Why is My Dog So Distracted?

Getting a distracted dog to pay attention to you is far simpler than one may imagine. Modern dogs tend to be quite spoiled. As a result, they have the luxury of paying attention to just about everything else besides you. After all, you lavish them with food, love, attention, etc. Why should they pay attention to you? 

If they hear you call their name, they probably assume you are trying to give them something they don't feel the need for. Unlike in years past when dogs had to hunt for their food, today's dog often has it provided for him at the snap of a finger. He does not have to go out and find food, so he is distracted by everything else around him which can take precedence over your requests for attention.

As Daniel explains:

"Your dog gets your attention, your family's attention, your friends, whatever it may be - gets to sleep in luxury. Compared to - if you take sled dogs as an example, that sleep tied up outside no matter what the weather is and they have a little house or something. And, they get fed twice a day and they don't get all that interaction that modern-day suburban or urban dogs get. And, so those dogs are hungry, right? 

They're hungry for everything. They're hungry for attention. They're hungry for exercise. They're hungry for food. They're hungry for direction. They're hungry for leadership. Your dog is not and that's why your dog is distracted. Because your dog sees everything else as more valuable than whatever you're bringing to the table because you already have given your dog everything."

The goal is to keep the dog focused on you as a leader, right? If your dog does not see you as the leader, it will turn its focus elsewhere. If it does see you as the leader it will look to you for guidance. Simple.