F.O.C.U.S.

3 MINUTE GAMES, REAL-LIFE RESULTS

 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

FOCUS is super key to a brilliant life for both you and your dog,
and boosting it is massively fun:

FOCUSSED
MAGIC HAND
ORIENTATION
GAME
CUE CONTROL
IN AROUSAL
UNBEATABLE
RELATIONSHIP
SUPER SNAPPY
“MIDDLE”
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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

F FOCUSSED
MAGIC HAND
We simply LOVE this game. It develops crazy good
focus, awesome foundations for loose lead walking
and proximity value, it helps to level energy in a
super awesome way, it is arousal balancing and also
engaging and FUN! Games don’t get much better
than this one!
Top Tip: Can your dog catch? Yes I know it does sound
very very simple, why not give it a go? Start by not
even thinking too hard on the game itself and actually
just do the art of catching - it’s a skill in itself! It may
sound easy but really, just go out and give it a go.....

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

F HOW TO PLAY:
FOCUSSED
MAGIC HAND
Step 1: Without your dog have a handful of food in an
upturned hand, maybe 5-10 pieces maximum and drop
it from your hand to the floor through your fingers with
Step 4: As your dog is getting better and better at the
game and at catching you can start to make minor
adjustments with your body to help them to work out
you taking control! Make sure you decide when each piece where to place themselves for future focus games on the
should fall and at what pace. Adjust the height to make move! Subtle and soft movements only please, nothing too
sure that you are super comfortable without your dog! big and dramatic, think more like weight shift style than big
Top Tip: If you can do this well without a dog then steps, keep it soft and adjust only very very slightly!
try it on the other side, most handlers are better doing Top Tip: Don’t try to move too far or too much
it on one side than the other! It’s important you can be before you have the subtle adjustments. These subtle
versatile and do this exercise on both sides! adjustments are the foundation steps for success and
they are FUNdamental!
Step 2: Have your dog on lead at your side. Use your
7-10 pieces of food and go to the same position that Step 5: Take this show on the road. Try this in one new
you have already practiced! Have your dog stand place per day, just static at first, don’t add movement, static
roughly under your hand and let food fall from the sky only! Try this in a good few places and then gradually start
as your dog starts to work out what is going on! Don’t to add more and more steps in as you feel it’s going well!
worry your dog probably won’t try to catch them just
yet. Don’t rush as your dog will need time to adjust to Magic Hand is a super game to teach:
figure out where they are coming from! • Focus • Foundation for proximity games
Top Tip: There is no hurry at this stage. Try to wait • Attention • Body awareness
for your dog to lift his head to re start the game. At that
point let the food drop. Don’t adjust the food for your We are sure you will find many more uses, these
dog, let your dog adjust to where the food is! are just the start! Have FUN and get magic hands!

Step 3: Your dog is now starting to try and catch we hope

- try to wait for the FOCUS up and as they do release the
food from the sky. Your dog will get better and better at
the focus up as you time it cleverly with the food falling
from the sky! It’s the best way to reward spontaneously
and your dog will never know when it’s coming as the
hand is upturned so doesn’t really give any clues!

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

O ORIENTATION
GAME
The orientation games creates:
• A crazily focussed dog!
• It promotes confidence in distracting environments!
• It creates a default bounce back! whenever your
dog leaves you on a walk!
Dogs can often find themselves wanting to
interact or react with things in the distance and
independently from the owner. This makes it
very difficult to give them freedom in distracting
environments and trust they will bounce back.
• It’s the start of a super retrieve!
We created the orientation game for this exact
reason! It works on the specific behaviour of
orienting to you.

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

O HOW TO PLAY:
ORIENTATION
GAME
Step 1: Start this game in a very easy, low
distraction environment where your dog is used
BONUS GAME:
to playing with you!
RUNNING
Step 2: Throw a piece of your dog’s dinner out
(about one meter away) ORIENTATION
Step 3: After they finish eating it, of course, they are GAME!
going to look back at you for more. At that moment of
them orienting back to you, mark the movement with Great for focus, reliability, fun, great foundations for
a “YES” or a CLICK (if you use a clicker). recall and retrieve....this is just soooo much fun.....but
remember to stay within you own physical limits here.
If they do not look back at you right away, just wait
them out and mark the moment they do look back. You How to play.
may have to start playing this game on lead first. 1) Put a treat on the floor

Step 4: Follow the marker with the reward of throwing 2) As the dog eats the food, run away!
another piece of food out to continue the game. 3) As soon as your dog runs towards you MARK
that great choice (with a “yes” or “good”)
Step 5: Play this everywhere, and as often as you can!
4) As they reach you, put another treat on the
floor and RUN!
5) Repeat and repeat! Work within your own physical
limits…..if you want to give yourself more chance to
move away, drop a few extra treats on the floor!

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

C CUE CONTROL
IN AROUSAL
More often than not, the skills associated with focus,
whether that is offering of eye contact, orientation to
you, listening to you - are not the problem, but rather
whether these can be performed as the arousal
(excitement) levels increase.

Like most things, this ability to focus in high

arousal comes with practice, and here’s a game
we love to play for this:

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

C HOW TO PLAY:
CUE CONTROL
IN AROUSAL
Step 1: Place something one metre ahead of your dog
on the ground that they absolutely love, for example
high value food, toy, or eventually (once you get good
Keep an eye on the monthly “3 Minute Inspiration”
challenges as we tackle all of these on there each
month! There are many behaviours you can put on
at this game) maybe even a real-life event, e.g. their dog verbal cue - many are super easy and fun and will help
friend or a swimming opportunity. you out and about with off lead control!

Step 2: Gently hold your dog by their harness, send your There are then four possible outcomes from this:
dog to go and “get it” and then let go of their harness! 1) They perform behaviour correctly, send them to “get it”.
2) They don’t perform the behaviour correctly and try
Step 3: Repeat this until your dog is clearly anticipating
to get the food or toy regardless, jump ahead and beat
getting the exciting event!
them to it (make it a bit of a competition!)

Step 4: This time ask for a behaviour they know on 3) They don’t perform the behaviour and look a little
verbal cue - for example, sit, down, spin, etc. like they are stuck on the spot, like the lights are on
but nobody is home. This is because they are too
Top Tip: Do you have any verbal cues? Don’t worry if
aroused (excited) to be able to function at that level.
you don’t, fast track now to middle and start teaching
Calmly stroke them on the side, get them moving a
that one! And with verbal cues if your dog doesn’t
little to stop the stickiness and try again now that their
already know any others then we like to teach:
arousal levels are a little lower.
• Sit • Tall • Head low 4) They don’t perform the behaviour correctly and
• Down • Left • Bend manage to beat you to the toy. What do you think you
• Stand • Right • Middle should do? Laugh about it - it’s no big deal and you
• Pretty • Reverse know for next time to change things up.
To be honest the list is non exhaustive.
We hope you get to have fun with it! Play this with all kinds of rewards, all kinds of cues
and higher and higher excitement levels to help teach
the concept of listening no matter how exciting the
environment is!

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

U UNBEATABLE
RELATIONSHIP
So many dog training and behaviour struggles go
back to deficits in the relationship between dog and
owner. It’s easily fixed when you realise three things:

1) Relationship is impacts and is impacted by every
interaction with your dog!
2) Relationship is completely changeable!
3) You are in control of how good your relationship
is with your dog!

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 F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

U UNBEATABLE
RELATIONSHIP
Look at it as a bank account - the more in the
bank account, the better the relationship!

You can pay into your relationship bank account by

having an interaction with your dog they like - it might
All Eyes on Me!
Simply by rewarding your dog any time they look into your
eyes. Progressions could include them looking away from
be playing with them, training them, rewarding them a piece of food or toy in order to get or upping the level of
for doing something you like, even cuddling them! environmental distractions - fun, fun, fun!

Interactions they don’t like - things like intimidation,

being punished, told off or even you getting
frustrated with them - withdraws from the
account and makes it lower!

Up your positive interactions, reduce your negative

interactions and your relationship increases.
Of course, there are going to be times when things
don’t quite go to plan, but, with this framework,
you can compensate for the occasional negative
interaction by doubling up on the positives
in response!

A game that works well in investing in the

relationship bank account is building eye
contact as a positive interaction.

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 S
F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

SUPER SNAPPY
“MIDDLE”
The benefits of middle are huge:
• It acts as a portable boundary so that your dog
can stay focussed and confident no matter the
exciting or scary environment
• It lowers arousal
• It gets your dog into a safe place QUICK
• It allows you to position dogs that don’t like
being handled

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F.O.C.U.S. 3 Minute Games, Real-Life Results

SUPER SNAPPY
HOW TO PLAY:
“MIDDLE”
Step 1:  We like to shape this trick, which means Step 4: Build duration into maintaining position between
rewarding successive approximations of the final your legs by providing a rapid rate of reinforcement in this
behaviour - or rewarding things your dog does that are position. Then work on reducing the rate of reinforcement
closer and closer to the final behaviour in mind! while your dog stays in one place.

Step 2:  To do this, we mark and reward turns and steps Step 5: Now work on the final behaviour, a sit! You can:
towards behind us to start with, rewarding by placing the 1) Shape the sit by marking and rewarding weight shifts
treat or toy behind us and eventually between legs. backwards until your dog sits.
2) Cue a sit, repeat a few times and then wait your dog out
Step 3: Do this until your dog is consistently heading for him/her to offer it.
around your leg and then between your legs. At this point, 3) Cue a hand target with your hand above your dog’s
placement of the reward should always be in the final head such that he/she sits when targeting.
position - between your legs.
Top Tips: If you want a high energy, tucked sit,
then using a hand target is a really good way to get this!
Tucked sits are more accurate to maintain the final position
and you can shape these also, or, if your dog has a specific
cue for a tucked sit, then use method two with that cue!

Step 6:  Build duration into maintaining the sit position

between your legs by manipulating rate of reinforcement
again. Here is where you can add your release cue too!

Step 7:  Work on proofing the sit for you moving away

now by rewarding for sit maintenance as you change
position!

Step 8: When you are happy with the final behaviour,

introduce your cue (“middle”, “centre”, “position”) just before
your dog performs the full behaviour and rewards lots!!!!

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