Many people see distractions as something to avoid with a reactive dog, but the more you utilize them in dog training to teach your dog, the more your pup will know what to do when there is a distraction!

Whether your dog is a puppy or an adult reactive dog, learning to pay attention to you is an invaluable and quite learnable skill. When teaching attention, you want to use low-level distractions. This is when your dog sees something interesting but does not want to run after it or bark at it.

Distractions can be anything from a ball rolling across the floor, another dog walking by, or a person jogging down the street. The key is to choose distractions your dog can handle without becoming overly anxious or reactive.

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What does using distraction as a cue mean? And how do you do it?

You want your dog to learn to see distractions not as a trigger for reactive behaviors but instead as a cue to offer attention to you. And get rewarded for it! Using distractions as a cue means teaching your dog that when they see a distraction, they should look to you for guidance and reinforcement.

Let's walk through a few ways to put distractions to work for you and your dog -- starting with the very simplest of learning "games" to change how your dog reacts.

How to help a reactive dog by learning the "Engage-Disengage game"

If you've ever heard of the Engage-Disengage "game," this is very similar to what we're talking about and teaching today. Engage-Disengage is a super simple game and a wonderful tool for redirecting dog reactivity.

The Engage-Disengage game is simply this:

• Step 1 (Engage): when your dog looks at the trigger, mark and reward.
• Step 2 (Disengage): When your dog looks away from the trigger, mark and reward.

This is a great way to teach your pup to have fewer reactions when your dog's triggers appear. Your dog will begin to expect good things like treats when he or she sees a trigger and you're quick to reward immediately on sighting. The "disengaging" begins to flow naturally from that as your dog learns to anticipate something better happening with you.

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How to teach your reactive dog to turn distractions into positive attention

Rather than doing the Engage-Disengage game, we're going to take it up a notch and focus on getting your dog to offer attention to you whenever a distraction is present. This might sound unreasonable, but if you start small and practice this often, your dog will start to catch on!

It works because, as any positive reinforcement dog trainer or behaviorist will tell you, dogs tend to do what works for them. With practice, your dog's emotional reaction to a trigger is replaced by wanting to look at you in anticipation of something good!

What you'll need for this dog training activity:

• Toys. Have a few of your pup's favorite toys handy.
• Food bowl. One of your dog's empty bowls works.
• Dog treats or food. Be sure to use high-value dog treats (something your dog LOVES, the good stuff your dog considers a highly desirable reward) and small bites of real food (bits of chicken, for example). A good idea with all reactive dog training and learning of positive behaviors.
• Leash. Use a regular, traditional leash. Never a retractable leash for dog training - or for anything, anytime.
• Patience! Your dog is learning, and practice, repetition, and having patience and fun with the process are your secret to success. Enjoy every little opportunity to celebrate and reward your dog along the way!

What your dog needs to know in advance of this training process:

If your dog doesn't already understand these communication skills, now is a good time to teach them to your dog before you start working on "Distraction-to-Attention" skills.

• A positive, conditioned marker cue such as a clicker or "yes"
• A very good verbal attention cue such as "look" or "watch me"
• Mark and reward -- Mark with your conditioned marker cue and Reward your dog with a treat

Let's get started with this reactive dog training...

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Part 1: Learn & practice "Distraction-to-Attention" inside

Try this

1) Start indoors in a place with no distractions.

You want to be able to control the distractions at this stage. That's why you'll want to start in a quiet spot inside so there won't be any surprise distractions. You will control and present distractions.

2) Present an easy "distraction" such as a toy or moving object.

• If your dog offers attention to you, mark and reward.
• If your dog does not offer attention, cue your pup to give you attention (use a simple word like "look" that consistently means look to you). As soon as your dog looks to you, mark and reward with a treat. You're showing your dog it's a pretty great idea to look to you at the first sight of a distraction because wonderful treats instantly appear.

3) If your dog is still not looking to you, make the distraction easier.

Make your distraction less compelling, making it easier to look to you and get rewarded for it.

4) Do not make the distraction harder until your dog is easily offering attention.

Keep the distraction simple until looking to you becomes second nature for your dog. Once your dog is in the rhythm of it consistently, you can begin to introduce more difficult distractions.

5) Try to go back and forth between making the distraction simple and difficult.

If you continuously make the distraction harder, your dog can lose confidence and interest in the exercise. Instead of consistently making the distraction more challenging with each effort, intersperse easy ones to give your dog easy wins and keep the confidence and good fun feeling about it going.

Take the time and patience to mix it up and you'll have a a more positive, engaged practice and better long-term success!

Once your pup consistently responds to distractions in this low-key environment with calm attention, you are well on your way to changing your dog's reactive behavior out in the world!

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Part 2: Take your new dog training skills outside

When you and your dog feel solid with your indoor and low distraction attention skills, you're ready to take it outdoors where you can begin to practice with more real-life distractions.

Your high-value treats are more important than ever now out in the real world where the distractions are surprising and more compelling than in your indoor practice.

Especially for leash-reactive dogs who are triggered by the sight of other dogs, it's important to keep it low-key outside as well to start.

Try this

1) Find a spot outside to begin that is likely to have very few distractions.

At this point, you want to try to keep it to the occasional squirrel, person passing by, etc.

2) Be ready to mark and treat your dog immediately as distractions appear.

As your dog notices things that would usually trigger a reaction, be ready to mark and treat your pup immediately and generously for looking to you OR use your "look" cue and treat quickly if your dog doesn't look to you right away.

3) Practice in this relatively quiet outdoor environment until your dog's behavior giving attention is solid.

You want to keep practicing in this lower-distraction outdoor space until your dog's response to distractions is consistently giving you attention, just as it was in your earlier indoor practice.

4) When you're ready, take it up a notch and take a walk in a not-too-busy area.

Walk where it's not likely to be too busy, where the walkway isn't too narrow, but where you may see another dog or skateboard across the street or nearby. Let your dog spot the distraction and repeat your practiced routine of see the distraction, look to you, and you mark and reward generously with treats.

Troubleshooting reactive dog training in the real world

You don't want more intense triggers to be right next to you and your dog. Remember, space is always your friend with reactive dogs!

You want to see your dog's trigger but not be head-on confronted by it. If the other dog, for example, is not across the street but heading toward you on your side of the street, simply cross the street or take a little detour for space. Let your dog see the other dog, look at you, then reward generously with treats.

When other dog owners approach you and your dog with a "hey, my dog is friendly" for an impromptu meet-and-greet, just move away smiling with a "no thanks, we're training!" Then quickly do your routine: note the distraction, look to you, and you mark and reward!

5) Keep practicing your new attention skills around your dog's triggers in real life.

You might want to try walking your dog near a dog park, staying at a good, long distance but within sight of other dogs. It goes without saying you don't want to go inside a dog park where the presence of even playful, non-aggressive dogs would put your dog way over the stress threshold.

This type of practice keeps your dog at a comfortable distance when a trigger appears and makes learning possible while the Distraction-to-Attention skill becomes your dog's go-to response.

Remember to mix up more challenging and less challenging venues and distractions to help your dog be confident and feeling the success!

Enjoy your new skills with your dog -- you'll be surprised how often solid attention skills come in handy and make life better for both of you!

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Next up in the Reactivity Channel on Dogly

With your Distraction-to-Attention skills, you and your dog should have a good foundation for managing and reducing your dog's reactivity. Check out the next guide for more ways to help your reactive dog be more comfortable and confident on leash in more and more situations.

If you have any questions on how to manage and help stop leash reactivity or other questions about reactivity and your dog, just ask us in our Community Discussion. Continue in our Reactivity Channel where you'll learn everything you need to know for your dog from our community of Dogly Training Advocates.

If you ever need more personalized dog training guidance, get started in your dog's training plan here.