Dealing With Distractions
Now that we have the basics of leash walking down pat with our dogs in a quiet setting, lets help them when we are faced with all kinds of distractions out in the real world. Do not leave the house empty handed and be prepared with loads of yummy treats.
We want to make sure that we are being a good advocate for our dog and helping them through any situations that they are truly having a hard time with. We need to provide them with opportunities to practice alternate behaviors we want to see instead. While they are learning we want to reward frequently, you can work on tweaking and phasing out the loads of treats once they have truly figured out what we are expecting of them.
Our dogs learn by association. We want them to feel comfortable in all situations we place them in! This means pairing really great things with novel items and scary situations. We want to take it at the dog’s pace and help them throughout the process.
We need to teach them to look to us for direction, this strengthens that bond between you to help them feel safe. It is not realistic to meet every dog we pass in our travels, nor should we want to. We want our dogs to walk by and ignore them and carry on walking. This is hard! Trust me! Let’s build these skills first! Your trainer can help you to get there.
Movement is really challenging and exciting for our dogs. Watching a rabbit dart out past suddenly, a puppy inviting play, or a reactive dog walking close by can really throw a wrench in the progress we may be feeling in our walks. Let’s start out by teaching them while we are stationary and then work towards being able to walk past once, they are a pro with checking in. Trick is, we need to be more rewarding to our dogs than the distraction. This requires critical thinking on our part.
Space is your best friend here, so really work with it. If you dog is not taking food from you, you will find it hard to be successful and you may need to back up a few steps in their learning to ensure your dog can handle what you are asking of them. This is where all your practice with offered attention pays off.
Step off the path to create some distance for your dog. You can also change directions or find something in your environment as in a tree or vehicle to provide a visual barrier if they are getting too excited.
Do not call your dog’s name, punish them, or add any tension to your leash. Step down on that leash, making sure you hold the other end for safety. If your dog is not getting worse and simply watching, let them! Do not pester them for attention, WAIT IT OUT, when they do look to you, mark it with our “YES” and pay up the treats. Do not be cheap here! It is super important to let them work through this from a safe distance. They will catch on fast. You can use a cheater noise or drag your foot, just let them make the decision and think it out. We do not want this on a cue!
If they are showing signs of stress, put your lure to your dog’s nose first to direct them back to you, if that does not work, try dropping the treat right in front of their nose in their line of sight for them to follow that movement and get them giving you that attention. Still not working? Then you need more space.
Remember this is difficult for your dog. They are not giving you a tough time; they are having one! If your dog will not take treats from you, their stress level is too high at that point. Make sure you bring REALLY tasty treats that you know they will love on walks; this will help immensely!
Our goal is to have our dog look to the trigger, then immediately look to us like an auto watch. This replaces the reactions and the outbursts; our dogs learn what we expect instead.
Make sure you keep practicing your good leash walking foundations, rewarding for that movement, and stopping when they pull.
Most of all, try to relax, have fun, and enjoy the moment. Your dog will thank you!
