Focus & Impulse Control Game
My go to Focus & Impulse Control game…
Being a working breed specialist, I often train excitable young dogs, and I love starting a session with a game like this!
You teach your dog to suppress the instinct to chase after something that moves and to engage you to access the food thrown out. It helps develop the part of the dog’s brain which controls their own excitement so they can exert more self-control taking pressure off you to be hands-on the whole time.
Encouraging eye contact opens a communication channel that can be used to guide your dog through the rest of the session.
Eye contact is the dogs’ primary way of communicating. If we can get a dog to look at us, we have their focus. This is the basis of engagement and is why eye contact features in Day 2 of our Free 5-day recall challenge
How to play 'CHUCK and CHILL'
We teach your dog to dogs relax and engage with you to gain access to food thrown out in progressive layers, so they can learn the game without it getting too hard, too quick and them not wanting to play!
You will need a light-coloured ‘chuckable’ reward; I find pate works best
- Crouch with the dogs, holding their lead or harness to gently restrain them, throw the pate 1m in front and immediately release them to get it, teaching them to watch where the thrown food lands.
- Gently restrain the dog, throw out the pate and wait for them to chill (for example stops straining) release them to get it
- Gently restrain the dog, throw out the pate and wait for them to give voluntary eye contact, no cues from you, wait until it’s offered, release them to get their reward.
