Pure Dog Talk

Dogs Just Want to Have Fun: Increasing Focus in Performance Dogs Dr. Paige Pierce, veterinary behaviorist, speaks to the topic of increasing focus in overly social dogs during performance events. This presentation was sponsored by the Clumber Spaniel Health Foundation at the 2018 Clumber Spaniel Club of America National Specialty. Owners and exhibitors of the social butterflies in the dog world, understand the frustration of competing in performance events with a dog who wants to visit with the course setter or bird planter instead of continuing their task. Dr. Pierce provides outstanding insight in to understanding the dog’s mindset in these situations. “When the dog is overly excited, he literally can’t hear the command,” Pierce said. Once she rules out a medical condition, she wants to identify a trigger and then use the environment to *benefit* the dog instead of distracting them. Managing the dog’s environment so it doesn’t “use up” impulse control or so it is well conditioned to the chaos, depends on