Using Pack Mentality to Train Dogs who Do Not Respond to Treats or Toys.

Most of the time, dogs will work for the common reward of a savory treat or a special toy. But occasionally, I will get a dog who is not interested in any kind of treat- no matter how delicious, or any toy no matter how enticing. They just don't have the motivation for them. When this happens, training can move to a whole new level of difficulty. If you are having these problems with your dog you might be experiencing frustrating things such as your dog being scatterbrained, not acknowledging your existence or even blatant defiance. You may also get so turned around as to question yourself and if your dog just isn't hearing you- which I can assure you, is not the case. If things have gotten this far with your dog, your dog has successfully trained you! Though this can make a person crazy, Giving way to frustration leads to anger and none of these energies will help to get any training accomplished. It's important to stop, breathe deeply and go back to the drawing board.

So how do we fix this? how do you get a dog who isn't motivated by anything to want to learn and work? The answer lies with your dog; only he will be able to tell you what motivates him. It's important to remember that we have to be open to listening to what our dogs are telling us. In most cases, unconventional training methods save the day! Congrats! your dog is unique!

USING PRAISE AS A REWARD

In the most simple cases, some unmotivated dogs will work fo

r huge amounts of praise. A well timed “atta-boy” is a huge confidence boost for these types of personalities. Use a clicker to signal the precise moment when the desired action is performed and then praise praise praise! Using high pitched noises and lots of physical touch really get distracted dogs to want to work. In the end, what they are really working for, is the boost in self esteem. They aim to please, and by making you happy, they feel accomplished. This can be as addictive as a toy or treat to some dogs, usually high energy working type breeds.

GIVING A TOY SIGNIFICANCE AND USING THE PACK

If you have neighborhood dogs that your pup is familiar with (and who also love tennis balls and are playful type personalities) , you can use them as a means to give a toy significance. For some dogs, a toy is not attractive in any way. Their motto is “So what? is squeaks.” or “yeah right, I’m not running over there for that”. But all may not be lost. To start, make sure that your dog and the neighborhood dogs form a pack. To do this, you will want to make sure you have at least 2 other dogs with you, but not more than 4. Your want the pack to be small, friendly and tight knit. The next step is to go on walks with these dogs, all of them together. long walks, each day, for a 2-3 weeks. An hour a day is usually a good amount of time. To make the bond even tighter, after a few days of walking, (and if all the dogs are friendly with each other) you can then hook them up in a mushing line and walk them down the road, or ask them to pull a tire while you walk behind. The reason for this is that dogs that work together, form very close friendships, and THIS is what may be the foundation for giving a toy significance.

After building this foundation of pack mentality up, you can take all the dogs to an open area or park. Make sure that you have a trusted person to help you with this and bring a brand new squeak ball with you (must be something your dog has never seen or encountered.. Your helper will take the pack of dogs, 20-50 feet from you and your dog. Using the special squeak ball, your helper will play with the dog pack and get them super excited and playful. your helper can give lots of praise and make the atmosphere something enticing. Using high pitched praise and lots of pets, with the dog pack chasing the ball together. The idea is to single out your dog, and to keep him away from the other dogs, and by doing this we create something your dog wants. He wants to be with the others. He wants to play like they are playing.

Next we use simple commands the dog may already know, like “sit”. While all the commotion is going on in front of your dog, patiently try to get his attention and ask him to “sit”. If your dog doesn't do this right away, be patient. Allowing frustration into the mix now will ruin everything. Use a calm assertive energy to ask again, and ask again, until your dog realizes that he should listen to what you are saying. Once he accomplished the task, click the clicker immediately- timing is everything! EVERYTHING! You must be on your game for this. As soon as your dogs butt hits the ground, click. Then follow up with letting him off the leash/giving a command to go play with the pack.

While playing, have your helper throw the ball to the other dogs, Dont let your dog get it if you can help it. Its also ok if your dog doesnt chase the ball right away. We are building up the significance of the ball. After a few minutes, call your dog back and away from the pack and repeat the process. After a while your dog will understand that when he does what you ask, he gets to play with the pack. Eventually, your dog may place significance on the ball; He will want it because everyone else wants it. “It must be special!” If this happens, save the special ball ONLY FOR TRAINING. dont let your dog play with it except when he does what you ask him to do during training. If the significance of the ball starts to go away, repeat the pack exercise!

DISTANCE TRAINING

Does your dog hate to be away from you? Does he cry and whine when you segregate him to a separate room? Does he follow you everywhere and go nuts if you're not in sight? If so, PERFECT! You can use this against him. MWUAHAHA! There are two ways of doing this, you will need help from friend at first.

OPTION 1

Teach your dog agility by setting up off leash obstacles. First, begin with your dog on leash. Start with a simple jump. Ask your dog to trot next to you on the leash and get him to jump over the pole or object. You'll want to make this very easy to accomplish at first. No super high jumps or scary objects. W

hen your dog jumps, click the clicker to signal he did something right and give him a ton of praise. Trot him in a circle and do it again.

When he knows the deal, set us a couple jumps, in a row. when he gets the idea and can successfully accomplish them, make the leash 3 times longer and put some space between you and him while accomplishing the jumps. When he gets it, go off leash and point to the jump, asking him to jump over it-- each time clicking and rewarding when he does what you're asking of him.

Next, put the jumps in a strange pattern, point and ask him to go over them. By the end of this, we have taught him to pay attention to you and to take direction, without him knowing that it was all a part of your plan. He will do it, because it's a challenge, and fun!

OPTION 2

Put fido on a leash, give him to a friend and then walk a few feet away. Is your dog concerned about where you are going? Is he whining or staring through you? GREAT! You're at a good distance. Use this focused energy to ask him to do certain tasks, while your friend is MINIMALLY handling him. The purpose of the friend is to keep your dog away from you, and to help coax your dog into doing an action that YOU command him from a few feet away.

First, start with a simple command like “sit”. If your dog is focused on you, but doesn't do the command, have your friend pull up on the leash gently, and get your dog to sit. The idea is that your friend be a quiet accomplice- he/she should remain super quiet and calm and should not being speaking or giving commands to your dog. they are only a means to an end- a way to get your dog to do the action YOU are asking. If your helper is too involved, this method will fail miserably and confuse your dog. Once your dog accomplishes the command you are asking, your helper should let him off the leash and let him run to you for praise. YOU are the reward. Remember to use a clicker to signal the precise moment when your dog accomplished what you asked of him.

When your dog listens to you from a distance with “sit”, try other commands like “backup”, “over left” and “over right” ect. With each command, your helper can quietly help the dog accomplish what you are asking.

TIP: BE CAREFUL NOT TO UNCONSCIOUSLY CREEP CLOSER TO YOUR DOG DURING THESE EXERCISES. the space is what is keeping your dog's attention.

When your dog listens from a distance, slowly,day by day, close the gap, until your helper is no longer necessary. You should eventually have a dog that hangs on your every word, while being right next to you.

INTELLIGENCE

It is important to take time with all of these methods. Rushing anything will cause confusion. Make sure that you also stop the training on a good note AND that you stop the training when your dog is becoming mentally exhausted, which could happen after about 15 minutes with some dogs, or last an hour with others. Every dog is different and patience and positivity are key. If you allow yourself to become frustrated at any point, you should stop training for the day, so as not to cause harm to the method. If none of these techniques work for your you and your dog, take a few days to closely watch your dog's behavior and take note of what gets his tail wagging and what keeps his attention. Be creative!

Dogs who need unconventional training, and who are easily distracted are usually more intelligent than most. It’s because their minds move at a faster pace, that they become easily distracted; They are always thinking. Some have figured out that treats are a bribe for working, and are smart enough to understand this concept and to be defiant about it. So if your dog is difficult, be happy! He is probably super smart. Just make sure that He doesn't outsmart you!

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