10/07/2025
⭐️ Building your dogs drive, focus and engagement. ⭐️
In order to get our dogs to pay attention to us we need to build their drive, focus (eye contact) and engagement. This is needed so they can properly learn to walk at heel, have a solid recall and leave things when asked. There also always has to be something in it for the dog, so we need to motivate them to want to do as we ask in free agency as much as possible.
We need to build their drives and motivate them to focus, look at us and engage with us in free agency, to as high a level as possible.
To do this we usually would use food or play drive, however sometimes we may have to use anything available to us (within reason) so that our dogs are interested in working with us.
🐾Food drive and building food drive in dogs that are not very food driven:
*The majority of dogs have a good food drive but not all do, but this drive can however be built up.
For example instead of giving them their breakfast before a walk, give it to them afterwards. This means they will be more likely to be hungry and want to take food rewards.
*Make sure the treats you use are high value and as natural as possible. My favourite ones to use are Natures Menu beef treats as they are more natural and dogs that are not usually food motivated, can’t resist them.
*If a dog is not taking treats then it is often because they are too over excited, over aroused or too focused on everything else around them. To solve this issue we have to work them through this state of mind, via training drills to burn off some of that energy and bring the focus back to us.
🐾Play drive and building play drive
*Some dogs may be more interested in balls or toys and you can use that to your advantage in training. You could give them the toy as the reward, however I prefer to give them a treat instead as it will also help to build food drive. It will also help to not make them obsessive about the toy.
*However not all dogs have a good play drive, again this is something that you can build up, but it has to be done in the right way in order to not cause over excitement/arousal or obsessive behaviours.
It is better to try to build up their food drive, however failing that their play drive is the next best thing to work on.
🐾Other things to build focus and engagement:
*As I mentioned sometimes you may have to use and do anything you can in order to build that engagement and focus.
*If you are out in the park and your dog is more interested in leaf for example, then use it to your advantage. Hold it close to your body in the position you would normally hold a toy or a treat (by your hip) and work on training drills.
*However UNDER NO circumstances allow them to have the leaf or anything else you use for safety reasons. It’s purely there to be used as a guide/help to bring their focus and eye contact up to you, only give them a treat as a reward.
🐾 Important things to keep in mind
*If we don’t work on building their drive, focus and engagement then we wont be able to reinforce a solid heel or recall etc. We may also accidently reinforce a lack of focus and engagement on us.
*Always remember that dogs are highly intelligent animals that innately use body language to communicate. They will always repeat behaviours that have been successful.
So for example if they learn that being over excited and pulling you gets them in to the park quicker, then that is the behaviour they will repeat.
They are creatures of habit and will repeat behaviours that they have found to be successful in the past. This is why it is so important to make sure we teach, motivate and reinforce the right behaviours, via their drive, focus, engagement and in free agency.
