Top 10 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Ignoring Your Commands.
Is your dog giving you deaf ears? When this happens, avoid repeating the command over and over and forcing yourself until you get a response; instead, take a step back and consider the following scenarios, which are some of the most common problems you encounter when training dogs.
1) Low value treats: Are your treats worth working for?
It is a romantic and hard to dispel myth that dogs work for us just to please us. In fact, being opportunistic creatures, dogs are most likely thinking, What's in it for me? According to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Using treats correctly can really make the difference between a dog that wants to work and one that doesn't care. Using low-value treats (such as kibble) can be harmful if your dog isn't excited about them, especially during the early stages of learning or when there are distractions around, so make sure your treats are attention-grabbing.
Also, remember to stick to treats that are soft, smelly and in small pieces. This allows your dog to quickly swallow the treat and focus his attention back on you instead of being distracted by a longer lasting treat.
Proposal? Try using what renowned veterinarian, trainer and author Dr. Ian Dunbar calls it, the Ferrari of dog treats: Freeze-dried liver.
2) Low Reinforcement Rate: Are you missing the reward?
In the early stages of learning or when there are a lot of distractions around, your dog may find sniffing grass, looking around, marking territory and pulling on the leash more rewarding than training. Why is that? This is probably because there are stimuli that are extra interesting and worth paying more attention to. If your dog has had little training in the past, he may have done so for much of his life. Increasing the reinforcement rate during this time by giving your dog more treats for his training efforts can motivate him and teach him to pay more attention to you than the distractions of the environment.
A low rate of reinforcement can also cause your dog to become frustrated and give up trying; remember that during the initial stages of learning you need a continuous rate of reinforcement (rewarding for every success) and only after your dog shows signs of responding well can you move to a variable schedule (only giving treats for success now and then)
3) High criteria: Are you asking for too much at once?
This is where the saying "be a splitter, not a lumper" comes into play. It is often tempting to try to learn a new behavior all at once in a single evening. When your dog stops working for you, you start thinking, "Am I asking too much at once?" The truth is, when dogs often don't respond to a command, it's because it's too difficult for them. So try not to increase the difficulty too quickly; rather, break the goal down into several achievable steps that will help your dog succeed. For example, if you were trying to train your dog to touch the tip of the target pole with his nose, you could reward him for touching ANY part of the pole first. Over time, once your dog gets the hang of it, you can move on to rewarding him just for touching the rounded tip at the top of the stick.
Do your best to prevent your dog's progress from stalling, and don't make training sessions too long - keep them short and sweet!
4) High level of distraction: Too much going on?
Dogs learn best when there are little or no distractions around them, so start training in a quiet room where there isn't much going on
Once your dog is able to perform the behavior in a quiet room, build from there and gradually start asking your dog to perform the behavior in a noisier room. Then move to a yard, a busy street, a dog park, and so on.
If you start right away on a busy street or at a dog park, your dog may not respond because you haven't yet built a foundation for the behavior.
5) Lack of training: Has your dog ever been trained before?
If the handler has a history of being inconsistent and not following the dog, there is a possibility that the dog has learned that it can avoid certain behaviors and has learned to ignore the handler. Dogs that have never been trained and have been free to do whatever they want for much of their lives often find the initial stages of learning difficult because the concept is completely new to them. It's up to the handler to make it interesting and worth listening to by investing in reward-based training methods like those taught in Adrienne Ferris Ellie's Brain Training for Dogs course.
6) Vague Clues: Are you confusing your dog?
Dogs thrive on consistency, so make sure you always use the same command leash and that everyone else training the dog is on the same page. If you ask for a command and your dog just stares at you, consider whether the command has been used consistently in the past.
In classrooms, it is not unusual to meet a family where the wife uses "come" to call the dog, the husband uses the dog's name, and the children say "here!". Don't ask for behavior in multiple ways, and make sure your body language is consistent with the verbal command. Dogs find body language more salient than verbal cues.
Also, try not to repeat the commands over and over, otherwise your dog will learn not to listen the first time you say them, but wait until you finish the sentence!
7) Increase in frustration: Are you frustrated?
Dogs are masters of body language and can easily detect frustration. When the handler's frustration builds, the dogs often close down instead of being more compliant. In this case, it helps to ask the dog to perform a behavior he knows well (e.g. sit), followed by a reward for ending the session on a positive note. You can try the exercise again a little later, or divide the exercise further into smaller parts if it was too difficult for your dog.
Also, keep in mind that if you start raising your voice, bending over, or getting in your dog's face, you are intimidating him, and he will feel the need to send you calming signals and default behaviors rather than obeying your commands.
8) Emotional problems: do your emotions get in the way?
If the dog is fearful, anxious or nervous, his emotional state can interfere with training. This is because the dog is often in a state of fight or flight, which affects its cognitive functions and impairs its ability to learn. In this case, you may need to work in areas where your dog is less likely to startle, and gradually introduce more and more stimuli in a way that doesn't make him react.
For example, if your dog is frightened by thunder, instead of immediately exposing him to recordings of thunderstorms at full volume, you should first play them at a very low volume where he recognizes the sound but is not frightened. After rewarding your dog while the audio is played, over time and with numerous training sessions, you would increase the volume at which you play the recording. This process is known as desensitization and is a common technique used in dog training.
9) Health aspects: Is your dog in pain or unwell?
If your dog ignores you, he may feel bad or uncomfortable. If your dog has always been obedient and is now loitering, it is best to have your vet rule out any medical problems. Sloppy sitting or reluctance to lie down may indicate orthopedic problems.
Aside from health issues, some dogs may not like training on certain surfaces or the weather is too hot, windy or too cold - there are many options. It can often happen that a distracted dog simply needs to relieve himself or drink water. Consider how well you could perform in an exam if you were on the washroom!
10) Do you forget to exercise your dog?
Many owners don't realize this, but when it comes to dogs, idle minds are the devil's workshop. Yet, many owners like to let their dogs get bored by the fireplace all day, which leads to untold behavioral problems. The simple secret to a well-trained dog is to engage their mind and make them think.
In the wild, before domestication, dogs spent most of their lives performing tasks necessary for survival. Even in more modern history, dogs have had special roles in human relationships. You can still see these natural instincts in dogs today! For example, you'll notice how beagles love to follow scents, how some terrier breeds love to dig, and how coon dogs bark when they spot prey in a tree. Unlike humans who may dread the 9 to 5 grind, dogs actively WANT to work and when they don't, they become prone to behavioral problems, disobedience and poor mental well-being. Many owners spend THOUSANDS on dog training when the solution could be as simple as giving Rover more mental stimulation!
Fortunately, Brain Training for Dogs offers a solution to this problem. Written by professional certified trainer Adrienne Ferris Ellie's (her work has appeared in USA Today, Every dog Magazine, Nest Pets and more), Brain Training for Dogs is one of the first training programs that not only teaches obedience, better behavior and important skills and tricks, but also work on increasing the intelligence and engagement of the dog's brain.
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