Why Doesn’t My Dog Listen?
Many Pet Parents wonder why their dog behaves badly. Why doesn’t my dog come when I call her in from the yard? She always comes when I call inside our house! She only listens when she wants to!
This is a common complaint that I hear. In their mind their dog is ignoring them and only listens when they want. But, that isn’t the case. Dogs rarely if ever act out of spite. So, what’s actually going on?
In this particular situation the dog can come when called inside because there isn’t much distraction inside . So, nothing is competing for their attention. But, if my dog is outside and won’t come when I call her it’s likely because she’s distracted. It could be that it rained yesterday so the grass is more fragrant and my dog wants to explore the new scents. It may be much more enticing. Perhaps she sees a squirrel and is chasing him, or a neighbor is outside and has piqued her curiosity.
I always explain to people that you CAN get your dog to come when called outside. The important thing is to gradually expose her to distraction when you’re training. If your dog hasn’t practiced commands in the presence of distractions, they will not be able to “listen” in a real life situation when they pop up.
My dog’s always barking at strangers, he’s so rude! Again, we’re thinking like a human. To us, bothering someone for coming to our door or passing by is impolite. Dogs don’t think in these terms. For your dog they see strangers as a threat and are trying to warn them off. Essentially saying “Hey! Get out of here! Mom, do you see this?”
In this scenario it’s our job to teach our dogs who’s safe and isn’t dangerous. We do this through training and conditioning.
Let’s look at one more example. When we’re walking our dog is lunging and barking at other dogs. I get to him as quick as I can. I pet him and tell him everything is okay, but he just won’t listen!
This is a major difference in communication. As humans we can communicate to one another with soothing words and gestures to calm one another down. To a dog on the other hand, my soft soothing voice is weak in its vibration. My dog thinks I’m afraid and that he must protect me. To make things worse, I’m petting my dog while he’s misbehaving. My human intention is to soothe, but all my canine companion understands is that he’s being rewarded (through affection) for “keeping me safe.”
The next time you think you have a “bad dog” realize that we communicate differently. Dogs understand the world much differently than we do. It’s not that your dog is defying you, we simply need to teach them what is safe and unsafe, what behaviors work and don’t work (in terms of being rewarded).
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