Dog lovers often complain that their dogs don’t listen to them. The reason for this problem is simply the fact that your dog isn’t obedient enough. He or she has learned to ignore you or pay very little attention to your commands and it has become a habit over time. A dog not listening to his/her owners commands is a result of the owner not following through commands.
Follow Through Your Commands
Start following through each and every command that you give your dog. Even if he/she ignores you at times. Dogs usually ignore your commands hoping that you will not follow through. This doesn’t mean that they are stubborn or mean. Just like most animals, they are simply doing what works for them. They would rather choose to play with something that they found in the yard than obeying your ‘Leave it’ command.
Gain Positive Control
Don’t hurry letting your dog off the leash. That’s one of the most common mistakes dog owners make. Until you are confident that you have good control over your dog, keep him/her on a leash when your dog is supervised. Make sure that your dog obeys your commands while on the leash. Then you can slowly let him/her off the leash. It’s important to remember that you should never leave a dog leashed when they are unsupervised.
Whenever you are around your dog, keep him/her on a leash to have control over his/her actions. You can try commands such as ‘Come’, ‘Stay’, ‘Leave it’, etc. Give plenty of praise and reward your dog when your commands are obeyed.
Be Patient & Positive
Don’t get mad or resort to punishment if your dog opts to ignore you. It’s bound to happen initially. Spend as much time as possible on training, but break those sessions in to 15 minutes. Dogs’ attention spans are short and training for hours will not work.
Many dog parents forget the fact that they need to time on obedience for a healthy relationship with their dog. Make sure that you dedicate your time for training from puppy-hood.
When your dog starts obeying your commands, you can slowly start to let him/her off the leash. See how he/she responds to you when they are off the leash. If they don’t listen to you as well as you like, go back to leashing him/her when you are around.
Helpful Resources
Your dog’s name might be a part of the problem. This article shares tips to come up with a name that’s easier to recognize for the dog.
It’s important that you safely tether your dog at all times. Read this article for more information. You must also have a safe and comfortable collar on your dog in order to leash them. Learn more about collars in Part I and Part II of our articles on selecting your dog’s collar.
Is your dog a notorious chewer? This article might help you correct unwanted chewing.
