My top tips on why a dog is not listening
From my experience there are multiple different reasons that a dog is not listening in any given moment. The top five that I have found are; distractions, training, environment, age, and genetics.
Labrador Retriever Dog Training
There have been plenty of times where I have tried to get my dog to listen and been completely blown off. Instead of getting frustrated as I might have in my early days of training. That approach I have found only makes things worse and the dog listen less. I have started to look for the reason why. When I can pin point why my dog is not listening to me in a given situation, I can get them back on track and under control quicker.
Let's dive in to my top five reasons I have found my dog not listening.
Distractions
This is such an important one! Plus, there are so many ways a dog can be distracted that it often goes overlooked.
A dog can be distracted by anything, they have extremely short attention spans. There are the obvious ones like them seeing another dog, them seeing another human, them having an itch, or maybe a bag blowing in the wind in the wrong way. Who knows! The one that has caught me off guard in the past is their nose being distracted. This is a subtle one that I have to remember to look for. They can be sitting perfectly and smell something, just get a whiff of it, and their attention is completely gone. Even though they are still sitting there looking almost directly in my eyes. I'll ask for the next skill or behavior and nothing happens. All because they are distracted by something that I have no idea is there.
Training
Has this dog received the proper and consistent training to know the command being given?
Has the dog been trained that SKILL, in that PLACE, under those same CONDITIONS enough to know what is being asked and expected of them?
I always have to remind myself that what I believe is enough reps for the dog to gain the skill is usually about half as many as it actually takes. Also, if I change one thing in that training set up, I better be ready to start counting the reps all over again from the beginning.
"We train until the dog can't do it wrong." I am paraphrasing slightly here but this is something that I heard Bob Owens of Lone Duck Outfitters mentioned that really stuck with me.
For a dog to truly master a skill they will have had to do it a lot. Practice makes perfect. If your dog is not listening to you, take a step back and ask the tough question; have I trained this skill enough? Have I trained this skill enough in this environment under these specific circumstances? If not, remember it's training, so train through it.
Environment
How many times have you been to this place? What is going on around you?
These are questions I ask myself if my dog is not listening. It is very obvious when we go into a new environment with new sights and smells that a dogs attention can wander away from their handler. Sometimes, this is easy to forget. It is important to train obedience in as many different places as possible to make sure the dog understands that it needs to listen no matter what.
Dogs are not good at generalizing behaviors so the environment they are in can make a huge impact on them. The more they get used to the environment the better.
I have noticed if I am taking a dog to a new area to train, I am usually better off letting them check it out a little before starting the training session. That gives the dog a chance to experience all the new sights and smells on their own accord before I start asking them to do what I want. The only thing that I make sure of, if I am going to do this, is the dog has to come out of their kennel under control and sit at heel before I release them.
Age
I believe this only really applies to the first year of a dog's life, maybe slightly longer depending on the dog. The main phase of a dog's life I am referring to here is their teenage years.
Dogs can be extremely difficult in this time period. It seems as though they have forgot everything they have been taught up to that point, do not care who their owner or handler is, and have regressed into the wild animal they once were. I know none of these things are true and they are actually just coming into their own and starting to think for themselves. They certainly know how to be difficult though.
In this critical phase of a dogs development it is important to set them up for success every step of the way. I will revert to obedience or steadiness drills if needed when the dog is not listening. This is something I know they understand and can get right with a lot of ease. I might also break out some more treats than normal during this phase. I do anything I can to make sure they win. I want them to understand that listening and doing what is asked of them is the fastest way to get exactly what they want.
Genetics
A well breed dog can be ruined by a bad trainer. I have heard this before and there is some truth to it. I think a well breed dog in the hands of a skilled trainer can become an amazing dog. The skilled trainer can really bring out the dog's full potential. One the other hand, a well breed dog that is paired with someone that knows nothing about dogs is probably going to be hinder in reaching the top of their God given skills.
To quote Barton Ramsey of Southern Oak Kennels, "Everybody thinks they have the next Kobe Bryant when they first bring their puppy home."
It takes time, development, and training to bring out the best in a dog. Good genes help to put that dog on the path for success but it is not guaranteed. If I had to choose between two different litters and one clearly produced more high level dogs in the skills that I am looking for, I would certainly choose to stack the deck in my favor.
Conclusion
There are multiple reason that a dog would not be listening to their handler or owner. I hope these five that I have shared give some insight into what I believe are the most common ones; distractions, training, environment, age, and genetics. I have found it beneficial to take a step back if my dogs are not listening and assess the situation and ask why before doing anything else. I hope this helps!
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