I was working with a Beauceron recently, and he had an incredible drive for the ball. What I wanted to help the dog understand was the relationship I had with the ball, and how his relationship with me made it very important to focus on me to get more of the ball.
When I first started working the dog, he was very strong and a real handful for me to deal with. Then, after a few minutes of working with him and staying consistent, I got more and more attention from the dog. I was then able to reward him in a way that made the training even better. That was exciting for me.
I did that first because the dog was really challenging his original handler and after that exercise with me, I passed him off to his owner and they were able to continue the conversation. The dog was able to understand “wow, ok, I see why I have to pay attention to my owner while they’re giving me commands and if I do that, I get as much of the ball as I want.”
My question to you is, what is your relationship to those distractions or things your dog wants? If you can control those things, then show your dog that by paying attention to you, they get more of that. Then you’re going to find yourself the beneficiary of a lot of attention from your dog.
I hope this is a useful tip, happy training!
