10 Reasons Your Dog Ignores Your Commands

So your dog is giving you deaf ears.

What should you do next?

When a dog ignores a command, most people repeat the command over and over again trying to impose themselves until they get a response.

Don’t do that.

Instead, take a step back and think in terms of “dog training science”.

In this article, I list 10 possible reasons your dog ignores your commands.

Go through each of them and see which applies to your dog.

Think of it as “troubleshooting”.

Let’s start with the first reason a dog might ignore you…

1. Low Value Treats

Are you treats worth working for, in the eyes of your dog?

It’s a nice romantic myth that dogs do work for us because they love us and want to please us.

In reality, dogs are opportunistic beings.

According to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), dogs are always thinking: “what’s in it for me?”

Therefore, the value of your treats can make the difference between a dog who’s motivated to obey your commands vs. a dog who couldn’t care less.

Are you using low-value treats like “kibble”?

These low-value treats can be detrimental if your dog isn’t excited by them. They won’t be motivated to follow your commands.

This is especially important in the early stages of training or when there are too many distractions.

Bottom line: Make sure your treats have value to your pet.

Also make sure to use treats that are soft, smelly, and bite-sized so that your dog can quickly gobble up your reward and quickly refocus his attention on you… rather than being distracted by a longer-lasting treat.

***SUGGESTION***

For treats, use what acclaimed veterinarian, trainer, and writer Dr. Ian Dunbar calls the
“Ferrari” of dog treats… freeze-dried liver:

 

Next…

2. Low Rate of Reinforcement (Not Rewarding Enough)

In the early stages of training, there are tons of distractions.

Your dog will find other things in the environment more interesting and rewarding than the training you’re giving him.

Because at this stage, the environmental stimuli are more interesting to your dog, it’s critical to have a high rate of reinforcement.

Meaning, reward your dog with treats more often (for every success)… to keep him motivated.

That way you teach him to pay more attention to you than the environmental stimuli.

If you don’t reward him enough at this stage, your dog won’t obey your commands, you will get frustrated, your dog will sense your frustration, and it’ll be less likely he’ll follow your commands.

In the early stages of training, you need a continuous rate of reinforcement (giving rewards for every success).

Only once your dog starts successfully responding, then you can move on to a variable schedule of reinforcement (only giving treats for successes every now and then).

3. High Criteria: (Teaching Too Many New Behaviors at Once)

Here’s where the saying “baby step it” comes in handy.

It’s always tempting to get excited about your dog turning into the obedient pet of your dreams, and as a result you try to teach it new behaviors all at once in a single evening.

So when your dog isn’t “working” for you, ask yourself: “Am I asking too much from him all at once?”

The fact is that when your dog ignores your commands, it’s because it’s too hard for him.

So baby step it. Don’t try to ramp up the tasks too quickly. Break it down into small attainable steps so that your dog succeeds.

EXAMPLE:

If you want your dog to touch the tip of a “target” stick with his nose, first reward him for touching ANY part of the stick.

Once your dog is able to do that, THEN only reward him for touching the rounded tip of the stick.

Also, don’t make your sessions too long — keep them short and sweet.

4. Too Many Distractions

Dogs learn better with less distractions around.

That’s why it’s a good idea to start your training in a quiet room with distractions minimized.

Once your dog successfully performs the behavior in the quiet area, progress to a noisier area.

Again, baby-step it.

In #3 above, I say baby step the training in regards to the tasks you want the dog to do.

Here, baby step the training, but in regards to the “distraction level”.

If you start training on a loud, busy street or at a dog park with multiple distractions, your dog may not respond and you won’t even have a “foundation” for the new behavior…

…which leads me to reason #5 of why your dog ignores your commands.

5. No History of Training or Poor History of Training

If the trainer has a history of being inconsistent or not following through with the dog, there’s a chance the dog has “learned” he could get away from certain behaviors or learned to ignore the handler.

Also, if the dog has never been trained, then it’s harder to get him to do something…

The saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” isn’t entirely true, but if your dog has never been trained, you’ll find the initial learning difficult.

First, it is up to you to make the dog interested through reward-based reinforcement.

You can use reward-based training methods such as the ones taught in Adrienne Farricelli’s Brain Training for Dogs course.

Once you get your initial successes, you’ll have a “foundation” of behavior and then you can build off of it. Remember to baby step it.

6. Unclear Cues – Are Your Commands Consistent?

Successful dog training is built on consistency, so make sure to always use the same command cue for behaviors, and that other people who are training your dog are on the same page.

If you give a command and your dog just stares at you, ask yourself: “Has this command been used consistently?”

In dog training classes, it is not uncommon to encounter a family where the husband says “come” to call the dog… while the wife uses the dog’s name… while the kids say “here!”

• Don’t ask for behaviors in multiple ways
• Make sure your body language is congruent with the command
  Dogs also respond to body language, so make sure the command matches your body language
• Don’t repeat commands over and over. You want the dog to learn to listen the first time you say it

7. You’re Getting Too Frustrated

Dogs can easily detect frustration.

When your frustration builds up, dogs give you less compliance to your commands. (Remember dogs respond to an “in-control” pack leader)

If you feel you’re starting to get frustrated, ask the dog for an easy behavior it knows well, (followed by a reward), that way you end the session on a positive note, and you can take a break.

After you take a deep breath and rest, you can try the exercise later. You can even split the exercise into smaller steps if it was too difficult for the dog.

Also keep in mind that when you raise your voice, bend down, or get in your dog’s face… you are intimidating the dog and he will resort to giving you default appeasement behaviors instead of listening and obeying your commands.

8. Dog Emotions Are Getting in the Way

If your dog is anxious, his emotional state might interfere with training.

This is because when the dog is in a fight or flight state, it affects his cognitive function… which stops him from learning.

If you suspect your dog’s anxiety is causing him to ignore your commands, then you might need to train in an area were your dog is less likely to be anxious.

This is why early in training you should work in areas were distractions are at a minimum and your dog is less likely to be frightened or anxious.

Then as training progresses, gradually introduce more and more stimuli in a way that does not cause him to react.

For example, let’s say it’s thundering outside and your dog is a nervous wreck.

Instead of immediately exposing him to recordings of thunderstorms at full volume, first play them at a very low volume, where he acknowledges the sound but it isn’t enough to scare him.

Reward your dog while the sound is played, and then over time, through numerous training sessions, 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. Your Dog is in Pain or Uncomfortable

Another reason your dog may be ignoring you is that he’s feeling unwell or uncomfortable.

This is may be the case if your dog has always been obedient but now out of the blue he is slacking off.

In that case, it’s a good idea to have your veterinarian rule out any medical problems.

Also, if your dog is getting old, sloppy sits or reluctance to lay down can be indicative of orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia.

Aside from medical problems, some dogs may react differently on certain surfaces, or perhaps the weather is too hot, too windy or too cold – there are a multitude of possibilities.

Often, a distracted dog may simply need to relieve himself or get a drink of water. Consider how well you could perform in an exam if you were bursting to use the bathroom!

10. You Aren’t “Brain Training” Your Dog

Now here’s something many owners are not aware of: When it comes to dogs, idle minds are the devil’s workshop.

In spite of this, many owners leave their dogs bored by the fireplace all day, leading to episodes of bad behavior.

The simple secret to a well-trained dog is to stimulate their mind and getting them to THINK.

Long ago before domestication, dogs in the wild would spend much of their lives performing special “tasks” necessary for survival.

They each had a job to do… and it kept their THINKING occupied.

Even now in modern history, dogs have natural roles in their relationships with humans.

Sometimes these roles are specific to breed.

For example, you may notice:

• how beagles love to follow scents
• how some terrier breeds love to dig
• how treeing coonhounds bark upon noticing prey up a tree

A dog committing to any of these tasks has their mind stimulated and purpose fulfilled.

While we humans dread the 9 to 5 grind… dogs WANT to work…

And when they don’t have work to do, they don’t have thinking to do… leading to behavior problems, disobedience, and poor psychological health.

Many dog owners spend THOUSANDS on special dog training… but what if the solution is as simple as providing Hercules some mental stimulation?

The Brain Training for Dogs program gives you ways to keep your dog’s mind occupied with 21 fun and simple games to choose from.

Written by professionally certified trainer Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA (who’s work has appeared in USA Today, Everydog Magazine, Nest Pets and more)…

Brain Training for Dogs not only teaches obedience, better behavior, and how to do impressive tricks… but it’s rare that it also works to increase your dog’s intelligence by engaging his brain.

By the end of Brain Training for Dogs, your dog will be able to organize his toys, identify each toy by name, and even play the piano (yes, really)…

All while being a better behaved and less destructive dog.

Want to get started with brain training?

==> Check out “Brain Training for Dogs” Right Now

Remember, you will be able to use “Brain Training For Dogs” to develop your dog’s “hidden intelligence”… eliminate bad behavior… and create the obedient, well-behaved pet of your dreams.

To review… there are many reasons your dog ignores your commands.

• Don’t quickly label your dog as stubborn
• Don’t begin shouting commands like a drill sergeant
• Don’t give up training altogether

Instead, give your dog a break, go through this “10 reasons” article, and analyze what REALLY is the cause of your dog’s disobedience.

A better understanding of how dogs learn paves the path to better training and behavior.