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Keeping the attention of a dog during training is not always an easy task. Dogs are very easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well-adjusted and well-trained dog.

You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to maintain the interest of the dog. Doing things the dog like, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are great methods to keep the dog's attention, but you must give him rewards for his successes.

For example, to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, tell your dog to come to you, without giving any clues about going for a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After the dog has come over to you and obediently sat down, attach the lead and start the reward. This can be either the before-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog likes to do.

Providing some sort of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a tickle behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want him to, is a good method to keep your dog's motivation while you are dog training.

If your dog knows something great is going to happen every time he follows your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.

Distraction training.

When training a dog, it is vital to not allow distractions spoil the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These types of distractions can even be used as rewards when training the dog to come when told.

For instance, if your dog like romping with other dogs, whether it be in a park or with the neighbour's dogs, let him play with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.

When he comes to you, give him lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to return to playing with his pals. Repeat this a few times and praise the dog every time he comes to you.

The dog will soon learn that coming to your call results in good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being removed from the park).

So-called distraction training is one of the most difficult things to teach, because dogs are naturally social animals, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably reluctant to leave their canine companions, but it is important to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you may require some creativity on your part at first. For instance, waving a favourite toy, or a lure, is a good way to get your dog's attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too when you are training your dog.

Once the dog begins to get used to coming when called, you can begin to reduce and eliminate the visual cues and focus on getting the dog to respond to your voice alone. It is vital that the dog responds to voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.