The most commonly asked question in dog training, “Why doesn’t my dog listen to me?”
You may ask this question when you first start introducing training to your pup, or even if you have been training with them for years! Here are the top 3 reasons why your dog doesn’t listen to you AND what to do about it. Working with a Professional Dog Trainer is always your best first step if you are struggling with your dog!
Unclear Expectations
Is it allowed always, sometimes, or never? Making sure you have clear and consistent rules and communication with your dog is important to training success! If you allow your dog on the couch on Monday but don’t allow your dog on the couch on Tuesday your dog will be very confused and eventually become less confident about listening to you. However, if you give your dog a command that tells them they can jump on the couch then it sets a clear indicator that they are allowed on the furniture. But with clear commands, you also need to be able to provide a correction if the dog jumps on the couch without being told to do so.
PRO TIPS:
- Avoid vague or similar-sounding commands to prevent confusion (OK buddy, now lay down! Vs. “Down”)
- Make sure your rewards and corrections are consistent.
- Expectations must be the same in all environments. If a dog is allowed to do a behavior at home then you can’t expect them to know they cannot do it in public.
Insufficient Motivators
Insufficient positive or negative motivators can play a significant part in why your dog ignores you. Motivators help inspire your dog to focus on or engage in a behavior or task, whether positive or negative. In balanced training, we use both positive and negative motivators to teach dogs what the expectations are! A few things to consider are:
- Is responding to the cue beneficial for the dog?
- Are you offering a reward that the dog finds valuable?
- Are you making corrections memorable?
- Do the motivators resonate with the dog/am I seeing different responses to them?
Types Of Motivators (Use both positive and negative in balanced training for the most effective results)
Positive Motivators
- Treats/food
- Toys
- Verbal Praise (“good dog”)
- Physical Praise (pat on the head)
Negative Motivators
- Ecollar correction
- Prong collar correction
- Verbal correction (say no)
- Physical correction (nose bop, side poke)
Too Many Distractions
To effectively teach new behaviors it is best to start in a calm learning environment with minimal distractions. Distractions can be anything that draws attention away from you or the task at hand and causes high levels of arousal or stress in the dog. When training gradually introduce new distractions and environments at the dog’s pace. If a dog is overly distracted they may have difficulty processing and remembering new information, if you are seeing your dog struggle while introducing new distractions they may need further desensitization before they can continue.
PRO TIPS:
- Start training in a familiar place like your living room or your dog’s favorite walking path, once they become good at training in that environment increase the environmental distractions by going to a busier park or a dog-friendly store.
- Make sure that you are challenging your dog to learn more efficiently. Set your dog up to fail a command so you can provide a correction and therefore a learning opportunity.
- When introducing new environments or distractions make sure you know what your dog’s biggest motivators are and that you have clear expectations. If you don’t have either of these you cannot add more distractions.
Training your dog can be frustrating and challenging. If any of the above scenarios sound familiar to you, make sure to contact a Professional Dog Trainer to provide guidance and help!