In case you haven’t been following the recent lives, this game is one of my core concepts. The ODR stands for observe don’t react. I have been developing this game since the beginning of my dog training journey.
Figuring what did and didn’t work with my dogs and then working with 100s if not 1000s of students over the last 20+ years, always making adjustments and improvements to get better results.
The goal of the ODR game is to have a dog that can look at something, anything, no matter how exciting and not lose their brain. Without a doubt for some dogs this is so much easier than others.
I remember my first dog. He was an awesome, friendly, great temperament, Akita. If you know Akita’s, friendly and great temperament are not words that generally go together with the breed, but, here was the thing he was a complete idiot on leash. Pulled like a truck to go visit everyone and everything.
He dragged me to the ground a number of times even on a prong collar. Luckily being an Akita he mellowed out as he got older and the pulling became manageable, but he left me with a mission. To find a way to build a calm, thinking dog. A method that anyone could use with any dog and achieve success.
This is why the ODR Game was born.
Beyond creating dogs who are calm, focusses and under control in the face of bid distractions out in the real world, the ODR game is a great barometer to your dogs current state of mind and helps them prepare for all the things life will throw at them.
I use ODR everywhere I go, helping my dog understand that I need him to be calm and thinking at all times in all situations. The game gives me a good idea of what my dog can handle and what my dog needs to work on. Every exercise I work on starts with ODR, as it allows the dog to let me know they can handle this environment and are ready to work and pay attention.
If there is 1 training exercise I would recommend to EVERY DOG OWNER, it would be the ODR game.
That’s why I’ve put together a flow chart, and a series of trainings going through this entire process, and am offering this free for anyone who wants it.
If you would like your own personal copy of how to play the ODR game with your dog, to conquer real world distractions, just fill out the form below and I’ll send you the actual STEP BY STEP how to use this exercise flowchart.
Happy Training!
Paola