'Help! My dog doesn't listen,' I hear from clients more often than not. When your dog won’t listen it can be extremely frustrating and it can also be dangerous in some situations. There are always a number of things going on, or not going on as the case is here. In training, I first start with the dog's name. So many times I find dogs that are not name orientated.

 

 

Your dog does not wake up in the morning thinking my name is, whatever you named them. Names are a human label, it is one of the ways we identify each other. In the human world that works for us but not for a dog. They use, sight, sound, smell, body language and energy. That is their language. Your dog hears what you say or the sound that you make, which in this case is their name, but they cannot define it beyond anything else until you join a positive energy to that sound. They do not speak human, only dog.

 

 

The next thing is how your dog interprets you, are you the leader in their world? How is your energy? Dogs will always follow or come back to, leaders. The energy you emanate is vital in your relationship, is it confident, consistent, decisive, or is it weak, erratic and indecisive? Do you speak in soft tones or baby voices, as I put it? That to a dog is weak, even if they wag their tail in response.

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To get your dog to listen to their name and respond, start with positive reinforcement. Connect their name to a treat. Attract them by passing a treat in front of the nose. Bring it up so that they are looking directly at you. Say their name and give them the treat. Repeat this exercise several times. Eventually, when you say their name they will automatically look at you and then you can give the treat. Do this exercise while walking. Say their name give them a treat as they look to you. They now begin to respond when you call them by name because it has a positive reinforcement attached.

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As I mentioned earlier check your own energy. Is it confident, are you confident? If you go out apprehensive and nervous, your dog will sense this immediately and will not want to listen even with a treat, the treat will become a point of confusion and you can start to lose the point of reinforcement.

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Only by learning how dogs communicate with each other, will you be able to succeed as a Pack Leader. In my book, Doggy Dos Doggy Don'ts, I explain how to better understand your dog's behaviours. Order yours now by clicking on the image below.

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