Dog Trainer Eastern Suburbs – Why Is Engagement Important?

Dog Trainer Eastern Suburbs – Why Is Engagement Important?

A lot of trainers talk about engagement, but what does it mean and why is it so important? We are often a bit too focused on our dog having fun with the environment: dog playdates at the park, sniffing on walks, chasing a ball, swimming, greeting strangers… These are all examples of your dog being reinforced for ignoring you and having fun with distractions or the environment instead. This will lead to problems such as not listening to you, taking off, not coming back etc.

One of the very first things a top dog trainer knows how to teach is simply to get a dog to pay attention to us, humans! This is the process of engagement training, teaching a dog that the owner is worth paying attention to.

A dog who is engaged with their owner knows that rewards (praise, treats, toys, food and fun) come from their owner and is motivated to work with their human. Before we can ask a dog to obey commands we must show them that listening to us is in their best interest.

4 tips for better engagement with your dog:

1. Hand feeding: teaching your dog to focus on you by feeding from the hand works as an engagement exercise. It’s especially important if you have a dog who comes to get their reward and then immediately checks out. Extend the amount of time they pay attention to you by giving rapid-fire rewards from your hand.

2. Teach tricks: tricks are a great opportunity to teach your dog about rewards and communication with you. The more you train, the easier it will get!

3. Eye contact: A dog who is watching you is 100% engaged and ready so that when you do start to ask them for more complicated behaviours, they are committed. Teaching ‘look’ command is an excellent engagement exercise!

4. Hide and go seek: engagement should be always fun! Build your dog’s drive to stay engaged with you by making it into a  game of hide and seek! Sneak off with some delicious treats and call your dog to find you.

A dog who has practised engagement is easier to train and control, has a stronger bond with you, can better handle distractions, and enjoys the training experience more. So get out there and get your dog engaged!

Dog Trainer Eastern Suburbs – Check out my next obedience classes here!