Distraction vs. Confusion

Reading your dog will always be a vital part of training and communicating with our dogs.  The information that our dogs show us lets us know what the dog is thinking and what they are about to do, and it is then up to us to respond accordingly.  However, in order to respond correctly in each situation we have to know what the dog is showing us.  This article will deal with a very small part of reading our dogs and will concentrate on the differences between distraction and confusion.

When referring to distraction, I am talking about everyday things that will quickly cause a dog to loose their minds.  Some signs of distraction may include:

• Offering no attempt to obey the given command (continuing to chase after a squirrel when given the recall command).
• Breaking a given command when something catches the dog’s eye (heeling down the street and pulling on the leash at the first sight of an approaching dog).

If your dog is distracted, you must first regain their attention before the desired task can be executed.  Ways of regaining your dog’s attention are something that will differ from one training method to another and should be accomplished in a manner that is appropriate for your training approach.

When mentioning confusion, I am referring to the dog’s intellectual ability to perform a desired task.  Some signs of confusion may include:

• Offering a series of behaviors that are unrelated to the behavior that is being asked (offering a down, sit, or paw when asked to come into a standing heel position).
• Executing a command but in a manner that is different from the intended task (running to another person who is not giving a recall command).

If your dog is confused, we need to add clarity to the dog in order to help them accomplish a desired task.  There are numerous ways of adding clarity and are going to widely differ from dog to dog and situation to situation.

So what’s the point?  The point is, we cannot expect our dog to respond to anything without first having their attention, and even with your dog’s attention, we cannot expect them to respond when confusion exists.  Knowing the differences and recognizing what your dog is offering is a crucial step in properly communicating with your dog.

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