Persatuan Agiliti Anjing Pulau Pinang Registration # 1023

Focus and Attention Exercises

Volume 1, Issue 5                                                    26 August, 2007

By Sue Yeap

Focus and attention is essential when it comes to dog training. Many handlers who joined the PAA obedience classes are first taught the FOCUS AND ATTENTION  exercises. Many people get bored with it, not realizing that it is very essential that you get focus and attention from your dog.

The reasons are simple-

• If your dog cannot stay focus for 5 minutes, how can he focus to do good obedience work at competition for 15 minutes?

• If you dog cannot focus for 1 minute, how can he do what you want? His mind has other more interesting things to do.

• Dog training has 3 phases- 1st phase your dog has to learn what you want him to do. 2nd phase is your dog has to able to stay focus for 5 minutes to repeat the exercises with distractions. 3rd phase is correction phase, you correct your dog only when he is 100% reliable performing the exercise. No correction should be done UNTIL the dog knows and repeatedly does the exercise without fail.

Some example of how we get our dogs to have focus, yet have fun. The pictures are taken during the 'dog walk' session in the public football fields in Penang. As long as your dog enjoys the fun, he will willingly perform the exercises. Always keep the training fun.

Picture No. 2 For today's walk we have - from left to right- Clement with Ricky, Sharon with Rocky, Maureen with Phoebe,

Picture No. 3

Before we do any obedience work, the dogs enjoy walking 2 rounds around the fields- they love it!

Picture No. 10- Clement with Ricky.

Picture No. 11 Resting before going home

Picture No. 12 -Rottie puppy making friends with Miniature Schnauzers.

Always have fun with your puppy from the very start...

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