Creative Dog Training

‘My dog won’t…..’

‘My dog won’t …(come, stay. Go outside etc.)

I have discovered four reasons to explain why dogs don’t learn what their human is trying to teach! These four reasons are based on 25 years of working with dogs and humans.

1. the human gives up
2. the human gives in
3. the human ‘forgets’ to do the needed repetitions
4. the human does not see the point of teaching the dog

Please understand that I am not passing judgment here on us humans! We all have great intentions when we attempt to teach our dogs. I am just offering possible explanations for how we fail to get the response we want.

The Human Gives Up

Humans want their dog to follow a command or understand a concept such as housetraining instantly! The human tries two or three times to teach the dog to come and the first time the dog does not come he gives up. The next time you hear yourself your self saying that your dog won’t come, stop and ask your self if you gave up teaching.

The Human Gives In

The second reason is actually more common then the first one. Us humans really do want for our dogs to be happy all of the time. Some humans feel really guilty when the dog looks ‘unhappy’ and they stop teaching because ‘he doesn’t like it’. We tend to equate ears up and tail up as ‘happy’ and ears slightly back and tail down as ‘unhappy’. Dogs use body language to display dominance and submissiveness instead of ‘happy’ and ‘unhappy’. The next time you hear yourself saying ‘he looks unhappy so I give in’, stop and ask yourself is he really unhappy or is the tail down and ears relaxed because he is complying with what I am asking?’

The Human ‘Forgets’ to do the Needed Repetitions

The third reason is rarely intentional on the human’s part. Our lives are busy and repetition takes time. We think the ideal teaching regimen is four short (3-5 minutes) sessions each day in the ‘teaching’ phase. Your dog will learn with even one session each day as long as you follow a plan for teaching. Consider keeping a training log to keep track of repetitions and progress. We will be offering a ‘home school’ course complete with training logs in the near future. The next time you hear yourself saying ‘this dog is dumb (or not as smart as my last one) stop and ask yourself if you are providing enough repetition to allow your dog to learn.

The Human Does Not See the Point of Teaching the Dog

The fourth reason is one that I do not have an answer for. I can tell you that the number one point I see in teaching my dog is so that I never have to pick her up out of the street. The second point is so that when I ask her to stop doing something, she actually stops. I also see the point in a nice yard and clean carpet. Think of courses you have taken in the past. If you did not see the point in what the teacher was asking you to do, did you do it? What is your point for teaching your dog? Write it down and remember to look at it when you ‘don’t see the point’.

Please let me know if you can think of other reasons to explain why your dog does not learn what you are trying to teach.

Did You Like This Post? Click Here to Share It!!