# Hyper focused.



## Cain (Feb 14, 2011)

Well I have this problem occur at times with Cain. There are times when he focuses on something to the extent that it is very difficult to revert that attention back to myself. No verbal cues, not even any treat will diminish it. He will start paying attention to myself when whatever he was so focused on is out of sight. What do you guys do in this situation to help calm down your dog and have them be responsive?


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

What I do depends on the situation. If we're walking on leash, I'll say his name then do a 180 degree turn. On my "harder" dogs, I've turned "into" them . Folow up with doing a few sharp 90-180 degree turns, remember to always give a "warning" before turning. This works best,in my experience, from a heel position. You could also try "blocking" his view. Something that I do now when my IGs get too focused on a chase is to run towards them clapping and calling loudly to them(usually their name and the commands: Away and To me) but they're very "soft" dogs.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would also suggest moving the dog away by body blocking and walking the other direction. As soon as the dog relaxes on a LOOSE leash, reinforce and regain attention from the dog. 

What are his triggers that he gets focused on like this?


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## Cain (Feb 14, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> I would also suggest moving the dog away by body blocking and walking the other direction. As soon as the dog relaxes on a LOOSE leash, reinforce and regain attention from the dog.
> 
> What are his triggers that he gets focused on like this?


Squirrels, rabbits, but what dog doesn't. Problem is sometimes he goes full out sprint when he sees something enticing, and I'm afraid it could hurt him. This also all depends on his energy levels. The other day, I was over at a friend's and had Cain, they had a dog that he would not leave alone, and continuously attempted to hump it. This was a first, also this was a new dog so that may have something to do with it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds like you really need to work on basic impulse control in low distraction environments before you expect him to be able to handle himself in public, high distraction areas. 

Here's a really good video to get you started on the right track:

YouTube - ‪"It's Yer Choice"‬‏

You can apply the concept of "its yer choice" to any context in life. Even chasing after squirrels.


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## Cain (Feb 14, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Sounds like you really need to work on basic impulse control in low distraction environments before you expect him to be able to handle himself in public, high distraction areas.
> 
> Here's a really good video to get you started on the right track:
> 
> ...


The thing is, Cain does have impulse control. He won't touch any food until I tell him "Yes", and leaves it when told. But when it comes to small critters, "leave it" goes in one ear and out the other.


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## KlaMarie (Dec 30, 2010)

Cain said:


> The thing is, Cain does have impulse control. He won't touch any food until I tell him "Yes", and leaves it when told. But when it comes to small critters, "leave it" goes in one ear and out the other.


I have very prey-driven dog, and we live next to a state park. The deer and other critters we see on the hiking trails can be a problem for her. She can get very ramped up if she sees a deer or rabbit running away from us. I eventually want her to have an iron-clad recall, even if she were to see a deer. But there is no way I’m going to start teaching her to recall when she is super excited about a deer. 
I started teaching her to recall and focus on me with no distractions, I put her in situations where I KNEW she would come to me when I called her, and also where I could ensure she wouldn’t get any type of reward for ignoring me. I practiced this until it started to become instinct for her. Then I started adding in little distractions, but I still had control of the situation. She likes to chase flying bugs, and those don’t get her as drivey as the deer do. So I drilled her with no distractions for a little bit, I leashed her, and then waited until she zoned in on a grasshopper to chase it. I recalled her and she turned on a dime to come back to me. If she hadn’t recalled, I would have been able to make sure she couldn’t get rewarded by catching the bug. I’ll eventually start incorporating the things she gets super excited about.
Set your dog up for success and make sure he knows exactly what you want. If you start to see him get ramped up and loose focus, back up, take away some of the distractions if you can, wait him out and reward his focus on you with something he wants. If he doesn’t want food and doesn’t respond to praise, find something else he wants—toss his ball or tug with him.


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