# Lack of Focus in Class



## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Welp, Nino fits right in with the family given his inattention hehehe. Last night, we made the mistake of feeding him a couple hours before class, so about halfway through he got completely sick of being treated (despite the fact that we give him teeny tiny pieces) and decided he was more interested in what his pals were doing. Nothing we usually do to get his attention was working. I would give him the "eyes here" command and he would look, but as soon as I offered a reward (food or praise) he was kind of over it. 

Is there anything, other than waiting to feed him til after (which we will do) that can help? He is one of the only small dogs in the class, so he fills up way faster than they do. He is incredibly food, praise, and play motivated (thank God...Mario Just likes treats), but he completely stopped caring. Anything to stop this boredom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Also, I do think some inattention was due to the fact that he was soaked. It's been raining for a week here, and while he doesn't mind getting wet, he doesn't like staying wet. Being the only long-haired breed, his entire undercarriage was sopping, even with a toweling off.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Is your class outdoors? Is that why he was so wet? That's tough. My dogs hate it too. I don't know of a way around that one.

The biggest issue is that he's a puppy. Puppy attention comes and goes. Right now, when he hasn't developed the HABIT of paying attention, that means withholding supper until after class, so he has more room for training treats. If he is play driven, work REALLY hard to develop "personal play" routines that are meaningful to him. Mine all like doing nose touches, "chin" where they put their chin in my hand for a sustained time) and "through", where they do figure 8's between my legs. I also have them jump up to touch my hand, and (when cued0 put their paws up on my leg for me to scratch their backs as they stretch. There are LOTS of possibilities... use your imagination, and don't worry about "looking silly" in front of other humans. this isn't about them, it's about establishing such a good relationship with your dog that they think ANYTHING they do with you is "play". 

You can also do toy play, but that can be tough in a class, as it can be distracting to other dogs.

Personally, I do not put "attention" or "eyes up" (or whatever) on cue. I want it to be my dog's default behavior, not something I have to ask for. That comes with developing a great relationship, not teaching it like a party trick. In fact, I have a cue for the opposite. (i.e., "nothing is going to happen between you and me right now, so just relax") My cue for that is, "be a dog!" which means go sniff or do what ever your little doggy heart desires OTHER than giving ME rapt attention. 

Finally, if it's an hour class, and is ALL work (not off leash puppy play mixed in) it might just be too much for him right now. An hour is a LONG time to be working for any dog, let alone a young puppy. I rarely work any of mine for more than 10 minutes at a time, and often it is considerably less. If I have private, they are in crates, and come out, one at a time, to work. That keeps them fresh and WANTING to play. In your case, with only one dog (puppy) in a class, I would be careful to advocate for my dog. If he's had enough, don't beg or cajole. Just cheerfully tell your instructor that he's had enough for now and put him in his crate. It could be that a 10 minute break is all he needs. But even if he can't get back to focusing on you, continuing to try to MAKE it work will only allow him to practice behavior you don't want. So cheerfully putting him away so that you can continue to watch the class, take notes and know what to work on at home in small chunks is a MUCH better option than "beating a dead horse".  :deadhorse: (I've ALWAYS wanted to use that smilie!!!)


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

Usually when a dog stops "caring" or tuning out they are conflicted and going into avoidance. Karen's last paragraph is exactly what we used to do in training. Our release word was "free" ...at that point my dog owned his toy, got to run around at the end of the leash (similar to lunging a horse) and just celebrate our time together. 

With Nino being so motivated by food, praise and toys perhaps you can get him excited with a favorite toy during your at home training sessions. It's kind of train, interact with you with the toy, free (at this point he can carry his toy around if he'd like)....train, toy, free, etc. Keep it short then completely terminate the session when he reaches an almost over the top level of having fun with you. Quit before he even thinks about tuning out. Always keep him wanting more. The two of you will reach an understanding of the joy of working together. You will then know, as Karen stated, at what point to tell your instructor it's time for Nino's break.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

krandall said:


> Is your class outdoors? Is that why he was so wet? That's tough. My dogs hate it too. I don't know of a way around that one.
> 
> The biggest issue is that he's a puppy. Puppy attention comes and goes. Right now, when he hasn't developed the HABIT of paying attention, that means withholding supper until after class, so he has more room for training treats. If he is play driven, work REALLY hard to develop "personal play" routines that are meaningful to him. Mine all like doing nose touches, "chin" where they put their chin in my hand for a sustained time) and "through", where they do figure 8's between my legs. I also have them jump up to touch my hand, and (when cued0 put their paws up on my leg for me to scratch their backs as they stretch. There are LOTS of possibilities... use your imagination, and don't worry about "looking silly" in front of other humans. this isn't about them, it's about establishing such a good relationship with your dog that they think ANYTHING they do with you is "play".
> 
> ...


Our class is inside the training center, but he had to go out and potty before class and once during class, so he never got time to fully dry. I think he was feeling a bit envious of the big lab next to us who was completely dry sans paws hehe.

I do work on nose touches with him to keep him engaged (and not wandering off during instruction time). I like the idea of the 'chin' especially because head control is something he really dislikes when it comes to stacking. Just did a quick training session of it and he thinks it is a blast.

He does really well with looking to me as a default, but there are times (like when he is in the new situation that class is) where expecting constant attention is setting him up for failure. In addition, I don't want him to feel as if the only time he can take his eyes OFF of one of us is when he is told, if that makes sense. I personally would prefer not to put a cue to doing what dogs do. Obviously I make sure they are always exercising their manners; I just don't want dogs that think it's always go time. (I'd LOVE for you to tell me otherwise though; you have so much to teach, and I would love to hear what you have to say. Is "be a dog" a command you give often? If it is your release command, then you can completely disregard this paragraph hehe)

It is a long time to ask for him to be working, but the dogs do get breaks during what I call "lecture time", and he gets to rest on my lap or sniff around us then. The thing is, he was the only one having attention issues at the end (or so it seemed), and Nino is by no means the youngest. I don't want to be THAT person hehe (hmm...maybe having a dog that's always on is what I need...).  Of course, I won't let my pride hurt his training. If he needs a break, I will ask. The instructor was very understanding of his full belly and chilliness yesterday. I might bring a quiet toy next time and sneak that out at the end to boost his motivation.

As always, thanks for the advice. I love seeing you have replied, because I know I'm going to be getting some good information


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

krandall said:


> Is your class outdoors?
> 
> Personally, I do not put "attention" or "eyes up" (or whatever) on cue. I want it to be my dog's default behavior, not something I have to ask for. That comes with developing a great relationship, not teaching it like a party trick. In fact, I have a cue for the opposite. (i.e., "nothing is going to happen between you and me right now, so just relax") My cue for that is, "be a dog!" which means go sniff or do what ever your little doggy heart desires OTHER than giving ME rapt attention.


Out trainer has us treating for what she calls an auto check where we let puppy do what she wants while we talk with each other keeping her in our peripheral vision. Each time she "checks in" by looking at me I casually toss a treat and keep talking. Are we then asking for behavior?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KarMar said:


> Our class is inside the training center, but he had to go out and potty before class and once during class, so he never got time to fully dry. I think he was feeling a bit envious of the big lab next to us who was completely dry sans paws hehe.


Oh, OK. Yeah, one of the hazards of our "mop dogs"!  It's a good thing to know, though, so that if it happens on a show day, you can give yourself PLENTY of time to get him in and warm and dry before ring time.



KarMar said:


> I do work on nose touches with him to keep him engaged (and not wandering off during instruction time). I like the idea of the 'chin' especially because head control is something he really dislikes when it comes to stacking. Just did a quick training session of it and he thinks it is a blast.


Another thing we use during "down times", either during instruction, or waiting at the ring gate, or out in public... is "parking". I put my foot on the leash, with just enough slack that the dog can stand, sit or down, but not move away from me. s/he gets no attention when parked, but can assume any position that is comfortable. They fuss about it a bit in the beginning, but very quickly learn that this is a time that they have to just chill out. It's similar to teaching a dog to go to "mat", but it's something you have with you all the time, wherever you are. I'd rather teach him to park when your attention needs to be on the instructor rather than trying to split your attention between the instructor and working with him on hand targeting or whatever.

That said, "chin" is SO useful for SO many things. As you've already seen, it can help to teach them to stay still on the table, and to accept a mouth exam. It can also be great for veterinary procedures.



KarMar said:


> He does really well with looking to me as a default, but there are times (like when he is in the new situation that class is) where expecting constant attention is setting him up for failure. In addition, I don't want him to feel as if the only time he can take his eyes OFF of one of us is when he is told, if that makes sense.


Oh, absolutely not. The problem is that no matter what we train, it tends to have fall-out in other directions so we have to train in pairs. For instance, you need to train a "wait" or "stay", but if you train it TOO well, the dog won't come off the stay when you call him in a recall. If you've trained the recall without any wait, they will break, and you'll NQ for that! 



KarMar said:


> I personally would prefer not to put a cue to doing what dogs do. Obviously I make sure they are always exercising their manners; I just don't want dogs that think it's always go time. (I'd LOVE for you to tell me otherwise though; you have so much to teach, and I would love to hear what you have to say. Is "be a dog" a command you give often? If it is your release command, then you can completely disregard this paragraph hehe)


I don't EXPECT my dogs to give me 100% attention 100% of the time. BUT I try to make training the MOST fun thing they do in their lives. As a result, there are times when we are out for a casual walk and I look down to see a dog in heads-up heel position. Or I'll be reading a book and look up to see a dog staring at me intently. They are using THEIR attention as a way to get MY attention. Adorable? Yes. But I don't want that all the time. So "be a dog" is my cue to break them out of that. It's different than my "end of exercise" cue, which is a simple, bright, "OK!!!" That, I use when _I_ have initiated the work, and am telling them they have finished and can relax. So they are two different cues with slightly different meanings in context.



KarMar said:


> It is a long time to ask for him to be working, but the dogs do get breaks during what I call "lecture time", and he gets to rest on my lap or sniff around us then. The thing is, he was the only one having attention issues at the end (or so it seemed), and Nino is by no means the youngest. I don't want to be THAT person hehe (hmm...maybe having a dog that's always on is what I need...). Of course, I won't let my pride hurt his training. If he needs a break, I will ask. The instructor was very understanding of his full belly and chilliness yesterday. I might bring a quiet toy next time and sneak that out at the end to boost his motivation.


Dogs are like kids they all learn at a different rate, and some things are easier for some while other things are easier for others. It's hard not to do, but (ask your mother about this ) do NOT compare Nino to the other dogs in the class... or to Mario. He is absolutely perfectly Nino, and as long as you are patient and consistent, he WILL learn what you want him to, in his own time and in his own way. There are a zillion different ways to teach any one behavior, for a very good reason. There is SOME dog out there who can't seem to learn it any of the OTHER ways. 

Even though she's an obedience trainer, not a conformation person, I urge you to go sign up for Denise Fenzi's blogs. She has two, one mostly aimed at performance (of all sorts, though, you'll get something out of that one too) and another for pet people. Although Nino is going to be a show dog, he is also going to be your pet. (as all dogs should be, first and foremost, IMO!) Read her very first blog in the pet blog: https://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/08/30/its-a-puppy-not-a-problem/

and go from there. Keep in mind at all times that this applies to Nino... He's a puppy, not a problem. He's JUST at the very,VERY start of his education. You've got a LONG way to go together!


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

Ahhhh...this is a conformation class. Oops, my response was based on thinking it was obedience.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

PaulineMi said:


> Ahhhh...this is a conformation class. Oops, my response was based on thinking it was obedience.


I think it's just a general puppy K class... But she intends to show Nino in conformation.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

krandall said:


> I think it's just a general puppy K class... But she intends to show Nino in conformation.


That is correct  We do plan on competing in agility and possibly obedience as long as his trainability and eagerness to perform persist. I think part of his lapse in focus came from his interest in the UD poodle doing a run through in the ring next to us. He kept excitedly looking from the poodle to me as if to say "Yeah, puppy class is cool, but when can I do THAT?"


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Chi-Chi's Mom said:


> Out trainer has us treating for what she calls an auto check where we let puppy do what she wants while we talk with each other keeping her in our peripheral vision. Each time she "checks in" by looking at me I casually toss a treat and keep talking. Are we then asking for behavior?


There is nothing wrong with encouraging an automatic check-in... What we are talking about with Nino, and what I want from my dogs is more formal, purposeful attention than that, and is needed for a dog who needs to "work", whether it's in the conformation ring, obedience/rally ring or agility ring.


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