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April 01, 2026

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Q&A From the Archives

I can't keep my GSD's attention on the club field only. Any suggestions?

I really need your help! I own a 2-year-old GSD with a great pedigree and I'm not able to get his attention on the club field only. He works for me perfectly anywhere in public.

I also purchased Forrest Micke's Engagement Skills foundation which he mastered just fine and I still continue on a daily routine. What worked in the past was only a deflated big ball, but a workshop trainer from Finland by name of Marko told me to put it away and get back to engagement, which I did.

Ever since, I'm stuck on the field again and my trainer herself suggested to play with the big ball to start with like before. What should I do? I also don't feed the dog after 12am for coming training at 1:00pm (when it comes to food).

Any suggestions? Thanks very much for your time! Cheers.

Leerburg's Answer:

I would be going back to basics and not asking for any obedience until I could get and keep your dog's attention on the field just working engagement and playing.

If you haven't worked with Michael Ellis's The Power of Training Dogs with Food and The Power of Playing Tug with Your Dog, I would highly recommend teaching your dog these skills. The engagement video you watched was the first step but the food and tug videos build on that. Until you can get his attention and keep it, trying to do obedience will be frustrating for you both. There is also an excellent video called Advanced Concepts of Motivation that will show you how to make your reward an EVENT which will keep your dog more interested in paying attention to you.

Keep in mind that when you go to a seminar with a trainer that you don't work with on a regular basis, they can give suggestions but since they do not work with you on a regular basis or know you and your dog, it's always best to stick with your regular training program while keeping in mind bits and pieces of Marko's recommendations as you can.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

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