For people participating in obedience or rally, attention is exceedingly important to improving scores. This article will outline two different methods for improving this.
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Instructions
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First Method: Have the dog sitting at heel. Have treats in your left hand. Tell the dog to "watch me", or any other command. Make sure you have eye contact. If the dog looks away, make a gentle correction with the leash and re-issue the command. Once eye contact is re-gained, reward the dog with good words and a treat. Slowly expand the length of time you require eye contact before rewarding the dog.
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Second Method: Have the dog sitting in front of you, fairly close. Have the leash in one hand and a treat in the other. Make sure the dog sees the treat. Hold the treat at arm's length from you to the same side as your hand. If the dog doesn't look at the treat, reward him/her immediately. However, most dogs will follow the hand holding the treat with their eyes/head. Wait patiently until the dog looks back at you (seeming to say, "Hey, why aren't you giving me that treat?"). When the dog does look back at you, reward vigorously. Slowly expand the length of time you require eye contact before rewarding the dog.
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To take this to the next level, have the dog sitting at heel, as if in the ring. Have a friend act as a judge and come either to the front of you or to the side. Hold a conversation with "judge", but keep an eye on your dog (don't look directly at them). When the dog looks away, correct them gently and re-issue your "watch me" command. Once you have the dog's attention again, reward them. The idea here is that you need to have the dog's attention, even when you aren't looking directly at them. This is probably the hardest part.
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Tips & Warnings
Be patient and take it slow. Don't try to extend the duration of the attention beyond what your dog is capable.
Don't over-correct. Use mainly positive reinforcement.
