Zoey does great...with no distractions!

[lovemyshelties]

Okay, so we've been practicing "Place" and "Come" with our two Shelties that we have enrolled in agility. Bentley (the saint) is doing exceptionally well, even with distractions at the training facility. Zoey (my little monster), not so much. Whenever I take her downstairs to practice place and come (always with treats) she scores 100%, but the minute there is any sort of distraction (a noise upstairs, the doorbell, a random treat on the floor) she acts like I'm speaking another language.

I know we're supposed to introduce distractions gradually, but if the least little thing gets her attention how do I get her focus back on me if the treat isn't enough?

Zoey's been a handful since she was a pup. Very reactive. With the vet's approval she's been taking a low dose of Prozac and Buspar, but lately it doesn't seem to be helping her. Can dogs get used to a particular dose of a med?

 

[sarasomething]

mine doesn't need prozac, so i'm not sure if this will work or not.

my dog is very food-motivated, so if he hears/sees a distraction when i want him to do something for me, i put the food right in his face at first, so he knows he's about to get fed if he does what i ask.

start out asking for something super simple. something that's easy that she knows forward and backward. my basic attention-getting behavior is to have my dog bump my hand with his nose. if he's getting distracted, i ask him for this, feed like crazy, and then take a break.

training in distractions should be in very short bursts, too.

also, use higher value treats in more distracting situations. (i.e. maybe instead of a dog biscuit, give a piece of hotdog - human food tends to be high value, just feed tiny pieces, so the dog doesn't get so much to make her sick).