Holding Focus on Multiples

Although I usually don't record it in these blog entries, I often work with one or both dogs in the evening on various skills. For example, for the last several evenings, I've placed the dogs' dinner (raw buffalo mix) in bowls and taken them, one at a time, into the living room to work on keeping their focus on each mark of a multiple.

The drill I've been using with each dog is as follows:

1. With dog at heel, I show her an article (typically, a plush toy) and say "sit, mark". Then I throw the toy into the adjoining room.
2. If the dog looks away from the article before I move, I say "nope" and retrieve the article myself.
3. If the dog holds her focus for several seconds, I turn to one side or the other and show her a second article, which I then throw at a 45° angle to the first article.
4. Again, if the dog looks away from the second article, I say "nope" and retrieve both articles.
5. Finally, I turn to the other side, show the dog a third article, and throw it at a 45° angle to the first article on the other side.
6. I send the dog to retrieve all three articles in the reverse order that I threw them.
7. When the dog has delivered the last article, I feed her a portion of her dinner.
   

That sequence is repeated 2-4 times, depending on factors such as how much other work the dogs have had that day. I alternate sides for both sending and delivering, so that the dog learns both a push and a pull turn.

Although my waiting dog is in the office and so is not present as a distraction to the working dog, other dogs in the household, as well as other people, are often moving around as we're working, so the dogs are also gaining experience keeping their focus in the presence of distractions.