FOCUS

The great thing about walking dogs is that you can get their attention. 

 It is SO different from raising kids. When raising kids, you expend so much energy just trying to get them to listen to you, then do what you say.  You invest a lot of mental effort into devising schemes to accomplish this. Charts, stickers, bribes, rewards, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, time outs, and as a last resort yelling and screaming.

Dogs are easy.  If you are moving, they want to move with you. If you want them to lead, walk slowly.  If you want them to go where you want them to go, move quickly and they will follow.  If you are standing still and you know what motivates them, usually a ball or a treat, they will fixate on you to see what you are going to do with whatever one is in your hand. If you want them to obey, you find their motivation button and push it. 

 They learn they are rewarded for requested behaviors and they will continue to repeat those requested behaviors as long as their motivators are present. At least in the beginning when they are learning the behavior.  After they have learned the command and behavior reliably, you start to only reward them for every other time they perform, then every third time, etc.  It becomes the difference between putting a dollar in a vending machine, and putting a dollar in a slot machine.   If they continue to be rewarded long term for every performance, its like the vending machine: they decide they don't have to work if the reward is not there consistently.  Just like you won't continue to put money in a vending machine that doesn't give you candy.  But if they have learned to continue the behavior to get an occasional reward, they are willing to be patient and hope each performance will trigger the payoff, much like a slot machine.

Children are so much more complicated.  First of all, their motivators are so much more varied, and constantly changing.  Second of all, kids know how the system works and are constantly negotiating for a better payoff. Everything is in a constant state of flux.  What worked yesterday with one kid, won't work today with another. It is like reinventing the wheel every. single. day.