Driven to Distraction, Part 2

When it comes to distractions, we’ve established that we need to teach the dog early in life how to control his behavior. Now, how do we accomplish that?

Learn this mantra: Distance is my friend. Say it early, say it often. The farther away a dog is from his distraction, the easier it is for him to control himself, pay attention and focus. For a puppy with a dog distraction, it will be much, much easier for him to maintain a sit stay 50 yards away from another dog than to attempt it at a range of 10 yards.

Training a dog against distractions boils down to this: You’ve got to find the distance from the distraction at which the pup can control himself and behave within the parameters you have set for him.

The first thing you need to do when faced with a distraction is to decide what behavior you want the dog to compy with. You should start with the widest acceptable parameter, which is “Dog, you can stand, sit or lay down, but you must do this on a LOOSE LEAD.” That means no lunging, no pulling, and no restraining by the handler. The collar has to be loose. Period. If the collar is tight and the leash is taut, the handler is doing all the work. The dog is merely being restrained and doesn’t have to think one bit about what he is doing. He is free to focus on going nuts over the distraction. But a dog that is maintaining a loose collar and leash has to think and focus and control himself. He may be quivering and coiled like a wound spring ready to jump after his distraction but he CHOOSES not to. And that is the beginning of learning self control.

Now you need to find the physical distance from the distraction at which the dog can control himself and stay within the behavior parameter. You want to find the distance at which he is fully aware of the distraction, but under control. Moving so far away that the distraction becomes a non-issue doesn’t accomplish anything either. So how do you find this distance? If you correct the dog more than 3-4 times with increasing intensity and you do not get a change of behavior, then you are too close. Move back 10 feet or so and try again. No change in behavior after corrections? Still too close, back up another 10 feet and try again until the dog can comply. For pups with strong distractions, you may find yourself really faaar awaaaaaaayyyy. Not to worry. The most important thing is that the dog can control himself while still aware of the distraction.

Now that the dog is under control with the widest parameter, start tightening the behavior requirements. Now the dog must hold a sit or a down. Remember: loose collar and leash. It is only at this point that you can try to move closer. Move up 10 feet and try a sit. Successful? Great, move up another 10 feet. Disaster? Tried and failed 3 times? Then move back 5 feet and try again.

So I can already hear some of you despairing: “My dog has a terrible dog distraction, especially at puppy meetings. If we do it your way, we’ll never get close enough to participate in the meeting.” Well, you’re probably right.

And now it’s time for your second mantra: Distraction training cannot be rushed. If you want this to be successful in the shortest time possible, it’s important to do this technique each and every time you are faced with the dog’s distraction. If you expect good behavior sometimes and then give in and let the dog pull you to a distraction the next time, several things happen. One, it’s extremely unfair to the dog to let him get away with it one time and then correct him the next. Two, it’s extremely confusing to the dog (what the heck does she want? Make up your mind) and three, you have actually reinforced the behavior you are trying to get rid of.

Here’s one way to make your life easier. Start doing this as soon as you notice the pup is developing a distraction. And please note the difference between a young puppy exploring his world and becoming well-socialized and a distraction that’s becoming a problem. All pups want to meet and greet other dogs, sniff a cat, watch the sqirrel run up a tree. That’s fine. When an older pup starts focusing on something with a laser intensity, when you have a difficult time refocusing him – that’s when you have a problem developing.

Of course, this wouldn’t be complete without a caveat. The technique I’ve described works best when you have control over your training environment. When you can maintain a distance to the distraction, because the distraction isn’t moving. Real life, however, can be a real pain in the rear for distraction training. Cats mosey over to investigate, civilian dogs pass you in the neighborhood, etc. The only advice I can offer you is to do your best as the situation demands. At the very least, try not to let the dog get rewarded by reaching the distraction. If this means restraining him is your only option as the clueless neighbor’s dog wanders by, then by all means, restrain him and then get him on a loose leash as soon as the other dog is far enough away. And, most importantly, practice distraction training at puppy meetings. Or make a “distraction” date with another dog in your group and practice with them.

I’m sure (and I hope) this has sparked some questions about distraction training. Email me karen.mersereau@guidedogs.org I will compile the questions and post the answers.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to PRAISE when the dog is behaving correctly. You surely didn’t think I’d leave that out, now did you?