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Level of Focus for 18mo pup


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FOCUS! Quinn (Border Collie/ Australian shepherd / golden retriever) has very limited focus at 18 months. And it’s something we are working on. We’ve been through obedience classes and have completed close to a year of agility.  Training consistency and listening to commands on the first try is part of our training work to improve his focus and calm. I know this will benefit us in agility as we start moving towards competitions. We started rally obedience this past Sunday and... he didn’t even make it through the whole class before losing his cool. It’s was less than an hour. He just couldn’t sit still that long. 

So... MY FIRST QUESTION. What fun activities or training games do you currently or have you used to help your pups develop their focus and patience? Help! I need some good suggestions! 


SECOND QUESTION: Are my expectations that his level of focus should be greater by now on par for his age? What have you experienced with your young pups?  I realize he still has some time before he reaches his full maturity, but I thought I’d ask the experts here for sage advice :)

Pic of said crazy puppy man for attention. He’s a maniac and I love him. We have established a good working partnership and I look forward to honing it in even more. 

D29ADF02-D23D-4775-BA1D-B0A3821C6771.jpeg

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This sounds like my Ruby.  We adopted her when she was a year old.  She had absolutely no focus.  I worked with her for two years before I got her attention.  The important thing is not what you are doing/training, but CONSISTENCY and never giving up.  At three, Ruby suddenly looked at me and never looked away on the Rally course.  So keep at it and good luck. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

Kathy Robbins

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You have a pretty boy there. One thing is the Golden Retriever in him. Goldens mature very late, as a rule, so that could be part of what is going on. but at a year and a half, focus is not going to be easy for most dogs. Just keep working with him. You can Google "focus exercises for dogs" and get hundreds of ideas on how to work with that.

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