Now, this is for the dogs that have had some consistent training and understand what is expected of them. Yet, there has never been a real consequence for ignoring a command or poor behavior. Consequences look different for every dog, but they must be timely, fair, and consistent.
This category of why your dog doesn’t listen most often applies to the dogs that have had the “gentle parenting approach” that often leads to misbehaved dogs that do whatever they want and are reinforced, often unbeknownst to the handler, for it.
Reason #4: You have rewarded the wrong behavior
Again, dogs are simple in terms of understanding what works versus what doesn’t work. This is a personal favorite of mine - it just makes me laugh in my mind as I watch dogs in the world. “I just don’t know what he does this,” exclaims the exasperated dog owner. Usually, it’s because you’ve somehow reinforced the wrong behavior.
I did this today with Heidi the Rottweiler high stepping in the underwater treadmill rather than walking normally.
Dogs they operate in black and white as nature intended, they do not understand gray areas. Your dog spends every interaction with you learning - be sure they are learning what you want. These animals have evolved watching our every move and learning how to live with us.
Consistency in dog training is important with both reinforcement and negative consequences. All organisms seek pleasure and seek to avoid discomfort, save for maybe a few weirdos but that is a totally different conversation.
A common reason why your dog ignores you is that you have not taken them anywhere to train. You’ve got to take the show on the road!
Teaching your dog to “sit” or “stay” at home with minor distractions does not translate to an obedient dog in various scenarios. You’ve got to account for the 3 Ds of training - Distance, Duration, and Distraction. Anytime you increase one of these, you must decrease the other two. This is how you “proof” training for a variety of settings and situations.
Ever wonder how you can get your dog to stop ignoring you? Dogs ignoring their owner is nothing new, especially amongst the pet dog community. But it does not have to be this way. Dog training takes time, practice, patient, and consistency. You cannot skimp on any of these ingredients. If you want a well behaved and well trained dog, you must put in the time and effort to train the dog.
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