Lack of Focus

From the standpoint of Positive Reinforcement – reinforce when the dog is paying attention. Also, create a very distinctive body movement marker to allow your dog to leave his position and come to you to get his reinforcement. This additional step allows proofing your dog against accidental release during a trial (the crowd yells YES). For instance, Tobias, say YES and then opens up his legs for the dog to go through.

From the standpoint of Double-Reinforcement System – use your leash. Either you have a mirror or an Assistant who will apply leash pressure when the dog looks away and release the pressure when the dog returns his attention. We cover this extensively in the Step by Step Program under Stay Positions.