06/02/2024
Someone else wrote this but it is absolutely correct. I just had to repost it. Engagement vs. Attention. Whatâs the difference? In the old days we wanted âattentionâ. Basically, we wanted the dogs to look at us. The dogs âpaid attentionâ because they were taught not to look away. But quite often the dog was conflicted. It WANTED to look at something else but knew it shouldnât. The dogâs focus was split. Which means their response to the cue was affected. The dog didnât respond, or their response was slow, or they didnât meet criteria.
Over time I realized I donât want the dog to just âlookâ at me. We all know that doesnât mean the dog is mentally there. Weâve all experienced talking to someone that is looking at us but NOT paying attention! Weâve also been in a situation where the dog is looking at us, we give a cue, but the dog doesnât respond at all. Or performs the wrong behavior, or the behavior doesnât meet criteria. Looking does not mean mentally focused.
When a dog OFFERS engagement (i.e. itâs THEIR idea), the dog is fully committed. The environment ceases to exist. The dog is aware of distractions, but they feel good about ignoring them. They know their job! You canât fool them!! The dog is confident and empowered. Is this easy to achieve? No! Why?? Well, letâs be realistic. A dog has different motivations than we do. Much as we love themâŠand they love usâŠ. thatâs often not enough. When they see something that reminds them of prey, that may be more valuable to them. For some dogs, nothing is more meaningful than food. Some dogs are enamored of the environment. Others love people or dogs. Some dogs are nervous and insecure. All dogs instinctively orient to smell, motion and sound. Itâs just how they are wired. We are asking them to ignore everything that makes them feel safe, thatâs natural for themâŠand perform random, meaningless behaviors on cue. Itâs not impossible, itâs just challenging. We need to be empathetic and understand what we are asking. If we do, we will be better trainers.
It's our job to make the work SO REINFORCING that the dog WILLINGLY chooses the work over the environment. Part of that is clarity. Clear, consistent information is highly reinforcing. Part of that is success. Personally, I think making mistakes is an important part of learning. BUT if the mistakes outweigh the successesâŠwell, you wouldnât find that fun either. Success is reinforcing. Success builds confidence. Itâs VERY important to keep track of the error/success ratio. Many people are not good at this. If your dog makes two errors in a row, itâs a red flag. The dog doesnât understand what you are trying to communicate. Rather than continue, change something!! Not sure what to do? AbortâŠget help, think about it⊠Doing the same thing over and over expecting to get a different result is the definition of insanity ï I remind myself of that often!!
Part of teaching engagement is not overfacing the dog. I.e. donât ask the dog to do something thatâs to challenging for their current skill level. Humans make assumptions. All the time. THEY think the dog SHOULD be able to do âxâ work in âyâ environment. Thatâs great. But just because YOU think it, doesnât mean the dog can. Just because the dog can do it at home, doesnât mean the dog can do it at a show n go, or at the park, or at a new training building.
If you are struggling with engagement, itâs not because you are a failure, youâre not interesting enough, youâre not trying hard enough, or your dog doesnât love you. Itâs because your dog doesnât understand. Letâs be clear. Engagement is a TAUGHT skill. We must teach it piece by piece, step by step. We must teach it in environments that have little to no distraction. And slowly over time build on that until the dog can work in busy, challenging environments. Sustained engagement is a skill. We must build it like a muscle. At first the dog can maintain engagement for only a few minutes. Little by little we build mental endurance. Until the dog can maintain active engagement for long periods of time.
As with all taught behaviors, initially we use a very high reinforcement rate. We help the dog. A lot. But as we progress, we need to fade our help. And we need to reduce the amount of reinforcement. Not in every training session. But often enough so the dog can comfortably work without the reinforcer on you.
When I watch dogs at trials, I can tell that most of them understand the exercises. What they are missing is engagement. I can see the frustration and disappointment on the handlerâs faces. And I empathize with them. Because getting and maintaining engagement is easily the hardest aspect of dog training.
If your dog is struggling, there is a hole in your training. Your dog doesnât understand what you want. Maybe you did a great job teaching engagement and your dog has trialed successfully for a while. But suddenly things are falling apart. Why?? Engagement requires constant maintenance. I go back and review fundamentals a lot!! Throughout my dogâs entire career. Just because I taught it, doesnât mean Iâm finished.
Personally, I find nothing as exciting, satisfying and rewarding as working a fully engaged dog. Itâs an amazing feeling. We are deeply connected; the dog responds quickly and eagerly to subtle cues. The dog can work comfortably and with full focus in very distracting environments. So exciting! And incredibly rewarding. Achieving this requires patience and, quite literally, years of hard work. Remember, engagement is a skill. It must be taught, just like an exercise. It must be nurtured and fostered and maintained. If we donât have it, we didnât teach it.
