Keeping the attention of your dog during training is not always an easy task. Dogs can be very easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be ruined by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is vital to making a happy, well-balanced and well-trained dog.

Providing random positive stimuli throughout the day is a great way to keep the interest of your dog. Doing things the dog enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are good ways to keep the dog’s attention, but you must reward him for small successes.

For example, in order to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, ask the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After your dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the before-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog enjoys doing.

Providing some sort of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a scratch behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want, is a great method to keep your dog’s motivation while you are dog training.

If your dog knows something great is going to occur every time he obeys your commands, he will be more motivated to do want you want every time.

Distraction training.

When training any dog, it is vital to not allow distractions disrupt the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can also be used as rewards when training the dog to come when told.

For instance, if your dog like romping with other dogs, whether it be in a park or with the neighbour’s dogs, let him play with those other dogs. Then go into the park or garden and call your dog.

When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to go back to playing with his friends. Repeat this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.

The dog will quickly realize that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the hardest things for your dog to learn, because dogs are naturally social animals, and leaving the pack is one of the hardest things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably unwilling to leave their canine companions, but it is important to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you when you call can require some thought on your behalf at first. For example, waving one of his favourite toys, or a lure, is a good way to get your dog’s attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator as well in dog training.

Once the dog begins to get used to coming when called, you can begin to reduce and eliminate the visual cues and focus on getting the dog to respond to your voice alone. It is vital that the dog obeys voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.