How to I teach my dog to concentrate?

The level of concentration in your dog is one of the most important aspects of your training process. Your dog has to be as much concentrated as it is possible in order to achieve good results in training. To achieve the high concentration level and attention, you have to show your dog that it is training time now. It is recommended to add some kind of a signal to inform the dog about the start of your lesson.

You can use words as a signal, for example, you can say "Let's start!" with a friendly and calm tone. After some time and after some attempts, the dog will understand that this phrase means the beginning of your training session. A bit later, you will be able to calm down your dog with this command and set up the working mood.

As for the breaks, you should give your dog a possibility to play and relax during them. Please note that if your dog continues to execute commands during its break, it's okay, but no attention should be paid to it.

You should also praise your pet every time it looks at you. Here is a simple exercise: grab a clicker and "click" every time when your pet looks into your eyes and give it something tasty. When the dog will be able to concentrate for a long time, the motivation can be removed.

Here is a simple exercise to motivate your dog to concentrate:

Keep something tasty (or a toy) in your hand and make your dog follow your every step. To make it simpler, just go backward, so the dog could repeat your steps easier. Praise your pet for every visual contact. When the dog is able to keep visual contact for a long time, you can add turns and stops to the training.

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