One of the most important issues in dog training is FOCUS. Indeed, in order to train or work with your dog both you and your dog need to be focused. So how do you get such focus from your dog? How do you get a dog to look at you intently and wait for your behavior cues while there are many enticing distractions around? Why should the dog look at you when he/she can chase a cat? or smell a bench? or try to reach another dog?
Getting such focus can take time. Luckily, we usually have time. One of the first thing I like to train my dogs and dogs of clients is the "name". The dog's name is nothing more than a cue telling him/her to turn his/her towards you and look at you. This cue needs to be taught just like any other common cue (e.g., sit, down). A short video that shows how you can start teaching the name is here on the right. Like any other behavior, you will start teaching it in a quiet location with no distractions. Gradually, you will try to increase the level of distractions when you ask your dog to look at you when saying his/her name. The keyword here is GRADUALLY! If you notice that your dog is "failing" to look at you, you must reduce the difficulty and reduce distraction.
Remember this: Your dog is your training mirror - Whenever your dog "fails" to perform a behavior, it is merely telling you that your training methods are not good enough. You are doing something wrong. One of the most common mistakes people do is asking their dog for too much too soon.
Importantly, simply teaching the dog's name is not enough. In order to keep your dog focused and engaged in training you have to be engaging. You have to use the correct reinforcements whether those are treats or toys. You must know how and when to use those treats. You need to maintain a certain level of energy and maintain a relatively high rate of reinforcement, etc. These details are the the heart of dog training.
However, while all those details are of importance, one thing stands above them all. Without that "thing" nothing else will matter. That thing is YOUR FOCUS. I am often surprised how people expect total focus from their dogs when they are not focused on the dog. They will respond to a text message in a middle of a training session, talk to their friend, look at the TV, etc. Doing this is not only bad training, it is also bad manners. If you expect your dog to be 100% focused on you, you better be 100% focused on him/her. This is the one thing that will allow you for better training, better results, and most importantly, better relationship with your dog. So when you are training your dog, make sure that is all you do. Nothing else, nothing more. You are dedicated to the training session. your dog deserves it.
Here is a link to an excellent book by a great trainer - Denise Fenzi - that discusses focus and engagement. This is the fourth book in a 4-book series and I highly recommend all of them. Enjoy training :)