Reasons a dog won’t listen
1. The dog truly doesn’t understand what you’re asking him to do.
Just because a dog knows “sit” while you’re in the living room doesn’t mean he knows “sit” outside on a walk.
Dogs need to learn different “commands” or concepts in different scenarios.
And “sit” is a pretty easy concept. Commands like “watch me” or “heel” are even more difficult because they require more concentration from the dog.
2. The dog is too distracted.
This is probably the big one for most of us. The dog simply can’t focus if there are too many distractions like noises, smells or other dogs.
Solution: Find a greater reward, something that stands a chance at holding your dog’s interest like pieces of ham or jerky treats. Find something “better” to your dog than those distractions. With time, you’ll be able to cut back on the rewards.
3. The dog is scared or in pain.
Keep this in mind when you’re asking your own dog to do things, even if he’s not an old dog.
For example, maybe your dog isn’t sitting when asked because the pavement is hot on her paws and she wants to keep moving.
Maybe your dog is simply tired or sore from running around at the park. Or maybe he doesn’t come when called because you’ve made the mistake of calling him in the past and then punishing him for running off in the first place.
Sometimes we just need to take a step back and look at the situation from the dog’s point of view and what she might be experiencing.
4. You’re boring or stressful to work with.
How often are we stressed or upset when we’re training or walking our dogs or asking them to do something? Probably fairly often.
Or how about when we’re tired or busy and we just walk our dogs while acting like spaced-out, emotionless robots?
If we want our dogs to listen, we need to be fun, positive, and engaging!
You’d think we would realize this, but sometimes we forget.
It's recommended to carry highly valued treats in your pocket, play games with your dog, talk to him, goof off every now and then, carry a squeaky toy, or simply run ahead of your dog yelling “woooo!” so he chases you…
If you're having problems communicating with your dog, we're here to help you.
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