Attention Seeking

A hot topic for me this week was attention seeking; with children and dogs. In particular, them trying to get attention by performing nuisance behaviours or pestering.

Dogs are very clever, they will watch you closely and quickly figure out how to get your attention when they want. Whether it be them mouthing, jumping up or barking at you or even stealing items. They quickly learn that you will engage with them, for example by looking at, talking to, shouting at, pushing or chasing after them. Although some have negative connotations all are attention for the dog who was just sitting there bored.

Blog 6 - Leskie attention seeking

Ignore attention seeking if safe to do so

I once had a behaviour consultation for a Collie with separation anxiety. At the beginning of the session the excitable pup spent all his time bringing me and his owner various toys and objects, dropping them on our lap or at our feet and barking at us. It was really loud and became impossible for us to talk to each other. It turned out that he did it all the time and they would play with him to keep him quiet. It would sometimes go on all evening (:-/). For him, it had just become part of the routine and a fail proof way to get attention. We ended up giving him a Wobbler (food dispenser toy) I had bought with me to keep him entertained then I was able to take his owner through ways to manage his behaviours.

Next time your dog tries to pester you for attention try to stop for a moment and think about what they are trying to achieve and remove as much reinforcement for them in that situation as possible. It might be as simple as ignoring them (this involves not looking at, talking to, shouting at or touching your dog) moving them away with a lead (so that you don’t have to give them any attention) or removing them from the area altogether. For example, if they bark at you to throw their ball, don’t throw it. Wait until they are quiet before you throw it. If they pull on a lead to say hello to a person, don’t let them say hello. Once the lead is loose allow them closer, stop or walk away every time they pull.

 

Blog 6 - Leskie toy

Give your dog attention when they are not pestering you

As always, on the flip side, if your dog does something that you like, let them know. For example they don’t jump up at you when you walk in the room so you crouch down to their level and calmly and slowly stroke them. Reward them with praise, treats or toys, whatever they prefer. If your don’t let them know when they get something right they are not as likely to do it again.

Attention seeking children

I have also been able to apply this theory to my little humans too. Only today my one year old has taken to whacking his toys against the TV. It started out innocent enough, testing noises and surfaces but then he quickly learned that it got our attention.  I then noticed he would go up to the TV , bash a toy against it then look back at me grinning. So what were my options?

Blog 6 - Louie attention seeking logo

Louie hitting his toys on the TV to get attention

If the toy was small or light enough where it wouldn’t cause any damage to the TV or him I would completely ignore him. I wouldn’t talk to, shout or look at him. This seemed to work and he would quickly stop doing it and move on.

If the toy was large and could cause damage to the TV or himself I couldn’t ignore him or leave him to it. In those cases i would remove him as quickly as possible with as little attention as possible. This often involved picking him up without talking to him, putting him down on the other side of the room and taking the toy off of him. Then leaving him to it.

If at any point he where to go back to hitting the TV, I would repeat the above again. If it got frustrating or relentless I would take him out of the room and distract him with something elsewhere. My overall goal with this would be to make sure that he did not get what he wanted in the situation, this just so happened to be my attention on this occasion.

In summary, ignore attention seeking (if it’s safe to do so) and reward non-pestering, calmer behaviours.

About the Author: Holly Keeling. Dog Trainer in Sussex, England. Mother to furrbaby Leskie 5yrs and little humans Teddy 3yrs and Louie 1yr. Outdoor lover. A blog about raising kids and dogs and my life as a dog trainer.

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Holly

Holly Keeling. Dog Trainer in Sussex, England. Mother to furrbaby Leskie 5yrs and little humans Teddy 3yrs and Louie 1yr. Wife to Tim. Outdoor lover. A blog about raising kids and dogs and my life as a dog trainer.

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