• Who has been heard uttering these words: ‘my dog doesn’t listen’?
• Why doesn’t your dog come back on the beach or at the park?
• Can we change this?

Why should our dogs listen?

One of the biggest complaints dog owners have about their pooch is the perceived notion that their dog doesn’t listen to them. 

And one of a dog owner’s greatest joys is being able to give their dog freedom to run at the park, beach or favourite walking spot.

The two things don’t really go together do they?

We have all experienced, either first-hand or observed others, with that dog that appears to be deaf to everything their owner says!  We call their name repeatedly to no avail.  (‘My dog doesn’t listen’!)  It’s embarrassing & sometimes it can be dangerous.  Plus there are rules in our local areas about dogs ‘being under effective voice control’ to keep everyone safe. 

Your dog isn’t listening, but maybe you aren’t either?

Have you ever considered listening to your dog?  What is it that’s going on for THEM in that moment?

My answer will always be – build connection with your dog.  Build trust.  If you haven’t got a responsive dog, chances are you haven’t got a deep enough relationship.

In that frustrating moment when you desperately want your dog to respond to their name, what is it you are really asking of them? 

It’s to find YOU valuable enough to DISENGAGE from whatever they’re doing, looking at, playing with, and ENGAGE WITH YOU.

It must be so frustrating to be having heaps of fun, sniffing something so interesting, enjoying yourself to the maximum, only to have mum or dad interrupt & stop everything there and then.

Unless of course, being with mum or dad is so highly rewarding that I’d rather be with them than anywhere else!

Connecting

Making yourself highly rewarding enough for your dog to disengage with whatever is holding their attention, and place their attention on you, is not a quick process.

It is the final step in a lot of little steps that have been building up to that moment, probably right throughout your journey together.

It’s the times your dog comes up for a pat or a cuddle.

It’s the times your dog has brought their toy to you, dropped it at your feet and asked you to play.

It’s the times when you’ve given them a ‘good boy/girl’ but either have or haven’t used their favourite treat to reinforce how good they’ve been.

It’s the moments when they’ve behaved exactly as you would like and you either remembered or failed to reinforce it.

It’s teaching your dog how to give eye contact and rewarding them for volunteering this (auto check-ins).

It’s allowing your dog to ALWAYS know they can trust you to speak up for them and never place them in a position of vulnerability.

It’s taking the extra time to prepare their favourite treat and take it along on your walk.

It’s learning your dog’s body language and signals to identify times when they need your support.

It’s seeing the world through their eyes as well as our own.

Recalls

Teaching a recall is super important, of course.  Dogs don’t ‘grow out of’ running away from you when something interesting presents itself.  They won’t just come back of their own accord if you haven’t shown them why and how they should.

In addition to recall training, start thinking about really connecting with your dog as a way to show them that giving you their attention means good things happen.  Always.  YOU ARE A SOURCE OF FUN, LOVE AND STIMULATION TO YOUR DOG.  Kind of like Disneyland to a child!

In my program ‘Crazy To Calm’ you can find out all about the ways I have found success in teaching my dogs to have a deep connection with me in order to achieve great recalls.

Don’t carry on with the frustration!

For one on one support to help your dog start listening to you, and help you learn how to listen to you dog, please visit http://www.trainyourdogwithhelen.com/program and start connecting with your dog today!