Distractions during class. What should we do?

[KarinA]

Dasso usually does quite well during class but for the last 2 weeks, while class is going on, there are some people training for agility at the other end. He does alright until the green dumbell appears. Once that comes out you cannot keep his attention for anything and once they start tossing it and retrieving it he just loses his mind. What can we do to try to get his mind back on training ? Any help would be great.

[SonnyRott]

Ahhhh....yes....distractions. I used to get really irritated with distractions when I paid good money to be in a training class. Sometimes children would be outside the ring being a little too giggly, sometimes people would come to visit and chit chat which included opening noisy folding chairs, sometimes others would bring another pet and crate it until it was time for its class but the pet was whining, sometimes the door was opening and closing for potty breaks, sometimes......see where I'm going with this.

My whole attitude changed one night when our trainer said...."Work through the distractions!" What better way for you and your dog to learn how to deal in these situations then to work through them there in class. If your dog cannot recover from distractions in a controlled environment, it will not be prepared when you really need it to matter most.

Now that you know what his BIG distraction is...you now have a chance to work on it.

I now look at distractions as a blessing in disguise. You can't pay for this stuff. And the distraction always changes!

[alexav]

Think of this situation as trying to teach a child their times-tables at Disneyland!
This is not the time to start something new and complicated but is a great time to show them that if they can concentrate for short periods of time, and practice things they already know, the rewards will be big. This is commonly known as "proofing".

Depending on the training level and age of the dog, the corrections for blowing me off might be big too.

If a green dumbell is more interesting than you, you will have to step it up a bit too.

[old girl]

Our trainer uses microwaved hotdog pieces for distraction. Chewie failed everytime except the last time. Then he got the hotdog

[Judi W]

Just my own curiosity. What the heck place does a green dumbell (or any colored dumbell) have in agility?

[alexav]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Just my own curiosity. What the heck place does a green dumbell (or any colored dumbell) have in agility?

I was wondering that same thing! But then, with all the strange "trainers" I've read about lately, I am thinking that sometimes it's better not to ask.

[KarinA]

Thanks for the advice. I know that we have to keep working with him, I'm sure that hot dogs will help. The boy is very food driven.
I don't know what it is that they are doing with that green dumbell. I just know that it is a big distraction.

[Judi W]

There are no dumbells used in agility. Perhaps you have an open class going on nearby.

[KarinA]

Thanks for the clarification Judi. Like my dog I'm still learning.