Course Schedule

Week 2:

The Difference Between Attention, Focus and Engagement

It’s easy to blur the lines between the meanings of attention, focus and engagement.  While it’s true that they often are seen in combination, that doesn’t mean they are one and the same or that they can’t be present without the other. The most important difference though is the motivation of each.

As we discussed last week, I define attention as a behavior: look at my face/make eye contact. This includes the execution (look at my face/make eye contact), duration (continue to do so until released), and difficulty (do so even under difficult circumstances or environments).

When we reinforce a behavior, it is more likely to increase in both frequency and quality. The motivation for a dog to continue offering eye contact is driven by the reinforcement history we establish

Focus, however is a state of mind. It is the capacity to concentrate on and direct mental effort to a specific task, “thing”, or outcome.  It is not a behavior that can be reinforced, but rather a skill that can be practiced and improved. While in a mental state of focus there is often the anticipation of a specific desired outcome which enhances the dog’s ability to both garner reinforcement in the form of dopamine and build duration in the skill of focusing on a specif

Engagement is the result of enjoyable and collaborative interaction. It is neither a behavior nor a state of mind. It is a choice the dog makes based on the experience, and the anticipation that experience will continue. Two key points of engagement are authenticity and respect.

Reward Events – Value Added

We can make an exercise, a behavior, or a sequence more valuable and increase the dog’s desire to continue to engage in the training, even ask for more, by adding value to our rewards through the use of “reward events”.

Often, we tend to reward by rote, using the same method, the same reward, and the same duration. We assume that because our dog eats the treat or takes the tug, it is reinforcing. However, reinforcement should lead to an increase in the quality or frequency of a behavior.

Reward events are a way to add value to the rewards we provide. They also inject a joyful emotional state into our training. Spend time and effort making your rewards and reward events fun for your dog. The games you’ll learn not only increase your dog’s skills but can and should be used as part of your reward events.

If we want our dogs to be enthusiastic learners and partners, our reinforcement needs to go beyond a cursory piece of food. The reward should match the level of work. The more we ask of our dog, the more we need to be willing to provide in return. Rather than giving your dog one treat, give them several in a row, Fast Food style, paired with verbal praise. Most dogs prefer movement over staying stationary, so allowing them to use their bodies when receiving rewards can increase the value of the reward. Using the games in this course is just one of the many ways to add value to your reinforcement.

Give your Dog a Reason

Whether performing a behavior, or in a focused state of mind, or making a choice to engage, our dogs need to have a reason. We want that reason to be strong enough that the dog is driven to respond to our cues, play our games, compete with us in sports, and enjoy everyday activities with us.

Building a repertoire of enjoyable and reinforcing games tied to purposeful training, does just that. It gives the dog a reason to learn what we want them to learn.

Proximity and Recall Games:

You might think that these 2 skills, remaining in proximity and coming when called are 2 different skills. A recall is actually an up close and personal behavior! The end result is the dog being close enough for you to reach out and take his collar if you need to. Recall training doesn’t start at a distance. Distance is added as a layer of difficulty!

In this week’s games we are going to give your dog a reason to stay close and a reason to return to “close” if there is distance between you.

Proximity Games:

Quartering

Lure coursing

Tween

Leap Frog

Leash On, Leash Off

Recall Games:

Fist bump

Put your collar here!

Come and Get it

Slow Dancin’ – Boogie!