Lesson One
Attention Training

1. Pace off a square with approximately 50’ sides (20 - 25 paces).

2. Place your dog on a 15’ light long line. Hold the leash handle with both hands. Keep your hands together, side by side. Do not allow any space in between them or you will create a shock absorber. This technique will also give you extra strength for larger dogs. For even more strength, lock your elbows to your sides when you turn or leave.

3. Standing fully upright at point “A”, look at point “B” and walk to it. Do not wait, speak or coax your dog --- just walk. Hold the end of the leash tight and firm. If the leash tightens, give a firm, fast jerk (‘check’). Repeat it if necessary. It is the speed of the ‘check’ and not the strength behind it that is important. The check is an attention getter and not designed to inflict pain in any way. It is not uncommon to administer several checks in a row, much like pumping the brakes of your car. This will teach the dog that he has to watch you to know when you are leaving. Put the entire burden of attention on your pet. As a rule, we demand attention from our dog. Now it’s time to turn the tables. In essence, you are setting the dog up with two decisions, Walk or Drag. When he chooses the correct decision, give him a “good dog”. Should he choose wrong, he gets a check and is ignored. When he has determined that he cannot get any negative attention from you or get his way, he will choose the right decision, and IT WILL BE HIS IDEA to do so. Try hard not to give in. Ignore your dog and just walk until he starts to beg for your attention and starts watching what you are doing (good decision). If he should jump at you, nip at you or tug on the lead, cross your arms across your chest, stop moving and try to ignore him or use your knee to discourage him. When the game becomes boring, they will usually quit. An abrupt ‘NO’ with a sharp collar correction will also work.

4. Once you reach point “B” stop. Ignore your dog still, no matter what he does. Stand fully upright for 1 - 2 minutes. This will allow your dog’s attention to lag. When the allotted pause time is up, wait for the moment when your dog is paying the least attention, then walk to point “C”. Again, move like your on a mission -- just walk. Remember, the leash can only be tight for a split second at a time (check). Never ever allow the leash to remain tight, under any circumstance! If you do, you have just challenged the dog to a tug of war ( survival of the strongest ) duel.

5. At point “C” Stop. Yes, still ignore the dog. Wait 1 - 2 minutes before going to point “D”. When your dog figures out the manipulation, that you are really calling the shots and making the decisions, he will test you. This test can come in many forms. You cannot fail these.

Test one:
"Kid in the supermarket... OW - OW it hurts... mom’s killing me... I can’t walk..."
Correct answer: Glance back, without stopping or slowing to be sure that the leash isn’t wrapped around a leg. It’s okay if he is just uncomfortable and it just passes under an armpit. He’ll live till the next corner. If your dog is truly not dying, keep walking giving the necessary checks to keep the lead slack. In a few more steps, he will realize this isn’t going to work and he will catch up and apologize for ever thinking you were just a dumb owner.

Test two:
“I’ll just use my other senses to keep track of mom so I can look at what I like...”

Examples of this are usually seen at the corner position. When you are waiting your allotted time before starting your next trek to Corner C,. have you noticed (1) young Fido’s tail brushing up against you while he stares at Mr. Chipmunk? or perhaps (2) Fido is sitting on your foot, or (3) leaning against you, or perhaps (4) Fido is sitting directly in front of you at a diagonal? Dogs are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. In the case of touching or brushing, your dog is using his sense of touch to locate you so you can’t sneak away from him, leaving him to get caught by the chain. If your dog is not touching you but is in front of you, he is using his peripheral vision to watch you move toward the next corner or he is using his hearing to listen for when you go. In either case, Go Fast, Break Pattern, Go Very Quietly! Trick him! The more you foil his subtle attempts to get his way, the less his will question your authority and the better trained dog you will have... and voila, it’s all his idea! Why? Because it’s in his best interest to watch you and move with you. Now that is true attention.

Test three:
“My legs are broke, I can’t walk.”
This generally is seen in conjunction with the ‘Ow - Ow it hurts” test.

Again, just keep walking and don’t wait for him. Keep your pace and your pattern giving him on and off checks as you go. He has a decision in this drill, Walk or Drag. When he realizes that his initial choice did not suit his needs, he will get up and try plan B, and walk with you. You will notice that when he does catch up to you he will attempt to get your attention and ‘kiss up’ so to speak. This is an apology for testing you the alpha owner. Accept his apology with a simple ‘good dog’ and keep moving. You can talk and walk at the same time. If you stop, he will learn another method to stop you and get out of the drill. He wins.

6. Practice this exercise for 15 minutes, 4 - 5 times a week. On week two, you may talk to your dog while you are walking (not on the corners) and only if he consistently watches you. Remember, a slack leash is a good indication that your dog is paying attention to you. It is very important that any praise given is a true reward and is not used as a coax to get your dogs attention. Once you have your dogs full, undivided attention, the learning can begin. This exercise can be used further to a) Boundary Train b) stop car chasing etc. c) control aggression d) stop your dog on the fly e) give a nervous dog confidence and f) establish a positive alpha relationship. We will discuss these methods after we learn the basic commands.

You are ready to move onto Lesson 2 when:

• Your dog stares at you throughout the exercise
• Your dog is on a slack leash and remains close to you, regardless of your motions or position
• You can walk towards any distraction that would normally drive your dog mad and maintain eye contact
• You can walk away from any distraction and have your dog choose you over it.