“My dog is so stubborn!” “He knows better, he’s just hard-headed.”
Usually, the owner who says these words is frustrated with his dog because the dog’s not listening. In my 15 years of training, I’ve not yet run into a stubborn or hard-headed dog. And I don’t think that’s because I’ve figured out how to screen the stubborn or hard-headed dogs out. I don’t think there are any out there.
What could people mean, then, when they say their dog is stubborn?
I think they think their dog is stubborn, but what they’re really seeing is an untrained dog.
They’ll say things like “He knows I asked him to sit. He’s just being stubborn because visitors are here.”Nope, he’s not being stubborn – he’s too distracted. The environment is filled with lots more exciting things, sitting’s the last thing on the dog’s mind. That doesn’t mean he’s stubborn, that means you haven’t done your training. Yep, I’m putting this one squarely on the owner, not the dog.
Look, if it were that easy for the dog to sit, he’d go ahead and sit! It’s not like sitting is difficult or time consuming. It’s pretty darn easy for a dog to do. So why wouldn’t the dog sit? Not hard-headedness, not stubbornness – it’s lack of training.
When I say lack of training, what I really mean is lack of training in the face of distractions. That’s usually what trips most dogs up, what gives them the label of stubborn and hard-headed.
Take my own dog, Nemo, as an example. He’s a puller on walks. He likes to go now, go fast, and go far. Logically, it would be much easier and more pleasant for him to walk on a slack leash. A tight leash is (1) a lot of work for the dog – he’s constantly pulling and (2) pretty uncomfortable – the leash is pushing against his trachea and neck muscles. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for Nemo to slow down a bit and have a nice, enjoyable loose-leash walk? Well, yes, it probably would. So why, then, would Nemo still pull?
Must be because he’s stubborn. Wrong. He’s excited. He’s over-threshold. He can’t wait to find out what scent the next blade of grass holds. He wants to know which dog peed on the neighbor’s mailbox. He can’t wait to add his own scent. In short, he’s awfully excited to be out on a walk.
He’s far from stubborn or hard-headed. He’s flat out excited. Plain and simple.
But it’s much easier for me to blame Nemo, rather than put the blame where it belongs: on me. I need to spend a lot more time teaching Nemo that a slack leash is the way to get to that next blade of grass or to the neighbor’s mailbox.
What do you do if you think you have a stubborn dog?
Teach him! If you’ve got a stubborn dog who pulls on the leash, get some really good treats (chicken, steak, hot dogs, etc.) and cut them into pea-sized pieces.
- Take your clicker and these treats with you on your walk.
- When you step out the front door, wait for your dog to look back at you. Don’t say anything to him, just wait.
- The instant he looks in your direction, click and give him a goodie.
- Take another few steps and stop. Wait for him to look in your direction, click, and treat.
- Next, take several steps and when the leash gets tight, stop. Just wait for your dog to turn to look in your direction before you click, treat, and begin to walk again.
Your dog will get the message that the walk will continue when he looks at you. He’ll start to look at you a lot and you’ll then click and treat a lot. When he’s looking at you, he’s probably not pulling on the leash. Voila – you’ve just taught you dog to walk nicely on a leash!
Now you’ve got to add in small distractions.
Make a list of the things that really interest your dog. For Nemo, it’s the smells that really draw him in. He loves to smell the ground, the bushes, the road. Those are Nemo’s distractions – your dog could really notice other dogs, kids on bicycles, joggers, whatever.
The key to success is to start where your dog notices the distraction, but isn’t consumed by it.
If you need to walk 100 yards away from the distraction, that’s ok. You’re the teacher – you set up the environment so your dog can succeed. Click and treat every second your dog doesn’t react to the distraction.
If your dog has a problem with, say jumping on guests, put your dog on a leash before your visitors arrive. You can then prevent the dog from jumping by simply keeping him away from the guests and by asking him to sit.
Make sure he’s really good at sitting, though, without the distractions of the guests!When no one’s at the door, ask him to sit, then open the door. Can your dog sit even when you open the door? If he can’t do it when no one’s there, he won’t be able to do it with actual guests on the front porch. He’s not stubborn, he just doesn’t know how to do it.
The next time you’re tempted to call your dog hard-headed or stubborn, stop and think: did you really teach your dog how to do the behavior? With distractions?
Thankfully, it’s easy to teach the dog how to deal with distractions, it just takes some practice, some good reinforcers, and your trusty clicker.
Talk back!
The science is coming in fast and furious! Lots of research is being done in this area and the results are fascinating. Let me know what you think: If you think your dog is stubborn, what’s in it for your dog to be stubborn?
my dog loves to fetch plastic bottles. He would do it for a min or two and then he just sits there waiting for a treat. he does not want to fetch anymore just treats. What am i doing wrong? Does he get bored? I know he wants the treats but does not want to work for it.
I agree. I can’t believe someone that knows dogs would think they can’t be stubborn. I have a small dog that I trained to wal at my left leg on a loose lease and still does until he wants to stop or not go the direction I want to go. When he stops he means it. I originally trained him with a choker and when he first showed the stubborn mood I put it back on but it didn’t work at all. The only thing that works is taking the lease off and he’ll walk free. Generally stays with me but on occasions lags 10-15 paces behind. Scolding doesn’t phase him.
A hard headed or stubborn dog is not one that hasn’t been trained because mine have, but rather choose to do what they want when they want, and I am not talking about sitting ot staying or downing.
My 8 month old pup is stubborn in regards to screaming in his crate when he feels like it. It can come at 10:30 at night, 1:30 in the morning or 4:30 in the morning, once the screaming has calmed down he is taken out to go potty but when he is put back in the crate he continues to scream. And I am not talking whining, he actually screams so loud you want to leave the house, and nothing stops him. And believe me we have tried everything, except the bark collar which we purchased this week and will be here by the end of the week, hopefully we will only have to use it once or twice to catch his attention. Even the VET gave up trying to figure it out.
Amen. Speaking of stubbon dogs, I have a Treeing Walker Coonhound. She is sooo smart. She learns everything unbelievably fast but you can bet she is only going to listen when she wants to. We go through our training just about every day to keep her fresh. Not long, only about 10 min or so. She’ll go through the entire routine but expect her to do it 2x and she’ll shut down like she has no clue what you are asking of her. Walking on a leash I don’t think she will ever get. I have spent 2 years, TWO YEARS, walking 3-4 steps, she bolts, I stop, the leash brings her to a dead stop, she comes back to heal and we repeat the process, over and over and over. TWO YEARS ! She’s not stupid but she is STUBBORN !
This is funny. If you don’t think that dogs can be stubborn then you must have never owned a bloodhound before. I just got a 6 month old bloodhound who has already had some training. She seems to think that she’s the one who is in charge and anytime I try to get her to go outside to go potty I literally have to drag her out there because she refuses to go outside. I put a leash on her and told her to come (a command that she is already familiar with) and she won’t move. So I give her a little tug on her leash and she pulls back. So then I pull a little harder and she pulls back harder. So I pick her up and put her outside and then she tries running back inside. She does the same thing when she decides to sit on the couch. She’s not aloud on the couch so when I see her get up there I instantly tell her no and tell her to get down. She completely ignores me. So I give her collar a tug and say down and she pulls back. So I pick her up and put her down on the floor and she jumps right back up on the couch. All I’m saying is that if you don’t think this dog is stubborn then I think you must have a different definition of the word “stubborn”.
I have a 4 year old English Bulldog. My husband and I take turns taking her out. We love Millie but I think my husband is the spoiler. He gives her everything she wants which I believe is the reason why she’s now being hardheaded. She used to obey my commands but I noticed lately that she does not follow my commands anymore. When we go out for a walk she would just stop walking and stares at me and would sit down and watch all the people and dogs walking or playing in the neighborhood. Sometimes I get so frustrated and I give her a tug. She ignores me completely. Is there anything wrong with her or is there anything wrong with us. Please help!!!!
Thanks for your question, Mary Ann. I’ve also written an article about dogs who listen to one member of the family, but not another. That article raises the question: what do you do differently from the other person?
You say she used to follow your direction, but not anymore. Have you kept up with the training? I compare dog training to weeding a garden: if I don’t keep up with the weeds, they’ll overtake my garden. It needs weekly work if I want to keep it weed-free. Working with your dog is just like weeding a garden — if you don’t practice your training every week, the not-so-good behaviors will start to take over.
It sounds like Millie likes to stop and watch the world around her. Let her — it’s fun to watch and see what your dog finds interesting. In fact, I watch my dogs all the time, as I’m always trying to find out what they like — then I can use that as a reward (so I don’t have to rely on treats all the time). My Tango LOVES to sniff. So we stop and I let him sniff — it’s his walk after all, I’m doing it for him, so why not let him enjoy himself.
If we were in D.C. and I knew a shortcut (on foot) that could get us across town in 1/2 the time, you’d probably be all for it. But what if that shortcut took you through the Smithsonian and I wouldn’t let you stop and look at all the cool exhibits, but rather kept nagging you to “quit looking at all that stuff, we’re using this as a shortcut, not a tourist stop!” You’d tell me to put the brakes on, this is really interesting stuff! 🙂 Millie’s telling you the same thing, maybe? 🙂 Have fun, keep up the good work with your beautiful girl. I love those Bullies!
Of course dogs can be stubborn! Just like some humans are stubborn, they all have there own personalities. I have had dogs all my life all perfectly trained, not just with word commands but with hand signals. But the dog I have now he is 7 years old and is the most stubborn dog I have ever met! He has been trained and knows all of the commands and hand signals yet only when it suits him or I have something he wants in return! I have just put him to bed which 90% of the time he will jump on his bed straight away but tonight he simply refused, stood 2 feet away from his bed and stared at me! He did as he was told in the end but we had a stare off for 2-3 mins first!
But like I said all dogs have there own personalities, its part of his charictor so he wouldnt be the same dog other wise, hes my best friend and I love him! Stubborn or not!
Let me put this in a different context:
Let’s say I’m great at my job. My boss thinks I’m the bees knees and I am the ace of the company. Now, let’s say my company has fallen on hard time and they can’t afford to pay me anymore. I’m not going to continue to work for the company — even though I’m the best employee and know my job like no other — because there’s no good reason to do it.
Am I stubborn?
No.
I’m smart. When people do stuff like that we call them smart. Working and not getting paid?! Leave that job! But when dogs do it, they get called stubborn. Stubborn is a word people use when they don’t really understand what’s going on in the situation. It usually occurs when there hasn’t been a thorough (or appropriate) reinforcement history.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your comment, it’s much appreciated.
I agree. Shouldn’t listen to anyone who “trains” there dog with treats. ridiculous.
If you cannot get your dog to perform a behavior, then you are practicing bad dog training. I’m assuming if no treats were used in teaching your dog to shake, then you probably said “shake” and grabbed his paw. That alone can be aversive and reason enough for the dog not to want to perform the behavior. Research poisoned cues by Karen Pryor and her colleagues. To avoid all of the problems that you listed, use treats as rewards/reinforcers, not punishment. Praise is usually not reinforcing enough to teach whole new behaviors to fluency – with distractions, etc. This is why you are still having training problems. If your non-treating methods worked, then you wouldn’t have these problems. If your dog is taught cues with treat-reinforcers then there is no reason for the dog not to perform the behavior other than he might need more training in a different context (more distractions, new environment, etc.), which is the whole point of this very well-written blog post. Also, using corrections can cause a lot of issues. Dogs will sometimes freeze or look away from you instead of walking with you or performing a behavior that is asked of them. This is not being stubborn. The dog is trying to tell you to calm down, that he is not a threat. He is trying to appease you before you escalate to the point of correcting/punishing him.
I have a chow mix that has been tthrough a program called “prison” which is a training group for dogs she was taught.all the basic tricks like sit down shake, ext… my family adopted her from the shelter and now she refuses to listen to any commands I give her everyone except one person in my family. I am going to take her to obedience school to try to fix the stubbornness of her.
Im sorry but this article is ridiculous. There is a such thing as a stubborn dog. Mind you, my chihuahua/poodle is 4 months old and since the day I got him at one month, I started my training. I don’t praise my dog with treats 100% of the time b/c when I dont have treats, he won’t do as told. It is amazing how since I have neglected the treats and use a newspaper(NO I DONT HIT MY DOG), I use it as a reprimand and he does as told. All dogs are different. Being that he is a mixed breed of the most stubborn dogs on planet Earth, he feels as if he can do what he wants when he gets ready….YET when I show him the newspaper, he does as he is told lol
This breed is actually very smart & I also find it amusing how he responds with “Are you ready to eat?” “Go potty” and “Go outside” by running around in circles and barking and literally goes to the door. I did not train him this way by providing treats, but by praises with my voice only. Some things should be praised with treats and some just by your voice because using treats all the time defeats the point of training because your dog will not do what is told when he realizes he will not be getting any treats in return. Dogs are smarter than what we think.
But yeah back to this article….stubborn dogs do exist. Regardless of my training, my lil boy Ty tends to do what I say when he gets ready…kind of frustrating but at the same time he tends to do it within 2-3 minutes of me just staring at him. So I disagree with this article.
Just let him scream. They are still infants at this age and dont like to be alone all the time. My 2month old pup does the same thing, screams his lungs out and eventually calms down when he realizes I will not let him out the crate. They seeking attention and fail to realize it is time to go to sleep. However; I find it cute how my pup will literally stay up until I go to bed, he may whine for a few minutes because he realizes I am not letting him out to sleep with me anymore then he finally doze off.
Thanks, Dee, for taking the time to read the blog. Letting the dog scream is definitely one way to deal with the issue. I prefer to fix the problem by proactively teaching the dog to enjoy his time in the crate. Extinction does work, it’s just not my preference. Thanks again for stopping in and reading the blog!
Dee, thanks again for spending time here! I love to see people wander through and stay for awhile. No need to be sorry for disagreeing with me — that’s what the internet’s for, right? I, like you, do not use food all the time when teaching dogs (and other people’s dogs). Food is but one of the *many* reinforcers to choose from. None of the dogs that graduate from Smart Dog U need food to perform any behavior. (Technically, that’s called a bribe if you need food to get a dog to do something — we don’t do any bribes here at SDU.) Again, Dee, I’m so happy you have found the blog and are participating! Welcome!
Amen,
This is far too progressive for me! I too have had dogs all my life. Right now we have two German Shepherd pups. The female is proving to be impossible to train she is literally as wild as a deer. The mail is docile and easy as punch to train. The female knows exactly what I want but won’t obey. She also violently attacks the younger pup refuses to come, sit , stay or anything. Although when she feels like it she demonstrates the ability to do anything I ask her. The male ,on the other hand, is as compliant as can be. Whether it is a pack thing or personality I don’t know but it can’t simply or rationally be dismissed as “Bad Owners” or lack of training.
My Pug runs at larger dogs, barking and jumping on them. He does not listen and goes through separation issues when i am not around, even though there are other people in the house. Yes, I have spoiled him and I blame myself. So help me out how do I undo what I have done. He also runs at people.
Hi Rose, thanks for stopping in and commenting. It sounds like there are several issues going on with your pug: (1) dog social skills, (2) coming when called, (3) separation issues, (4) self control. Check out http://www.greatdogtrainers.com and see if there’s a trainer near you. I think either some group training classes in combination with some personalized, in-home training would give you the best and most effective results. Happy training!
I have a 3 1/2 month old German Shepherd cross, plucked from the street just before Christmas 2012. This is one smart but strong willed pup! She is very good about doing her toilet outside. She learned by herself to go and sit by the door. She knows the command *sit*. However, when we go for walks she becomes Deaf Dog. She does do her toilet fairly quickly, but will snatch up any bit of rubbish and try to eat it. I must watch her constantly when we are walking down dirt roads. I live in southern Turkey, and the people in the town here are out and out slobs. Rubbish in the streets. When I catch her trying to snack on some awful bit of something, I yank on her halter and sternly tell her *DROP IT!* She obliges, but 10 seconds later she will find something else and try to eat it. AARGHH!! She walks every which way on the leash despite my constantly pulling her back and putting her next to my left foot and saying *HERE!*. There are tons of distractions outside and she pays me no mind at all. I love her to bits, but I am nearly 60 and my patience is short. I want her to grow up to be a happy dog, but also want her to OBEY me. A dog training class is not an option where I live.
Okay, when I take my dog out for a walk, sometimes she will literally just sit down and refuse to move. She loves to go for walks but she is very “her direction” and will sit if I go any other way. How do I deal with this? She also I scared of any loud noise and will pull on the leash like mad until at a door where she can hide, how can I help this?
IT sounds like he’s learned that every time he does what it is you’ve asked he gets a treat. Unfortunately, it also sounds like he’s in it more for the treat than getting to do something with you.
Hi Evan, thanks for stopping and and for leaving a comment. Yes! You’ve hit it on the head: I am definitely worth listening to, say my dogs! I give them access to things they like! If they do something I like, they get me to throw the ball, let them out of the crate, put their leash on, invite them onto the couch, give them a goodie, scratch their belly, let them chase me (or I’ll chase them), and the list goes on.
The cool thing is that *I* become very valuable to my dogs this way. Dogs are great accountants and are always doing a cost-benefit analysis. I’ve ensured that *I* win out because I afford them access to the things they like/want.
Here’s the real truth: I’m going to play with my dog, love my dog, give my dog food, ANYWAY. Why not make those things rewards for a job done well?! It’s a perfect training situation and it makes my dogs think I’ve hung the moon. Because I sure do think THEY’VE hung the moon!
Thanks again for stopping by — I appreciate it.
This post is nuts! I have an 8 year old pug who is not only stubborn, but getting more so as he ages! If he doesn’t want to go outside, he won’t. And he puts on “the skids” when we try to take him out. He’s fully trained, as are my other 2 dogs. He just does not do what he doesn’t want to, and no amount of treats, prodding, yelling, cooing, coaching, etc. will make him budge if he doesn’t wanna.
I think I will have to disagree with you on this one.
so who is to blame if your dog knows his tricks but then refuses to do ANY of them, even come, even with treats (we’ve trained him with treats and he knows about 15 tricks but he gets to where he freezes and wont do anything, not even EAT a treat when he DOES listen). I can’t take it anymore.
so what do you do when he wont mind. It gets me in a rage and my hubby as well. we are about to find him a new home but hes been in our family for 5 years!
Hi Christy, thanks for your question. It raises a really important point: If your dog isn’t able to eat a treat he’s what we call “over threshold.” What that means is he’s either to excited or too nervous to eat a treat. Refusing food is a great sign of stress in our dog. I know right away if the situation is too much for my dog as soon as he quits taking treats.
As for blame, I try not to think in those terms. If my dog is refusing food, I’ve probably gotten him in over his head. It’s my responsibility to get him further away from the action (or out of the situation completely) so he *can* respond.
For instance, I had the Great Dane service dog in training out at the mall today. He knows sit pretty well. However, we were on the 2nd floor of the mall for the very first time. When he looked down and saw the people below, he got very agitated. I asked him to sit — nothing doing. All he could do was try to figure out how people could be below him. I could have asked him 100 times and the result would have been the same. I could have had steak in my hand and tried to lure him away and he wouldn’t have budged. So, what I DID do, was walk a few steps (at which point he followed), then a few more, until I had him back away from the edge of the glass wall where he could see the people below.
I had to restrict his line of sight for him to be able to concentrate. Did he know sit? Of course. Could he do it? Absolutely not!
Thanks again for commenting, it’s much appreciated.
I feel my dog truly is stubborn. I’ve had for over 5 years. She once bit my husband a few years back. Recently, when I tried to get her out of her crate and grabbed her lead to bring her out, she came out snarling and growling and pulled the lead out of my hand. When I went to grab her lead and assert my authority, she bit me. It took me at least a week to get over that. I almost got rid of her I was so upset. However, I want to give her another chance. Now I am training her with treats. She loves pieces of hot dog. But when she doesn’t want to do something — usually it is she doesn’t want to go outside — she plasters herself down on our rug and refuses to move even when the hot dog is right in front of her. Now I am afraid to grab her lead as she bit me. I really don’t know what to do.
“No stubborn dogs” he says. lol
My coonhound is trained better than any of my friends dogs. But if she doesn’t want to go for a ride in the car, she will lay down and make me put her in it. If I do put her in it, then leave her in it for 10 minutes as I go into the store, she will chew up anything she can get her mouth on. Now if she gets in the car by herself, she is a perfect angel. So don’t be telling people that there are no stubborn dogs. That is terrible advise.
Your analogy to leaving the job has nothing to do with a stubborn dog. I too have a stubborn dog. And yes, she is also very smart. She’s also only 8 months old, so still a puppy and not yet trained. But oh!! Is she ever stubborn. Walking her is like trying to walk a mule. I know for a fact that giving her treats will not help at all. Sorry. Maybe that works with some dogs. Not mine though.
This is scary. Dogs have the intelligence of a five year old child. I used to teach kindergarten and would never think of considering choke collars, treats, or clickers to get them to sit, or letting them boss me around because it would be detrimental to the class and their safety. I had six cats that would go on a walk every night single file with me and I never trained them to do anything. If your dog stops on the walk – remember to check his/her paws for a sticker – they will wait until you figure it out. Respect is earned. My animals do not get categorized, I just try to earn their respect. And nothing in life is free. This is a good web site…and you have to be willing to stop treating your dog like a dumb DOG.
I have a 14week old lab puppy she is a good pup but lately she doesnt listen if i tell her to come she will just look at me and than keep on with what she was doing i have to physical Go in get her if i tell her to go lay down she wont do it but if i get up to go put her an her bed she will beat me to her bed so i know she knows what im saying please help is it me how can i fix it.
Check our the video and blog just posted called Fix Your Dog’s Behavior Problems! It’s right up your alley! 🙂 Thanks for dropping in!
Hi! My 84-year-old Grandma adopted a 2-year-old Beagle. Andi (the Beagle) randomly decides he does not want to go outside before bedtime to potty. He will be happily compliant for a couple of weeks and then all of a sudden will refuse to go outside. He will not respond to food lures, praise, or follow the other dog outside. My grandma has to resort to a leash and pulling him to the door, and this pushes her to the limit of her strength. Do you have any suggestions for getting him to cooperate on a consistent basis?
Oh Thank You! We need to train our dog with distractions! Add in a little at a time, he will learn. WHEW. I was totally worried we wouldn’t be able to train Asimov to do it right.
I recently adopted a 10 mo Doberman/Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix. She’s a great puppy! We’re having some new issues with what we perceive as stubbornness. Specifically, on walks she is starting to sit down in order to control where we go. She also has started sitting down outside our house and in a dogs way, refusing to move or come inside. It sounds like what your suggesting is getting her food motivated with some extra special treats and then rewarding her for following me? She doesn’t do this behavior every walk, and it actually just started surfacing a couple days ago (we adopted her about 2 weeks ago). Thanks!
Chelsea, thanks for stopping by! Yes, I would definitely use food on walks. I wouldn’t wait, though, until she’s refusing to move. I’d click and treat her WHILE she was moving! Click and treat her for almost every step she takes! If you wait until after she’s stopping, what you’re actually doing is reinforcing the stopping. 🙂
I have a 2 year old black lab that i just adopted apparently the previous owners did not work with it at all she bolts every time a door opens will not come when called actually just looks at me and runs faster and further away into places that are impossible for people to get to her at I’m pretty good at training my puppies but a grown dog that just seems to refuse to listen to anything I’m not sure what she’s used to but how can i break her from this
Hi Samuel, thanks for the comment and question. For a dog like this, I’d stick with solid routines, a really tight management program, and a consistent training plan. Make sure the dog doesn’t have access to the door when it’s open — use gates, leashes, whatever it takes so the dog cannot reach the door to escape it. Every escape reinforces the behavior! So interrupting the pattern is your first order of business. Then work on training the dog to wait at the door, to come when called, to look at you when you call her name, etc. By implementing a comprehensive program, your chance of success improves greatly. Happy training!
I have one where I’m sure it’s not “stubborn” but I have no clue what else to call it. I have two dogs, the one with the current issue is a black & white terrier mix (looks a lot like The Doggy D.A.). Not sure if exact age, he’s at least 7 (he adopted us is why the question on age). The problem started about three months ago where when I let them out back (their large fenced in area) to use the bathroom, he just stands on the porch. Sometimes, he can be the one initiating going outside, then he’ll walk around the porch, but until I notice him, he won’t move. I’ll go to the door and say “Trouble, go potty”, which he’s always known as the command. It usually takes me saying this three times before he’ll go. And there are times it’s obvious he needs to go regardless of which type of ‘going’.
Now in this time, absolutely nothing has changed in any aspect of our yard, our routine, nothing. At no other time does he have these ‘huh?’ moments. I’ve done dozens of hearing tests with him, he hears fine, but you do have to speak clearly(but that’s nothing new either). We can do this one trip out, then the next two there’s no problem. He shows no signs of difficulty in using the bathroom. He has no problem playing in the yard, no problem walking, nothing!
I was even concerned enough that I took him to the vet to make sure all systems were ok, he’s in great health. And this isn’t something that only occurs with me, my daughters get the same routine from him.
If anyone can explain this, I’d be greatly appreciative.. Because I’m stumped! I’ve had/raised/trained dogs for more than 30 years, and this is a first!! Any opinions??
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s interesting and intriguing to figure out why a behavior is happening. One thing we know for sure, the behavior works for the person (or dog) doing it, or else they wouldn’t do it. So, it could be that something scared or startled your dog three months ago — so that he’s paired going to the bathroom or being in the yard or going down the stairs (whatever) with the unpleasant noise, smell, etc. There’s always “something in it” for the dog or person — always. And once you figure out what’s in it for the learner, the solution comes quickly.
So while some people may call that stubborn, I’d call it interesting. There’s SOME reason for the behavior. Find the reason, solve the problem. It’s fun to do the detective work! 🙂
My dog is a hound/lab mix, she was doing great with training. Then one night we go in for training and she decides while she is there, she doesn’t want to train any more. And ever since then, she refuses to do the training exercises at home etc. We are going to try again in the spring. I literally think she really is stubborn because she won’t do them at the class or at home anymore, she flat out refuses. And there aren’t any distractions at all, it is me and my husband doing the training.
Hi Viola, thanks for the comment. I think I’d first look at the rate of reinforcement — that’s a fancy way to say “is it rewarding enough for the dog?” There’s got to be something in it for the dog — really tasty treats, for instance. And here’s the important part: It’s up to the DOG to decide if something is “good enough.” Just like people have different opinions on the “best” potato salad recipe, dogs have opinions on what’s worth working for. Also, keeping training sessions: (1) short, (2) fun, and (3) exciting should help. As I asked in the article: what’s in it for the dog to be stubborn? The dog is losing out on the opportunity to earn some goodies — I don’t know many dogs who would do that *unless* there’s nothing rewarding about it (or unless they are in pain, afraid, uncomfortable, etc.).
The question I have is… Do I have to forever walk around with treats in my pocket in order to have my dog listen to me? At what point (if ever) will the dog start to behave appropriately all the time, without the treat reward? I’m not a huge fan of giving treats, if that’s the way it needs to be for the rest of the dog’s life. I’d rather train without the use of treats, if possible, and use positive feedback instead. Can you advise on this?
Hi Jessica, great questions! You don’t need to walk around with treats in your pocket. You do, however, need to reinforce your dog when he does things you like. Reinforcement is what makes the world go round. For people, reinforcement is our paycheck. It’s one of the reasons we work. We also work for personal satisfaction — also a reinforcer.
A reinforcer strengthens. Reinforcing a wall will make it stronger, less likely to fall down. Reinforcing a behavior will make it stronger, make it more likely to happen in the future.
Reinforcement is in the eye of the beholder. If your boss wants to reinforce your behavior (maybe you came in on time for 5 days straight) and she gives you a gift card to Denny’s, and you *don’t* like Denny’s, your on-time behavior is NOT reinforced. If she instead gives you a gift card to Starbucks (which you LOVE), your on-time behavior WILL be reinforced.
So the answer to your question is you can reinforce your dog’s behavior with anything YOUR DOG loves.
Here’s the way I look at treats: A dog HAS to eat meals. Why not use those calories as an easy and convenient reinforcer. He’s going to get the calories anyway, might as well use them to your advantage! 🙂
Fostering an American Bulldog/Pit Bull older female. Not sure of her history. She had been shot and left for dead. The first day she was fine other than not wanting to budge when we went outside, literally had to carry her back in the house. Last night she went into attack mode when she saw my son in the back yard. When he came in the house, she was still aggressive. He backed out of the room and shut the door. She settled down, put her in the kennel and she was calm all night. Still can’t get her to budge when we go outside, just stands there, coaxed her back in this morning with treats. I want to help her, but feeling uncertain.
so I just adopted an alusky he is 2 years old hand has no training. yesterday I took him on a walk and he sits and wont move how do I get him up and going again? I was able to trow a treat and once he picket it up we kept going. but he caught on to my trick. what do I do if it happens again
I love to teach hand targeting for this very problem. Here’s an article (and video) I created to help people teach this very useful skill: http://smartdoguniversity.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-dog-hand-targeting-video/.
I have a 9 month old golden retriever. I’ve always called her stubborn because I always feel like she’s fighting for the authority in the house . We go over her commands constantly in different locations and with treats. She does not get praised or treated if she does not obey commands yet. She will fail. She wants to do her own thing about 50% of the time. same with walking. I have tried all kinds of ways to get her to walk right beside me. And still 9 months later of consistant practice. She still wants to get ahead of me. No matter how many times we stop. No Matter If We Get NO Where BECAUSE We ARE Always stopping. I’ve tried my best with training her , I just feel like she’s always fighting back. Please help!!!
Have you tried our loose leash walking series? Here’s the first article with video (a new installment was posted each week for three weeks total): http://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-pulls-on-leash-heres-how-to-teach-leash-manners-video/
Happy training!
Laurie
Hi there! My family got a German Short haired Pointer about 5 years ago as a puppy. She’s smart and house trained and over the past year I realized I wanted her as a running companion. We never leash trained her so I’ve been trying to do the basics with her over the past few months (mainly not pulling) on and off again. I’ve tried lots of different reinforcements and different methods but it seems like she’s just not getting the hang of it. Is there something I’m doing wrong? Any suggestions?
Have you checked out our series on polite leash walking skills? Here’s the first article, a new article follows each week: http://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-pulls-on-leash-heres-how-to-teach-leash-manners-video/
Happy Training!
Laurie
I have a labradoodle and she’s about 5 months old, she’s been really improving with her leash walking and everything else is going great however just a couple of days ago when we go on walks she has started sitting and refusing to walk with me, it seems like she’s doing it because im not letting her go where she wants. She responds to treats sometimes but as soon as she finishes it she goes back to sitting, sometimes not even trying to get somewhere. I’ve been trying to make the walls more exciting. And I’ve been giving her more time to play fetch and run around in the grass but the behavior hasn’t improved and sometimes I have to resort to carrying her back inside. How can I fix this?
Hi Cortney,
There are a few reasons you might be getting the sitting:
1. The dog isn’t interested in going on walks.
2. The dog experienced something unpleasant or scary on the walk.
3. The dog has been reinforced for sitting!
It could very well be that she’s been reinforced for sitting. Instead of *waiting* for the sit to happen, click and treat your dog for every step forward. If she’s moving, she’s getting clicked and treated! Carry her breakfast on your walk — let her earn her breakfast calories right there on her walk!
After she’s great at walking for a step or two for a click and treat, increase the steps — but gradually! And occasionally, give her a random click and treat for just a few steps.
Hope this helps, Happy training!
Laurie
I have a 18 month old border collie mix named Jessie. Lately, when we go for walks or go to get in the car, she will plant all fours and not move if we don’t go in the direction she wants to go. She will not move even when pulling her leash or commanding her to come. This is a new behavior for her and I’m confused as to what has changed. Any suggestions???
Hi I have a 11 month old siberian husky puppy.She is very tough when it comes topotty traning.. She poopsin hercage ad eats the poop though we give her medication for that habit and feed her well. And it is imossible to house break her. In fact she wantedly does potty or pee in the cage the mmoment we keep her in.lease Advice.
Hi! I rescued a lab mix about 4 months ago they estimated she was about 5 months when we got her. When I take her out either to go to the bathroom or for a walk she will all of a sudden grab the leash and tug on it and start growling and jumping at my face. I have tried to drop the leash and step on it she will stop but when I pick it up she growls and starts to get it again. I’ve done the 2 leashs and drop one but that doesn’t work either. When she gets into this state she will not listen to anything. I can’t let go of the leash totally because she will bult off. I don’t know what to do. Please help! Thanks!
Hi Kellie, when you use two leashes and you drop the one she’s tugging, what happens?
She will walk for a minute and the grab the other one. Or she will take the one I dropped play with it and get all hyped up and then start lunging at me. She is the most sweetest dog and she’s never hurt me.
Hi Kellie, you may want to work on getting and keeping your dog’s attention (in your backyard): Part 1 — http://smartdoguniversity.com/attention-get-your-dog-to-pay-attention-video/
Part 2 — http://smartdoguniversity.com/?p=1632
Once you work through getting (and keepIng) your dog’s attention, you’ll be ready to tackle walking politely (without the dog grabbing for the leash).
Happy training!
Laurie
I’d love your advice on my “stubborn” rescue pup! We adopted her about a month ago, and my husband and I are eager for her to be a running buddy (she’s a shepherd mix, lean and fast-looking, probably about 1 1/2 years old). We’ve kept the runs we take her on short (and in my case, slow) but she has started refusing to continue the run – she lies down, digs her paws in and resists. Sometimes a little love gets her to to run again for a brief bit, but she’s really winning the stubborn dog vs. run competition! The last time I tried to take her out we spent a miserable mile together, with frequent stops and lots tugging/encouragement to no avail. When I finally gave up and turned around, she ran that exact same mile home happy as a clam, no interruptions, no fighting. She clearly has the physical fitness to run with me, but I’m not sure how to train her that runs are running time, walks are sniffing/meandering times, etc. It’s a bit difficult to treat a dog while continuing to run, so any feedback is appreciated!
You say, “take your clicker” as if every dog owner knows he or she should have a clicker. Never heard of it before!
Hi William, browse around the blog and my YouTube channel — you can’t miss learning about the clicker! Thanks for stopping by!
Here’s a video from my YouTube channel that explains clicker training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbjodkUsKt4
Here’s the article that goes along with it. http://smartdoguniversity.com/what-is-clicker-training/
Take a look around both the blog and the YouTube channel — there’s A LOT of clicker training all over both sites!
Enjoy!
My dog Elsa doesn’t listen when we go to walk and she doesn’t hears what i say
Hi, great post! Just helped a lot with some stuff. Although, I guess that maybe my case has some other issues.
I have a 10 month old male chocolate lab. Most of the time he’s great, we raised him considering a lot of dog psychology, dog whisperer’s books, and we also hired a dog trainer, who trained him for two months. He was neutered when he was 8 months old. He is and obedient dog, but only when it comes to his mind.
He has often denied some commands and really attacked us when we try. Also, when we play with him, he’s getting quite mad and angry, growling, showing his teeth and attempting to bite-hurt. I don’t see a reason for it to happen, my girlfriend has accepted him to be only violent for its nature. When he starts it, we have to wait him to get normal again or try to hold his collar and put him out. The trainer never had answer for this, he would say it was only the way we behaved near them but no concrete suggestions, like, “what do we do to correct him in the moment?”.
My girlfriend raised him as a child, with discipline and all, and he obeys her very well – but not always, sometimes he doesn’t want to and gets violent. She’s thinking about sending him to her grandpa’s farm, for it’s getting really dangerous for us to live with him in a townhouse.
If you could give us some ideas, it would be great… Thank you, already!
I laughed at this comment at the top of the article…”I’ve not yet run into a stubborn or hard-headed dog.”
Well, you haven’t met my Bull Terrier then. He is a great dog and a sweetheart and I love him to death, but he is also literally the most stubborn animal I have ever witnessed in my life when it comes to certain things. That is no exaggeration.
I don’t have the patients. Although there are good things I taught but if it takes time!!! She will not stop barking or approaching a dog or people!!! Other dog walkers wait until we are in the house before they will come out. Can’t meet too many people because my dog distracts other dogs. She is a small dog.
I believe she was abused. Got her from a pound.
Help
I have a lab/ hound mix. Although I have know the puppy since he was about a month old I only became his owner 3 weeks ago. My mom and mainly her boyfriend wanted a dog. He wanted a big dog while she wanted something small. Well he decided he was getting this lab/hound mix. He works 6 days a week and my mom is getting up in age and really has no business trying to take care of a big puppy. There were lots of hurtles for me to over come in the last few weeks. To start with every time someone says “easy” this dog would come running and knock you over. The exact opposite of easy. This was because every time he was given a treat he was told “easy” like don’t bite. Well to everyone else in the world easy is a word you say to calm and relax your dog. So when he met the neighbors and their dogs for the first time he went crazy and the neighbor kept saying easy. For the first week we had him I would not say the word at all. When I’d give him a treat I would say treat. If he was being to snippy while I was trying to give him a treat I would tell him softly. When he is being properly trained and constantly worked with my two and five year old can hand feed him without him being too rough. I can say easy now and it has no association with treats. He takes it as a cue to settle down. He is also a barker. He is a Treeing Walker Coonhound/ Lab mix so he barks about everything. He even sounds like he is talking sometimes. I can just tell him to hush now and he will stop all the barking. He chewed everything in my mom’s house up and dug holes in her yard. Big giant holes that are dangerous if she falls into one of them. Like I said I have had him for 3 weeks and he doesn’t chew and he doesn’t dig holes. I have been good enough to teach him not to do these things and also give him proper playtime so he isn’t stressed out. Now to get to my problem, no one ever tried to put a leash on him. They tried to chain him in the yard once and he flopped around and screamed and they were scared he would hurt himself. He does that every time we would put the temporary leash on him. We don’t really have the money to go out and buy a bunch of stuff for him. I worked out an agreement with my mom’s boyfriend that he would continue to pay for his food and I will keep him here and love and take care of him. They were going to take him to the pound. I begged them to give me a chance to take and train this puppy. I could tell he was such a good hearted animal. Anyways, I get off topic. I have been letting him out in the back yard with no fence and he always runs off on me and I spend an hour or more trying to get him back in the house. He refuses to listen to me. My husband can say “Here Gus” and there he is. So my neighbors seeing that I truly love this dog and want to keep him safe and am committed to doing whatever it takes to keep him bought me a harness and a really expensive leash. The only problem like I said before is that he has never ever been on one before (besides the time I tired to use one from a vet’s office to get him home and I ended up with lots of big ugly bruises on my arm), so here is what he does. He will thrash around for a minute and I take control of the leash and he will either give up and walk a little big or he will lay down and roll on to his back. He is as big as me at 5 months old so I can’t manhandle this dog, and I don’t try to. I try to use treats to reward him. So how do I get him to stop laying down, refusing to get up and walk, or even go into the house? In order to keep Gus I have to learn how to control him on my own. My husband is already aggravated with me since I will wake him up during the day to help me bring him in. He works nights and that is another reason why I want and love this dog. He protects me and my daughters and I know he wouldn’t ever let someone try to hurt us. Everyone’s solution is to take him to the pound or let animal control pick him up, but I am not willing to give up on him. He is super smart just in 3 weeks he sits, lays, shakes, rolls over, backs up, and will wait when told to. The only things he could do before was sit and lie down. He wouldn’t even do that most of the time. He would just stand there and bark. I’m sorry this was so long, but I wanted to give you an idea of what he was and what I have done to work with him. I’m more than willing to work with him to ensure he gets to go outside safely.
Hi Emily, a positive reinforcement group class or private trainer would be best equipped to help you with your dog. I can provide only on-the-surface suggestions such as “put the leash on your dog and let him drag the leash around (only while you’re home to supervise 100%, of course).
If the leash is a heavy one, start with a very lightweight leash.
Good luck with training! A positive reinforcement trainer is your best bet so she can help you in person!
First, I am Earl Smith, Deane’s husband. We have a rescue Shelty, Lady. She is 7 and was used for breeding by a backyard breeder. She is very, very, fearful of men. I feed her from my hand twice every day. I walk her 2 or 3 times every day. I’ve been takinh to obedience training every week since Feb. She bonded with Deane from day 1. After 8 mos. she has just started to let me pet her. Trusting any male is obviously very hard for her. My biggest failure in O.T. is “STAY” she will always sit, heel & sit, down, & come (recall) . The come or recall is only if she is on her leash & she will only come to me grugingly. I am certain the failure is mine. I am open to any new suggestions.
I have 6 year old dog and she doesn’t listen to a word I’m say any help
Overally general article. Unsure it applies to all dogs.
I have a 4 year old Maltese and he is a STINKER!! I have to admit, he rules the roost and is called “the king” much of the time. Although he does get spoiled, he knows his commands. He can sit, lay down, roll over, shake, speak, etc. Simple stuff and he loves to show it off to anybody and everybody.
Heres where my problem is, he’s a naughty little thing when it comes to listening outside. Without a leash, he just does what he wants and only listens when he wants. You have to call over and over to him and start walking towards him very sternly in order for him to listen.
Also, he goes through phases where he will pee in the house. He gets outside plenty, and he knows that if he sits by the door he will be taken outside. Just today he wasn’t aware that I was watching, and he lifted his leg to pee on his bed. I immediately yelled at him and put him in his kennel. My boyfriend has told me that he doesn’t think his kennel is a punishment because its like a cloud in there for him.
Wondering what your advice would be?
Thanks!,
Emily
Hi Emily, thanks for stopping by. Listening outside is not the same as listening inside. There are so many interesting things outside — distractions are king outside! To help teach your dog that what he knows inside is also possible to do outside, take your dog out on a leash, have some delicious treats (chicken — real chicken), and re-teach (from the beginning) all the things he already knows when he’s inside.
First, work in very low distractions. Maybe on the back porch, not even out in the yard. Then as he starts to master those basic skills outside, you can then move to a *little* more distracting area (maybe the grass). Systematically build the level of distractions until your dog is able to do outside what he can do inside.
As far as peeing in the house — restrict his freedom. If he’s four years old and still peeing inside, he’s not fully housetrained. Pretend he’s a puppy again. Use the crate to manage him, NOT to punish him. It’s OUR job to get him outside when he needs to go and also to restrict his house freedom. It’s not your pup’s job. So if he pees in the house, punish yourself, not the pup. Just kidding of course, no punishment needed for either of you. But you get my point. Sounds like to me, this guy got too much freedom too quickly. It will take tight management (he’s *never* left alone in a room (he’s always with you) OR he’s crated with a food toy or leashed to you. NO HOUSE FREEDOM until he’s accident free for at least a month. It’s fairly straightforward. Check out the blog for house training articles — there are several on there.
Using food conditions the dog to only perform the task if it knows it’s getting something afterwards
Hi Brandon, thanks for stopping in. Food — or any reinforcer — doesn’t condition the learner as long as the food (or whatever reinforcer you’re using) comes into the picture as a consequence (after the behavior) not as a bribe (before the behavior).
The consequences of any behavior determine whether the behavior will happen again. If we are smart trainers, the learner doesn’t know the consequence. Smart trainers vary the reinforcer (consequence) to avoid this problem.
In my classes, I make sure the owners don’t have food in their hand when they’re asking for behavior.
I have a dog that just stops and won’t move until he can go down the street he wants to go down, and/or he will sit down; in the middle of road, on sidewalk or any other place and won’t move till he is ready….he is too big to carry or lift so what do you suggest? I usually just stand and wait but sometimes that is a problem when I have to be some place soon.
Hand targeting is a great exercise to teach your dog. Here’s an article with video on how we teach it: smartdoguniversity.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-dog-hand-targeting-video/
I found this interesting as I have been lately saying my dog is stubborn (though subconsciously I know there has to be a way to communicate what I want and it’s my problem not his. He is a rescue dog – roughly 18mnths, husky mix
and we have no background on him. He learned to sit for treats very quickly, is well behaved in the house , in his crate and on an afternoon walk is calm with very little pulling (as there are fewer distractions). The problem I have is his morning walk – I do everything the same way but as you describe he is over excited and no matter how many times I stop and wait for him to relax or look at me – it makes no difference. He will not take treats on his walk – I have tried that. He is not calm when he sees other dogs especially and as there are many small dogs around here, they bark/snarl first and he reacts. Any ideas??
Hi, I have a pit lab mix who is a little over one. we’ve been living with an Australian shepherd for over 4 months now and they’ve been great! however, he did get territorial over food recently so bad he made her bleed and when playing they snapped at each other again. I am scared he will do more damage and I will have to put him down. he is never this mean, all of his rage has been recent and I don’t know what to do.
Hi Colleen, find a positive reinforcement trainer or veterinary behaviorist in your area. Aggression is complex and cannot be diagnosed or treated effectively across the miles (or across the web). Good luck — find help sooner rather than later. Good luck with your two dogs.
I have a corgi-retriever mix. He absolutely knows “come,” “sit,” “stay,” “lay down,” “no”… unless it’s a door bell or knock. He is stubborn… He will come when I call him in the house every time and; he comes about half the time when I call him outdoors… The other half of the time; he will sit down and turn his nose up at me. If I ask him again and, he’s still not interested he will lay down. He either looks at me or snubs me. If I make him come in when he doesn’t want to; he mopes and eventually starts whining. Sometimes he comes but, he drags his feet until I say “NOW” in a regular voice, then a mad voice and he picks up the pace. “Get on the porch,” when he stops at the step and, he will. “In” and he will go in… even at a slow mopey pace. He’ll stop and look up at me, “Go in now” and, he does. It’s irritating knowing he absolutely knows what I’m asking of him but sometimes he just flat out refuses. What’s funny is when my fiancé comes home and; I’m in the back room, he comes to get me to go say hi. When he needs to go out an pee in the morning when I get out of bed; he gets behind my legs and pushes me as soon as I have clothes on. Great personality but, sometimes I feel he’s a dog all his own.
Aha! I think we’ve found the issue. He knows all those things, but he *doesn’t* know them if the distractions are too high! (when he’s outside, for instance).
I travel almost every weekend out of town to teach Karen Pryor Academy workshops. I’m in a new city, with a rental car, and it’s usually dark when I’m driving (with GPS) to a hotel in a brand new city.
I KNOW how to drive. I’ve been driving for 30 years. BUT… When I’m in a different car, in a different city, in the dark — if you were following me, you might think I’d just gotten my license a few years ago. Not because I don’t know how to drive. But because being in a different car, in a different city, in the dark is a little more distracting than normal, lol.
I can do it. But it takes me more time and my skills seem more rusty to those around me who don’t know that I’m not in my car in my own city…
Your dog can do it, too, but only if you teach him how to respond in the face of distractions AND make it worth his while.
I am trying to teach my service dog to put the ball in the bag. She does it sometimes but she often won’t let go of the ball. How to I fix this problem?
We’ve had our Greyhound for around 2 years now. He’s a rescue and we’re unsure of his history. From day 1 we’ve had trouble walking, if we take a turn or head in a direction on walks with him that he’s unhappy with (leaving the park etc.), he will absolutely REFUSE to walk. We end up dragging him for long distances, sometimes he’ll rear on his back legs he’s so adamant we’re NOT going in a direction he’s unhappy with. I should add there’s nothing scaring him, nothing has upset him, he simply doesn’t want to head in any direction that doesn’t lead to the park/dogpark/family members etc. etc. We’ve tried everything, spraying him with water (which he hates), quickly changing directions, coaxing with pats and scratches when he does move, we’ve purchased a front leading harness which has made it easier to drag him but it hasn’t stopped his behaviour. I’m at my wits end with him. Half of our walks are ruined. I’m sweating by the time I’ve yanked him home. I should add he’s not food motivated at all.
Hi Steph — does your dog eat meals? Every living creature is food motivated or else they’d be dead. I have a Great Dane that is quite picky, but he’s definitely food motivated. There are a few suggestions I’d make for you. http://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-training-ways-use-hand-targeting/
Another targeting article: http://smartdoguniversity.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-dog-hand-targeting-video/
And about really (REALLY) good treats: http://smartdoguniversity.com/best-dog-training-treats-people-food-video/
Hope this helps!
If sitting in my living room with my two dogs and the stubborn one is laying nicely on the floor on her dog bed, this is a non distracting scenario that happens every evening, but when it’s time to go outside to go “potty”, my 8y.o. my dog will not mind when I say, “come, let’s go outside”. (Commands she understands) Most it time she will not mind until I say it STERNLY, the second or third time. This is not an excited, distracted moment. This is an extremely routine scenario. So when the issue isn’t excitement or distraction. So my question is how do you deal with a dog that only listens to some commands when I use a very stern voice the seconds or third time? I would like to ignore her but i also don’t want her to get the sense that she “won” when she doesnt mind the command. So how do I get her to mind commands she understands when she’s in a non-distracting/exciting scenario, without having to say the command more than once and without having to say it in a very stern voice? Your article has not touched on this.
Hi Jess, thanks for your questions. Perhaps your dog doesn’t need to go to the bathroom? I love having two way communication between me and my dogs. I ask them: Do you need to go outside? If they get up, then yes, they do. If they don’t, they’re telling me they don’t have to do now, thank you for asking. I hope this helps.
I have a bloodhound/mailnois mix. He is about 1 year old. I will use treats with him to teach him how to do basics but often times, he will just stare at me. The thought of him being deaf crosses my mind when I am trying to teach him. He knows sit, however, even with a treat, it takes two or three stern “Duke SIT” for him to actually do the action. Other actions he’s picked right up on and will do them whenever I ask (such as shake and shake with the opposite paw). I have tried using hand signals as well with my commands (like pointing a finger above his head behind him when I want him to sit) and I have also tried just using treats without signals. He seems to have the same reaction to both methods. It almost seems like he just does the commands when he feels like it and expects a treat regardless of whether or not the command has been done (which does not fly with me)!
Hi Haley, what a cool mix of dogs! My guess is that the dog doesn’t actually understand what’s being asked. Because when you think about it, all he has to do is shake or sit or whatever and BAM! there’s a treat! If he doesn’t do it, no treat.
I actually just wrote an article about training without treats — I think that’s also helpful. http://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-training-problem-solving-dog-listens-food/ Hope this helps!
Hi! Thanks for posting these kinds of things! Last year we adopted a 6 month old Newfoundland/St Bernard/Lab. We live in AK so I worked really hard with her for a couple months on leash training until the snow came then we’ve been practicing off and on in the winter inside and a little outside. Once the snow started to melt we really have kicked the leash training into high gear. However, we are having difficulty with distractions. She listens so well without them and so I’ve been throwing in distractions to try and keep her on task. However, she’s getting to big for me to handle on a walk when there are too many distractions (other dogs and children!). We are moving into a camper for a few months and will not have a yard or space, just lots of walks. Any suggestions? I bought a 30 ft training leash but again, but much help with dog distractions. Thank you!
Hi Missy,
I’m not sure I understand this: “She listens so well without them and so I’ve been throwing in distractions to try and keep her on task.”
Distractions won’t help keep your dog on task, usually. Systematically adding distractions is simple, but not necessarily easy! 🙂 It takes a lot of “splitting” which means peeling those distractions apart and introducing only the tiniest bit more distraction into the picture at each step. If the dog falls apart, you know the distraction was too large, haha.
Other distraction tips:
-use super high value treats. I’m talking crazy good stuff. Maybe tuna, salmon, tripe, etc.
-use distance if you can’t reduce the distraction (take the dog further away, walk in the opposite direction, etc.)
-go deliberately slowly when moving from one distraction level to another
Hope this helps!
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
I’ve had my dog Latte for two years now. He’s already 6 y.o. so he came to me already as an adult.
He’s very smart and learns new things easily when we’re at home in a safe environment. However, when we’re out on a walk he completely changes and get’s VERY distracted by pretty much everything. I know he also has anxiety issues, which he presumably got because of his not very decent previous owner.
I am trying to teach him to look at me while on walks, but he most of the time flat out refuses. It seems like he’s doing his very best to look anywhere else than at me. I could dangle a fillét mignon in front of his face and it wouldn’t help.
Sometimes I do get his attention, but only occasionally and after asking a million times like an idiot. He does come to me when called, and will sit down, but always facing away from me. Again ignoring my request to look at me.
How can I fix this?
Thank you for your time, Walter
Hi Walter, great question. Have you tried working indoors — is he able to look at you then? And is that pretty solid? (Meaning you can get it anytime you ask, no matter what’s going on indoors?) If you can, I would move to *just* outside the door. When you move outside, go to the least distracting spot (if the backyard is noisy, go on the front porch, for example). Use a really smelly, yummy treat for your reinforcer. If you can’t get attention outside even in the least distracting place, you won’t get it when you’re moving.
Ideally, this is how it would go:
Solid attention
1. inside while remaining still then
2. inside while moving with the dog then
3. outside in the least distracting environment while remaining still then
4. outside in the least distracting environment when moving
etc.
You’ll systematically increase the distraction level in the tiniest of increments.
I adopted a 7 yo lab mix 6 months ago. She was afraid of everything. We are making progress very slowly. But if she hears a bird chirp when out for a walk she
will not move. Sometimes she will stand on her hind legs and will cross her front legs in the air and block the leash. She is like a mule and will not move.We want to take her to the dog park and the beach but she will not go into the car. Can these fears be overcome>
Hi Margaret, thanks for the comment. Sounds like your dog would benefit greatly from the knowledge of a veterinary behaviorist (VB). Working together with a VB and a qualified positive reinforcement trainer will give your dog the best chance at living a normal life — good luck on your training journey!
Thanks so much for getting back to me, Laura. I will try to locate a VB here in Brooklyn and a trainer. I really appreciate your taking the time to reply to my situation.
I have a one year old Pitt/lab mix. We’re renting a room from someone and she’s fine when she’s in the room, she’ll just lay down. She listens in there, she ignores the cat and the chihuahua. She even ignores the home improvements going on outside the door but she gets overly excited once the door is open. She likes to jump on people and I tried to train her not to but my fiancé would come in and tell her to jump up and give him a hug. He eventually stopped but she still won’t stop jumping. She pulls on her leash all the time. I’d love to take her for more walks but I can’t till I get her pulling under control.
Hi Ashley, a good positive-reinforcement manners class is what you need. Your problems are frustrating, and (thankfully) relatively easy to solve. And if it makes you feel better, those are pretty common problems.
It sounds like distractions are your dog’s biggest problem. Your positive reinforcement class will be able to help you with that, but here’s an article that may help until you can get your girl into a good class: http://smartdoguniversity.com/introducing-distractions-dog-training-video/
Hi Laurie, I need some advisee as I am completely discouraged.
I have 5 y.o. cross breed border collie/husky I think.
We had him since he was 3 month old. He is very friendly and sweet but he absoutely doesn’t answer to our command.
He pulles on walks, jumps on guests, run away from the garden at every chance, he is able to open the gate if we don’t lock the bolt, he still chews balls and toys and never answers when he is called and never even let us catch him not even inside the garden, left alone if we are outside and for any reason he is not at the leash.
He also barks a lot to every one who passes near the property.
I walk him every day and my husband runs with him in the morning, we have another dog who is much more obedient and they get along very well.
We have a massive garden all fenced where he is free to run, we live in the countryside.
We tried two different trainers. A very strict one who made us put a wire around the fence and stuffs like that but after a moth he gave up and even stopped to answer my calls,
Then another one very sweet who thought us agility and commands before on a lead and then without; she kept saying he was a very smart dog, but after two months of training she disappeared as well.
I am really depressed. the worst thing is that he keeps running away crossing roads and jumping on strangers, just to lick them or to play with the other dogs but still…
He is absolutely not interested in any treat or food as a reward.
When guests arrive, unless I know they will come a long time before, I can’t catch him he doesn’t answer when I call him and so he inevitably jumps on them on the way from the gate to the door. And a lot of people understandably don’t like it.
I have two kids (8 &11)who would love to play with him but he just ignore them unless is to steal their footballs and chew them.
Pleas can you give me some advices or address me to someone who can help me?
We love him but he is really a though one to deal with or we are very bad owners I don’t know but I really need help.
Thank you
Francesca
Hi Francesca, thanks for your question, I feel your pain. It can be super frustrating when your dog jumps on people, doesn’t listen, and is sometimes is a pain in the you-know-what.
It sounds like good manners training is what your dog needs. If you check https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer you’ll hopefully find someone in your area. There are KPA certified trainers all over the world! I think your problems are absolutely workable — you just need some one-on-one manners training to see a difference.
Laurie: looking for any suggestions. We have a 6 month mini schnauzer that will not warn us when she needs to pee/poo. We have her on a schedule for bed, bfast, walks, naps and dinner. Often, we take her on her after meal walks (15-30 mins after after eating), she may do either, both or none and then once in the house, will do both. I am convince dog is smart but this feels like spite. After she does it, even before we do anything, she knows what she did was bad and will lie in her bed.
I’m sure we are doing something wrong. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Toy breed dogs are hard to potty train. I have Italian greyhounds and for me what worked was pee pads in the laundry room, so they can go when they need to. I started with pee pads training only till they use them all the time and then outside on command but my dogs use both depending on if I’m home to let them out.
We’ve had a previous one with no issues but this puppy is different. Even the breeder had her first puppy with this issue (a month younger than ours).
We just got her spayed and either 6 months old and/or continually training her, she finally grasped what to do. No accidents for week after spaying and she even will back to get our attention to go outside. I’m sure she will have an accident at some point but a “180” from 2 weeks earlier. We believe we are over the hump….
Hi Bill, thanks for your question. If your dog is going to the bathroom fairly consistently when you bring her back in the house, I’d suggest using a tether when you bring her back in (if she hasn’t gone to the bathroom outside).
Here’s an article about puppy house training, but it applies to a dog of any age: http://smartdoguniversity.com/house-train-puppy/
And here’s the article on tethering: http://smartdoguniversity.com/puppy-training-lesson-of-the-day-tethering/
Both of those articles should give you some ideas to help with your schnauzer’s house training challenges.
I just got a puppy about ten weeks old now and when I take her out she doesn’t wanna walk she will just sit in one spot and she wants to sleep all day please help the vet said maybe she is just a worries bug and just over analyze things but I just want her to be playful like a puppy should be please help
Hi Kati, I hope your pup is walking better now! 🙂 Sometimes puppies like to sit and watch the world go by. If you think she’s afraid or nervous, that’s another story. It’s hard to tell from your post, though, if she’s worried or a pup that likes to observe things from the sidelines.
If she’s not worried, but rather likes to watch the world go by, I’d encourage you to let her do that. In the meantime, if you need her to walk around for her bathroom break, take some really delicious bits of food with you. When she’s up and moving, click and give her a piece of food. Try to click and treat her *a lot* when she’s up and moving. Pretty quickly, she’ll learn that moving is a good thing and you’ll have her walking with you eagerly.
I need help! My bf and I adopted a pit bull about 4 months ago and she is about a year old and was already potty trained however I am sure if it her nerves when we leave or what but every time we leave she destroys everything from the plaster in our walls to her kennel to shoes…. We have tried music and blankets kennel and no kennel…. She is mostly well behaved when we are with her but it gotten to the point I am scared to even go to work and leave her at home…. Any suggestions??
We had a problem similar to this. The very good sturdy crate is key. Don’t put things near it. Leave it in the middle of a room if you have to. We did this over the course of several months. We would but the dog in the crate, go outside for 10 minutes or so, and then come back in. When we came in we would give lots of praise when things were as we left them. We would sit on the floor and play or just watch tv usually leaving an hour or so between “sessions” then do it again.
This sounds like serious separation anxiety. Check with your veterinarian about options. While a trainer can help you implement a behavior modification plan, what you really need is a consult with a good veterinarian who understands separation anxiety. Good luck — great progress can be made with a good veterinarian and a good trainer on your side.
We have a two-year old mastiff and she is very well trained, constantly listens, is great at learning new tricks and knows which behaviours will be rewarded. We recently renovated our backyard, where she used to go pee and poo when not on a walk, but now she refuses to go to the bathroom at all in the backyard, only if she is on a walk. We have tried many things, bringing some of her poo to the backyard, leashing her and taking her to the spot. How can we get her to go back to being able to do in the backyard and on walks?
I know you said you don’t believe dogs are stubborn, but I do feel she may be just holding it, knowing I will eventually cave. She does the same with her food sometimes, if we don’t take her to the park or for a walk she wont eat until we do.
What should we do?
It sounds like your girl has discovered peeing and pooping outside the yard — and she likes it! She may think of the new backyard as part of her home and doesn’t want to soil it.
I know my guys tend to poop more on a walk — is it that the physical activity helps stimulate that? I don’t know. But I have found that it does seem like they prefer to go to the bathroom outside their yard.
I put going to the bathroom on cue. Here’s the video and related blog post, hope it helps! http://smartdoguniversity.com/get-dog-go-bathroom-ask/
I have a 7 month old husky and when I trying to to actually walk him he’ll just lay down in the middle of the road so I have to drag him to get him up and walking again. Also if he uses the bathroom in the house he’ll walk all in it and trample it everywhere and he’ll get in my way of cleaning it like he doesn’t want me to clean it up
You can check out the targeting articles on the blog (search for “target”) and also this article: http://smartdoguniversity.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-dog-hand-targeting-video/
That should help with the walking/laying down. For the house-soiling — can you put him in his crate while you clean up? That would at least keep him out of your way while you’re trying to clean up.
We adopted a 5 year old fully trained Walker Treeing Coon Hound. He’s very bright. He knows sit, stay, leave it, release, crate, bed, and car. We have a large backyard (fenced). The problem is he seems to be scared of the dark. When we take him out at night (on leash), he just stands still, and won’t move. I encourage him to go about 10′ out in the grass, with the hopes he will ‘do his business’. If he has it in his head he’s not going to do so, he won’t (and based on his feeding schedule, it should be time. Any suggestions on how we can make him less leery of the dark?
So I’ve been having a bit of an issue lately with my dog which is getting him outside to go to the bathroom especially if he’s been inside almost all day long. And he’s 7 years old now.
I’m trying to find a way to get him outside without having to drag him, pick him up, or give him treats. Usually he won’t go outside without a treat, but that hasn’t worked. I’ve been trying to lift my voice up in a more positive way saying: “C’mon, let’s go outside.” And all he does is just look at me. He won’t move and when he does, he’ll try to hide to avoid going outside. Any suggestions on how to get him outside without having to drag him, pick him up or use treats? He used to go outside on his own, but now he doesn’t.
Hi Courtney, have you had your boy checked for any physical discomfort or pain? Being sedentary isn’t good for our dogs, so I’d make a veterinary appointment and explain what you’re seeing. Also, is there anything outside that could be unpleasant? Noise? A barky dog? Did this come on suddenly? Or has he been like this for 7 years? I’d start with the veterinarian to rule out pain, first.
i have a husky that turned 5 months on aug 1 he doesnt pee in the house or his cage for my boyfriend att all and hes potty trained but if i go to let him out of his cage he will pee when im putting the leash on him whether i do it in the cage or at the door he waits till im hooking the leash to him and he pees …?
I have a 2 year old lab/pit mix. Two weeks ago we got a bulldog puppy. The two dogs are doing well, there has been no signs of aggression from either dog. The problem I’m having is, whenever the puppy is playing and running through the house, my 2 year old dog wants to pounce on him not realizing her size and strength and she will not let the puppy walk. She constantly puts herself in front of him trying to stop him from doing anything. As long as the puppy stays laying down, she leaves him alone. Why?
This could be the way she enjoys interacting with the bulldog puppy. However, it’s not appropriate. I’d leash her when the pup is active — not allowing her to practice (and thereby get better at) the inappropriate pouncing.
My 8 year old akita started about 3 months ago refusing to go inside on our walk home. I would change the route home to try and stop this but no matter where I am now he will know we are going home and just lay flat out down and I can’t move him. I’ve tried treats toys running but nothing works. Walks are now not enjoyable as he does this on every walk 3 times a day. Help please
There are a couple things you might do to help with this issue. First, it sounds like your dog really loves his walks with you — that’s fantastic! What a great compliment to you and your relationship with your dog.
You may want to make his walks longer or more interactive. Perhaps if he’s a little bit more tired or has sniffed a little bit extra, he’ll be a little more content to return home.
Another tip: when you get home, provide him with something he LOVES. You could give him a stuffed Kong, play tug, chase him around — whatever he loves! When he finds out that returning home doesn’t mean that the fun ends, he may be more willing to walk back through that door.
Finally, search the blog for some great targeting articles. Here’s one, but there are lots more on the blog. Targeting is a fantastic way to get your dog to come inside (where you can then give him that stuffed Kong, or do whatever he loves to do): http://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-training-ways-use-hand-targeting/
One more possibility…akita might get achy after the walk, and he lays down to rest or relieve the pain. He is not that young and that could be a sign of some health issue.
I find this article to be a bunch of bull…..there’s no way that there is no such thing as a stubborn dog..puh-lease…I told my dog to sit and stay she stayed for 10 seconds proceeded to walk away, but not only did she look back at me she went and laid down like I never said a thing. I put her in timeout. You don’t do what you want you do what I tell you to do. If I tell you to stay you stay. So yes there are things as stubborn dogs. If there are stubborn people dogs are no different. Just four paws and can’t speak.
My nine and a half year German Shepherd/ Husky cross has suddenly decided he won’t go for a walk! He gets all excited to go and we get a little way down the road and he sits down and refuses to move unless we turn round to go home. He is a very foody dog and normally has his food after his walk so we have tried delaying food and also giving it to him an hour before his walk, but to no avail. He is perfectly healthy and loves to chase around the garden and play ball. I know he misses the Grandkids who stayed for a month and came on his walks but have now gone home.
I am at a loss to know what to do. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Is it really hot where you are right now? Sometimes young dogs simply don’t like the heat. If you don’t think it’s the heat, you can teach your dog to target his nose to your hand. Search the blog for “target” and you’ll get loads of articles. You can check this article out, too: http://smartdoguniversity.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-dog-hand-targeting-video/
I don’t have a sitting or listening problem so to speak with my pup pitt. He just refuses to limit his use of the bathroom solely outside. I have an old lady beagle I’ve had for a while first. She was abused and rescued so she hides in my bedroom pretty much everyday all day. My pup pitt will use the bathroom in my room even after being taken out 5mins before. If I take her out before him? He will pee in his cage. I’ve tried switching it up on who is taken out first so as to show I’m not having any favorites between them because I can’t take them out together. He won’t let her do her own business, he bullies her the entire time if I do. Also he listens when told to get off the furniture but will still climb on top of my coffee table, kitchen table and any surface really. I’ve tried limiting him to his cage for punishment or when I have to go out and leave him alone because otherwise tear up my home. I have to do that even when I sleep! It’s ridiculous. I don’t think he’s hard headed or stubborn. I think he is more so having a case of lashing out now that he’s 4mths old. Like a toddler in their terrible two’s and I’m honestly thinking he’s jealous of my other dog that was here before my mother gave him to my boy’s and I at 1 1/2 mths. What can I do positively to correct this? Cause I honestly think simply giving him away for someone else to deal with is just an easy out. I love and adore this pup. But it’s just so infuriating
Hi Toni, thanks for the inquiry. At this age, I’d say he needs as much supervision as you can provide. If the crate helps you give him that supervision, that’s great, as long as he’s not in there too long. So what’s too long — 8 hours while you’re at work, 8 hours at night when you’re sleeping, and 8 hours when you’re home. That’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but really, when they’re puppies, the crate — when used properly — is the easies way to ensure that your pup develops appropriate habits.
Another option is to tether your pup to you when you’re home. If you search the Smart Dog blog for “tether” you’ll find plenty of articles on the topic. Here’s one, for example: http://smartdoguniversity.com/puppy-training-lesson-of-the-day-tethering/
my chocolate labrador during his walks will just sit down. he doesn’t like dogs so whenever we try and cross the road to avoid the dog he will just sit down and not move. exactly the same as if we try and turn around during a walk he will just sit there and not move. he’s not bothered about food either. so we have to take him for a walk he wants to go on until HE wants to turn around and not when we do.
he is a rescue so not completely sure how we can get him out of doing this as he is 4.
Nose targeting can help! There are lots of articles on the blog (search “target”). Here’s one of those: http://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-training-ways-use-hand-targeting/
My 4-year old dog has been asked to sit on her mat before her meals are put in her bowl. She’s done this successfully for over 3 years. However, she has suddenly become unwilling to enter the kitchen to sit on her mat at mealtime. She will, however, sit on her mat at other times of the day. I’m confused as to why the change recently.
So strange, Caroline! Sometimes it’s hard to know why our dogs’ behavior changes. It might take some experimenting to get to the bottom of the recent change. Can you think of anything — even something seemingly insignificant like a loud noise — that happened while she was on her mat at mealtime?
I cannot think of anything that has changed recently. I am backtracking and repeating clicker-training for her mat throughout the day to make sure that she is clear on what is being asked of her.
My 18 month old ChiPom was a rescue I adopted 45 days ago and has really bad fear issues that include panic poop, urine elimination, body shaking, excessive barking, crating causes him issues and separation anxiety. He is an absolute sweetheart until one of his triggers occur and nothing I do stops him. I started positive reinforcement training of fundamental commands (previous owner attended Petco course when he was a puppy and left notes) but they are not a part of his skill set. None of the diversion & conditioning training appears to be recalled from day to day after 30 straight days using calming signals. I have researched alot about behaviour but I think his fears are too deeply rooted for me to continue alone because I may be causing more harm than good.
I’m confused, as to how everyday we work on his fears with fundamentals, and each morning it seems to be gone meaning we are always on Week 1 of Petco training with nothing sticking. I don’t get it can you provide some insight?
I suggest consulting a veterinary behaviorist. Your dog’s fear issues sound significant and will likely need more than calming signals. I strongly encourage you to find a board certified veterinary behaviorist to help you help your dog. Good luck, let me know how your initial consultation goes.
I am having some issues with my 9 month old mixed pup. She is completely potty trained except for the fact she only goes IF I put her in her crate. I thought maybe she was mad that I left her in there so I started not putting her away. She was doing great having free roam of the house when we left. (She is only in for a few hours MAYBE whike I run to the store after a few weeks she started chewing only when we left. She will go get movies out and my children’s toys and chew away. She has tons of her own toys and a nice bone she absolutely LOVE, but chews on our things when we leave. So now I have a chewer if she’s out and a crate messer if I put her away. I have 3 small children so the added stress is getting too much. I want to fix this now before it becomes a long lasting problem.
Brittany, thanks for stopping in. It can be really frustrating when there doesn’t seem to be a solution that works for everyone (you and the dog). You might be seeing some stress, not anger. Sometimes when dogs get stressed, they’ll chew and/or go to the bathroom. Your seeing signs of stress when you leave, no matter if she’s crated or not. Which makes me wonder if she’s not worried (instead of angry) when you leave.
How about an “in the middle” solution: Can you gate her in a laundry room, maybe? That way, she’s not crated, but she also can’t get to the kids toys. Or — leave her in the house, but close the doors to all the rooms so she can’t really get in anywhere.
We used to gate our dogs in the hallway until they were able to handle more house freedom.
There are a few ideas here, hopefully one of them will stick!
My year and a half German Shepard / Lab mix is really smart, but it’s just hard to get him to come when called, especially if he is off-leash outside. He does well inside. . especially when treats are involved. Lately, we’ve been going on long walks to help him get some energy out & i’m hoping that helps, but are there any other things i can try with him?
He also gets nervous in new places and poops.. even if he’s just pooped outside. Sometimes he poops until it’s like, liquid. I don’t want him to feel nervous like that, but i’m not sure what to do… he’s even had dog training class as a pup.
Hi Ashley, thanks for your comment. I’m sorry to hear about your dog’s nervousness and fear. Pooping, especially like you’re describing, usually indicates fairly extreme fear or anxiety. I’m sorry to hear this — hopefully you can find a local positive reinforcement trainer who can work with you on that issue. If the trainer thinks it’s warranted s/he may even bring in a veterinary behaviorist, as some severe fear issues require that additional support. For coming when called, here’s an article: http://smartdoguniversity.com/teach-dog-come-when-called/ There’s a second article (link is in that original article) that will help, too. Happy training!
he’s gotten a little better. he went to a new vet about two weeks ago and when he was more alert than usual, he didn’t start pooping or freaking out.. it’s typically been at pet stores or the day he got his neutered.. The vet said doggy day care would make him a lot more confident, do you agree?
Many doggy daycares are full of exuberant dogs who might overwhelm your dog. I don’t think, from your description, your dog would be a good doggie daycare candidate. If you decide to enroll him in daycare, stop in without your dog (unannounced if possible) to see what it’s like there during the day. Ask lots of questions about the daycare environment (how many dogs per attendant, experience/training of the attendants, what is their emergency protocol, do they have streaming video you can watch, etc.) and see what you think.
My dog is 8 months old .He is lying down whereever he pleases and refuses to get up while we are out on the walk .He sits for 15-20 mins even and eventually gets up
We take him out for at least 3 walks in addition to an hour of play and he plays in the house and yard.Not sure what is the reason?
Please suggest
Have you taken him to the vet for a checkup? He may be experiencing some pain and wants to sit for a while. Also a young dog should not be over-walked or over-exercised due to their growing joints and hips as they could end up with hip dysplasia and other problems due to they are still growing. Check with your vet
Hi Divya, some dogs like to stop and look around for a bit. Other dogs are overwhelmed on a walk and need the time to acclimate. If he plays fine in the yard, you may want to shorten his walks and see if that makes a difference. Of course, a trip to the veterinarian to rule out any medical causes is always top on my list — even before training.
I have a 9 month old English shepard mix blue heel he goes outside with me on the leash he poops and pees but i let him loose so he could run and play when i want to go inside i say lets go im cold he disobeys me wants me to run after him but i don’t i tell him go inside he wont he turns his head like telling me whatever and walks away he gets me so mad i want to sell him i had him since a puppy but hes getting older and wont listen.ive lost my patience with him
Yep! His coming back to you means the fun stops! He’s no dummy! He likes his freedom, he likes running around. I’d do a couple of things. (1) I’d put him on a long line (30′) so he can’t run away. (2) I’d call him back frequently and give him salmon or steak or something OUT OF THIS WORLD, (3) I’d call him *way* more times than I actually needed to, and (4) I’d make sure that returning to the house was just as good as hanging out outside (maybe he gets a “forbidden” treat (something that he loves, but rarely has access to, for instance). This should help improve your dog’s reaction to recall fairly quickly. I hope you can see that your dog is pretty smart — not stubborn! — by his reaction you your calling him! 🙂
I have a Great Pyrenees and lab mix, he’s a little over a year, and hes a really good dog, but these past few days he hasn’t been wanting to come inside, like he scared of something. I also have another Great Pyrenees mix, but she does just fine coming in the house. I have recently had a problem with gnats and have sprayed raid around the kitchen and by the back door. Could that be why he won’t come inside? But then why is my other dog ok with it??
That could be the reason why your dog doesn’t want to come in. A dog’s sense of smell is much keener than ours — the smell might be overwhelming to that one dog. Dogs are individuals, like people. That’s why some people hate the smell of lavender, but others LOVE it.
I have a 4 year old yorkie he hates to go for a walk. He will put on the brakes meaning he will put his front paws out and plant his back legs you literally end up dragging him as he glides down the street. Please please HELP There’s a lot of times you try to coax him for ten minutes or more by then I’m irritated pick him up and carry him home.
A couple of ideas and thoughts:
1. If he hates walks, is there a way you can get him to go to the bathroom without taking the full walk? If the dog doesn’t enjoy the walk, why make him go?
2. Are you sure there isn’t a pain or fear issue causing the refusal to walk?
3. Have you tried my hand targeting work? http://smartdoguniversity.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-dog-hand-targeting-video/ You can also search my website (www.smartdoguniversity.com) for “targeting” and find lots more free articles and videos to help!
I have an 18 month old springer spaniel. She understands recall and sit and stay and generally has been well behaved. Recently she has started to refuse to come back to go on the lead, she just stands and stares back. I have tried treats but she is not food orientated at all. She will follow me but at a distance of a few metres. I never punish her for coming back and don’t get angry trying to get her to come. It isn’t even just at the end of a walk, just coming up to roads etc along the way. Any suggestions?
Hi Sarah, thanks for stopping in. Do you have the problem only when you’re out for a walk or at other times, too? Often, dogs are so smart that they understand that getting leashed up is sometimes the end of a fun time. To help turn around your dog’s thinking, you may want to try a couple of things:
1) Use the best, tastiest, most delectable treats ever. People food! Salmon! Steak! Chicken! Sausage! Whatever your dog goes CRAZY for. Use it!
2) Call your dog to you while she’s on lead. Use those tasty treats to reinforce her terrific decision. Then tell her she can go sniff again (still on lead). Try using a 25′ lead for this training so she can sniff in the fields, but you can also wrap the leash up and have her back on a shorter leash for road crossings and the like. When she’s good at coming when called on leash, try it with her off. Call her frequently, reinforce her liberally, then release her to go play some more.
Most dogs, once they understand that coming when called doesn’t usually mean “fun’s over,” will be much happier to come the next time you ask.
I have a 4 year old golden retriever who hates being on his leash. I get it, I would hate it too. But I live in a gated community where dogs HAVE to be on their leash. They actually threatened to kick me out if they kept seeing my dog out without his leash. Anyway, it’s a pain to get him to simply go outside to pee and poop, let alone take a walk. He will literally hold in his pee for hours. Any suggestions?? This is so frustrating!!!
This is fairly easy to condition. You can put the leash on right before you feed your dog. Right before you play with your dog. Let him drag it (as long as you’re there to supervise, obviously). Pair great things with the leash.
I have a 6 month old black lab. She walks enthusiastically in parks and other natural areas but when walking on a roadway, in a direction away from our house, becomes resistant, quivers and tucks her tail between her legs. When we turn around, she pulls like crazy. When she is in this state, she does not respond to treats AT ALL. Looks like anxiety to me. I have tried tugging, picking her up and carrying her, and I prefer to use positive reinforcement to train, but I’m not getting anywhere fast. I fear I’m only making her resistance worse.
This sounds more like fear, not stubbornness. The quivering and tail tucking — definite fear signals. And the fact that treats do nothing for her only reinforces my belief that you’re dealing with a fear/anxiety reaction, not stubbornness.
Imagine that you’re afraid of heights. Heights make you sweat. You don’t like being up high at all. And I say to you “Let’s go up to the top of the Empire State Building — the view is AMAZING!”
You’re sweating, you’re procrastinating, you’re doing everything you can to delay our arrival to the elevators that will take us up 1,250 feet in the air.
Are you stubborn?
No! You’re scared! You’re anxious. Nothing to be ashamed of on your part. But if *I* don’t notice and make you go up with me, well, then *I* should reexamine my observation skills. I’m obviously not attending to your signals.
You’re trying to tell me in so many ways that you do not want to go. No way, no how.
By MAKING you go with me, I’m not helping your anxiety. In fact, I’m probably contributing to an increase in your anxiety AND you’re not liking me more, either.
Instead of forcing you to go, I could instead take you to the second floor of a bookstore where you can read your favorite book. Or where you can eat your favorite food at a fabulous restaurant. I can slowly and surely build your confidence and ensure that you’re having fun *despite* the fact that you’re higher in the air than you’d normally care to be.
I hope this helps you understand your dog better. It makes all the difference in the world — to you and your dog.
Shortly after my first comment, above, I had an inspiration to try and help my puppy experience a pleasurable activity on the road where she was having anxiety. I brought a tennis ball with us and bounced it in the direction of my desired walk with her. She bounced right after it! In addition, I changed her lead from a static leash to a retractable one that allowed her to explore. I am happy to report that she is now walking beautifully. I have not seen the anxiety behavior in over a month. Your recent comments confirm my anxiety “diagnosis”. Thank you.
Excellent news! So happy to hear.
You haven’t seen a stubborn, rebellious dog. Come see mine.
Suzyscissorhands@gmail.com
If I had a dollar for everyone who said that, I’d be rich! 🙂
Maybe I just have a special case, then. I have a two year old black lab (named “Blue”)… and sometimes he listens/ sometimes he doesn’t. He knows how to sit, shake, lay down when he’s told, come when he’s called, etc. He also knows how to walk on a leash (very well, I might add. No pulling). However… we have quite a problem with him jetting out the door and running around the neighborhood- just waiting for me to chase him for 27 hours, until he gets hungry, then the game stops. I’ve tried teaching him to back away from the door when it opens. And sometimes he does. But other times, the whole neighborhood is trying to catch him while he runs around the cul de sac. It’s quite embarrassing… and quite expensive. I’ve already gotten three citations behind his little “game”. I don’t understand it. I walk him, take him to dog parks to let him run around, he’s been neutered, etc. I’m slowly starting to think there’s a deeper issue. My other dog (who’s a 6 month old, spayed neapolitan mastiff, named “Phoenix”), never has these issues. She’s a very good listener. She’s still in training, herself…. however, I can walk her to my mailbox without a leash on her… and she never leaves my side. She never runs off. I’m at a loss with Blue. I didn’t want to resort to a shock collar for him… but I’m running out of options!
My dog IS stubborn. And irrational. And irritating.
I have a hard floor in the kitchen – he crosses this fine sometimes to get to the utility room where he is fed …. other times he just won’t. It is so annoying and he is like that about everything.
He comes to call sometimes – but there is no guarantee – so he has to be on the lead almost ALL the time bevause he has no road sense. Training classes he just goes slunk … even the trainers can do nothing with him it is just drag. He doesn’t care about treats, he will either eat them or knock them on the floor and ignore them. He certainly won’t do something he doesn’t want to do for them …. chicken liver pate or not!
He is a rehome and never, ever, ever, ever, ever again will I ever get a rehome. There is no bond, no trust, no training to be had.
It couldn’t be more different than starting from a puppy, albeit the training is a pain the truth is the two of you can bond from such an early age that everything else is easy …. and enjoyable and loving and fantastic because you understand/work with each other.
This dog tolerates me – and I tolerate him but I am not sure how much longer I will be able to. I don’t want to send him back AGAIN to a shelter …. he has a very pleasant life here daily long walks, once a week doggy day care to socialise with other dogs, big comfy basket (he was previously kept on a chain outside with his past owners) nice outdoor garden but it is entirely unenjoyable for me: the walks are stressful because he pulls – or if off-lead runs off after scents; his presence is negative because there is no bond – it is similar to having a 17 year old lout in your lounge, playing on an ipad, ignoring you entirely but sprawling over the sofa who just looks up at some point to say “Get me some food, bitch.”
I am just going to have to return this dog to the Shelter for his 3rd time (at least) I believe. He is 9 so I could hack it out but he is just a stubborn, irritating, untrainable, untrusting, flipping liability. And an expensive one at that. I have never come across a dog like this before after 40 years (including childhood) of owning dogs!
This dog IS stubborn, IS demanding, IS difficult, IS untrainable, IS bossy and IS a giant p-i-t-a. I wasn’t going to return him but re-reading this, I definitely am it has made me realise – it’s no good for him and no good for me. It is just a lose-lose situation.
Take today – which is why I am paricularly p-ed off with him. Walking on the lead, my phone goes as I fumble in my jacket pocket, he lurches and pulls .. I nearly fall flat on my face, the lead goes out of my hand … he bounds on through the woods ignoring all calls, I am now trying to run but he is as fast as a horses gallop when he wants to be.
I can see him heading for the road. The cars are very fast there – irrespective of him getting killed he could have caused a huge accident due to his no road sense.
I can’t do this. I can’t have a dog that is so untrainable.
Fortunately, as luck would have it there was a lady walking along the pavement as he came out onto the road and she took his trailing lead and held him … despite him now trying to pull her in the wrong direction … until I got there.
I can’t do it. He just will have to be re-homed again. Perhaps a huge enclosed estate or something would work for him.
Christine, are you out there?? Talk to me. I still have, the “Rescue Dog” that I adopted. She has cost me a small fortune. She eats indiscriminately, shoelaces, purse strap, rugs, refuse. She turned out to have epilepsy. She sprained her paw, ate 3 area rugs, got a foxtail in her ear, in the last year, which occasioned me to take her to the vet where she had to be muzzled and severely sedated in order to receive care. It’s like the NAS song, “Life’s a Bitch and Then You Die” that’s why you get high! How are you doing you trooper?? Feel no shame about rehoming. My neighbor, who my dog adored way more than she likes me, said, “If you send her back to the shelter, at least they can control what she eats”.;
i have 6 month german shepherd dog.He is very naughty, and stubborn dog.He like to chew others slippers.We make him understand with words,sign language,and even beat him 1 time with stick.He also have bad habit to bite our hands we have fear about our future.If he will bite me or other member, When he will become big and strong dog what to do pls reply.
Sounds like you might benefit from a group positive reinforcement training class with your GSD. Keep the slippers up and out of reach (close bedroom doors if there are people in the house who won’t/can’t put the slippers away). Hitting a dog isn’t recommended — find a trainer who can help. You can check out http://www.findagooddogtrainer.com.
I have an 11 month old Yorkshire terrier. She has been really good about using the potty outside first thing in the morning, as soon as I get home from work, and then again before bed. I’ve been noticing now for the past couple of weeks she’s not wanting to use the potty before bed all the time. Sometimes she will as soon as we go out and other nights she’ll walking around and sniff everything for 10-20 minutes but still not potty. She’s not having accidents I her kennel… I’m just afraid she’s holding it to long til morning.
Hi Brittany, thanks for stopping in. I generally give the dogs a fair amount of time to do their business, and if they don’t they all come in and we go to bed. So in your case, I would take her out on a leash, stand in one spot, and wait. If she goes, great! Have a party, celebrate, etc. If she doesn’t go within about 5 minutes, bring her back in, put her in the crate, and then head off to bed. If she needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she’ll wake you with her vocalizations and you can let her out. Otherwise, enjoy the sleep and take her out first thing in the morning! 🙂
Any advice for a 7 year old Husky/German Shepard mix I adopted a month ago who has taken up peeing in the house? It has come to the point that she is no longer allowed upstairs because every time it’s time to go outside and we ask her repeatedly to come downstairs she will instead lay where she is and pee. Unfortunately that just so happened to be my bed the other day when she was caught laying on it! My husband didn’t raise his voice, just simply asked her to get off the bed a couple times and she proceeded to pee where she was. She isn’t squatting to piddle, instead she’s just letting it go! it seems like a submissive behavior problem, but I have no idea and I’m at my wits end! I was volunteering at the shelter we adopted her from so I thought I knew the kind of dog she was. I knew she was a little stubborn, because sometimes she would lay down in the middle of a walk and refuse to get back up.
I would definitely take her in to your veterinarian to see if there’s a medical issue — this happened to one of my dogs and it turned out she had a urinary tract infection. She was prescribed some medication and she was back to normal!
Our grown son has a 2.5 year old lab that we keep when he travels and we may have the dog for an extended period next year. We love him, our two Aussies enjoy him and we are always happy to have him. BUT, he runs away, just out of reach of course, when he doesn’t want to do what he’s been asked. He also takes shoes and other objects and runs with them. I know he needs more extensively trained but he’s not my dog. What can I do in the next four days to help him? Thanks.
Hi Rob, those Labradors, I do love them, but their idea of fun can sometimes make us crazy! For the running just out of reach — keep a few kibbles in your pocket. Whenever the dog comes close — especially if you’re NOT going to stop the fun — give him a piece or two of the food. You can toss it to him at first, but offer each subsequent one a little closer to you until he’s right next to you. Call him, give him a kibble, release him to play some more. The more frequently you call him to you (or just offer him a kibble as he runs past), the more he’s going to want to be near you.
For the shoes and other objects, first make sure all that stuff is either picked up or behind a closed door. Next, whenever the dog has something he SHOULD have (toy, stick, whatever), chase him! Play with him! Love on him! Offer him a treat! LOTS OF ATTENTION FOR INVESTIGATING THE GOOD STUFF! And by good stuff, I mean anything that doesn’t belong to a person. Enjoy that Lab, they’re great dogs!
Thanks Laurie.
My mixed chi gives me a hard time when we go out for walks, if I don’t go where he wants he pulls away sometimes out of his harness and I’m not sure how to correct this. I already reward him with treats on our walks for relieving himself, do I use the same reward when he displays this behavior ?
Hi Hollyn, it can be frustrating when our dogs have different ideas than us. Safety first — get a smaller harness, or tighten the one you currently have. A loose dog near the road can be really dangerous!
Is the walk for you or for your dog? If it’s for your dog, can you perhaps let him lead the direction (obviously safety first — you won’t follow him into traffic or up to another dog, etc,). When I’m taking my dogs on their walk, I let them decide which direction to go — it’s their walk after all. I’m just the facilitator. 🙂
Additionally, for training, you can search the site for “hand targeting” and read those posts. There are some with videos, too. You can use hand targeting to help keep your dog moving in the direction you’d like. Happy training!
My dog is around 4 years old. She a dachshund and really sweet and playful. However when we got her (at 2) she had not been potty trained. She was doing well on the pad and her walks at first, but now she pees right next to the pad, or somewhere else in the house. She will hold her poop until she comes inside. What do I do? *I don’t know if this is a factor or not but lately shes been scarfing food down like shes starving..?
Hi Caitlin, it can be tough to introduce an older dog to new habits. Tough, but not impossible! First, I would pick the pads up — get them completely out of the house. The more frequently she does her business inside, the more acceptable it seems to her. I would restrict her freedom — keep her on a leash indoors so you are sure you can watch her all the time, take her outside frequently (every 90 minutes in the beginning until you know her usual schedule), and pick up her food between meals. If she doesn’t go to the bathroom when you take her outside, make sure she stays on the leash! That way, you’re sure to notice her signals and you can scoop her up and take her outside *before* she gets a chance to go. Good luck, this is a relatively simple problem to fix — it’s all about scheduling and supervision.
Hi Caitlin, I would definitely get rid of the pads. That’s just a neon sign saying “GO INSIDE, GO INSIDE, GO INSIDE.” If you still want to use the pads, place them outdoors, so she can figure out to go outside. Use the crate, use confinement to help keep an eye on her — especially if she comes inside without having gone to the bathroom. You also may want to have a veterinarian check your dog for any medical issues that could be contributing to the house training problem.
Hi! Any advice for me would be much appreciated! I have a 6-8 year old female pug (don’t know the exact age because we rescued her). She is hating her morning walks for some reason! She does great on her afternoon and evening walks, but for some reason we get outside (live in a three story condo) and she just wants to go back in. She bears down and resists walking beyond a few feet from the building. It’s a struggle to get her to do her business and it’s really important to us because we have to go to work and I don’t like cleaning up accidents. We have had for a little over 4 months, and she acted this way in the beginning, but we got through it, and she’s doing it again!! I try not to be frustrated as I know dogs pick up on that, but it’s been such a struggle!! Please help!! Thank you!!!
Hi Annie, I can see where that would be really frustrating. Could you reduce the distance of the walk and still allow her the opportunity to go to the bathroom? Could she be cold in the morning? Maybe a fleece jacket? You could also take some really delicious treats and give her one every time she takes a step (not to GET HER to take a step, but BECAUSE she takes a step). Good luck, let me know how it goes!
My son inherited an 8 month old Siberian husky. The dog Looks beautiful but has clearly Not been trained in anyway except the hand command to sit (and still obeys about 40 percent of the time).
My son came to live with me and I have been around the dog for a month. The dog stalks and attacks my 8 year old Burmese cat. He jumps on everyone when he’s sees them (and had ruined a couple of my down jackets in the process). My son was told to crate train…the dog likes the crate and plays with his toys, naps and even prefers to eat in it (refuses the food if served outside of the crate).
Since the husky is a natural puller, my son was advised to get him a training harness to keep him from pulling so he is easier to walk.
His routine is to feed him, then take him out as soon as he’s finished eating, living in an apartment building it gives him time to walk (pull) to get outside via elevator. but Ever since the new harness however, the dog immediately urinates on the floor while putting it on…he even urinated sitting and I only put the collar part of the harness on the dog. Now he sits in the cage (very uncomfortable for my back) to put the harness on but started to pee the instant the harness touches him… he even deficated in the cage (he normally only poops on grassy surfaces) when I went to get paper towels to pick up poop from crate the dog started eating his own feces and wouldn’t move for me to pick it up (remember, his routine is to eat, drink water then go immediately outside) so he wasn’t hungry. My son was told that the dog is being defiant about new harness and that he’s “acting out”.
I don’t buy that.
Dogs Should be taught from
Very young what is expected of them, scheduling, walking, play, etc… obviously the person who gave husky to my son missed some “teaching moments” and I don’t believe in “too late”. So my house now smells like a zoo until either he consumes his poo or moves out of the way for me to clean ?
My son works 12-14 hour days so I walk him from anywhere between 5:30-6:00am and when my son (which he’ll usually walk him) gets home or by 9:30pm…whichever is earlier.
I had my own dog growing up (definitely a cat person ever since) and I know many, many dogs from Rottweiler. PitBulls, German Shepherds to mutts, Chihuahuas, Dalmations (a breed that needs Much patience and repetition to train), to high energy toy breeds, and I’ve never seen anything like this.
I have the fortitude to train but not the physical ability in the legs to walk him on a regular (no-pull) harness.
Perhaps a reader can send me a link to research how to help me help this dog… because he NEEDS to understand that he has to do what he is told and use what is provided.
Hi Leogona, It sounds like your son’s Husky could benefit from some in-home training with a positive-reinforcement trainer. I would bet that there’s something unpleasant about the harness. Can you switch harnesses? Try a different one? Check out http://www.findagreatdogtrainer.com to search for a trainer in your area. If there’s not one close, email the person who is the closest and ask for a recommendation to a trainer nearer to you.
When my year old German Shephard is loose in the yard, and I tell her to come, she ignores me and continues to sprint around. When my husband calls her, she comes within a minute. What can I change to make it easier and make her more interested to come to me? She does fine when she is in the house.
What is the consequence when your GSD comes to you? In other words, what happens when she gets to you?
I repeat to her to come here. I have started telling her “good girl” when she is back. I used to tell her “no,” butI think it will help more for me to stay calm.
Great! Yes, lots of good stuff should happen when she gets to you. I would definitely NOT take her inside immediately when she comes to you. Instead, I’d give her a DELICIOUS bit of chicken, then let her go play again. Call her again in 5 minutes, pop another piece of chicken in her mouth and let her go play again. Repeat that a few times, THEN let her come inside with you. With a few pieces of chicken for her when she gets inside.
I have a 11 month old Treeing Walker Coonhound named Phil. If I have a treat Phil will do anything. As soon as I don’t have a treat in my hand he looks at me like um no where is the food. He is very food motivated but could care less about praise or affection. I am finding it very frustrating. I walk him 3 times a day since we rescued him 5 months ago and for the life of me I am unable to get him to walk on a slack leash. I have done the stopping when he pulls and he has learned to look at me then pull again. I have walked a block in a half an hour. I have tried treats and as long as I have a treat and are treating him he is tentative, once I offer praise or affection instead he basically tells me to take a hike. I love him just at my witts end please any advise would be so appreciated
Hi Dene, I bet Phil is a handome devil! I’m a sucker for the hounds. Check out our series of polite walking videos!
Part 1: https://smartdoguniversity.com/dog-pulls-on-leash-heres-how-to-teach-leash-manners-video/
Part 2: https://smartdoguniversity.com/how-to-fix-pulling-on-the-leash-part-2-video/
Part 3: https://smartdoguniversity.com/how-to-fix-pulling-on-the-leash-part-3-video/
I used to not have any issue getting my dog to come back to me at the park. The past month or so, since last semester when I was swamped with classes and frankly just did not get him out as much as we’re both used to. I’m living with my parents, who love my dog including engaging with him and all the fun stuff, except helping take him on walk or even a drive to the park when I’m that busy. So for five months he didn’t get nearly as much activity. Now? I can’t get my dog to come to me when it’s time to leave the park. He wants me to keep throwing the ball and also usually won’t bring it to me if he knows I’m trying to stop the game. It’s extremely annoying. I just spent 30 minutes trying to get him to come back. Frankly I got to the point of being angry and then my dog came strolling over tail between his legs. I absolutely hate getting so upset with him, it’s not fair to him, but I don’t know how to correct this problem and no one else in my family is willing to put forth the effort. Does anyone have any advice to how I can deal with this present problem and how to prevent it from escalating? My dog is incredibly smart and I know he knows what I want because this isn’t normal behavior for him. From the time he was old enough to go out to the park he was good with this. He is about 1 yr 1/2. Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, yes, it’s tough when you have to take a break from training — for you and for the dog. No big deal, you can get back on track now that you’ve got more time to devote to your dog. First, work in your yard — with your dog on leash! Start over as if your dog *never* learned how to come when called. Here’s a how to series (with video!). Make sure your dog is good at this BEFORE you take her back to the dog park.
Part 1: https://smartdoguniversity.com/teach-dog-come-when-called/
Part 2: https://smartdoguniversity.com/teach-dog-come-called-part-2/
You’ll want to get your family on board with this too — otherwise your progress will be much slower and not as consistent. Good luck and have fun training!
Thank you! I will use these videos and share them with my family. I suspect consistency with all family members will be the greatest issue. Something I’ve noticed more and more is Luka won’t listen to them. They can use the same command I do but it doesn’t mean anything from them. If I tell him off or to sit he usually does so.
Yes, consistency both on how the ask for the behavior (are they doing/saying the same thing as you?) as well as are they as consistent with the reinforcer (the thing that happens after the dog does what’s asked?). Usually it’s one of those two areas where the behavior breaks down and it looks like the dog is listening just to one or two people, when in reality, it’s a communication problem. Good luck, let me know how it goes!
Well, my Boxer is not distracted. She used to get in the car and go for a ride to the country where she jumped in the pond and ran around chasing rabbits having a lot of fun. For some reason she decided that she did not want to get in the car. I can put the leash on her and we go for a walk just fine, initially walking close to the car and past it. Upon return when apparently she thinks that I am going to want her to get in the car, (she seems to read my mind) she slows down, and eventually sits. She will not budge. If I say, “OK, then let’s go in the house.” She gets up and briskly walks into the house. If I am in the house getting ready to go somewhere and she is briskly following me around and then I say to her “lets go for a ride.”, her ears go down, she slows down, sits and even sometimes rolls over on the floor. I can’t move her. She does have a mind of her own seeming to decide on her own whether she wants to come or not. This is frustrating for me because there are times when she needs to get in the car, e.g., to go to the vet and she used to have a lot of fun in the country.
Hi Deco, yep, there’s definitely something going on with her association with the car. If she doesn’t want to get in the car even if sometimes it leads to good things, that’s a sure sign that she’s got some aversion to the car. You’re right — sometimes you don’t have a choice, she HAS to go to the veterinarian for her wellness checks. In the meantime, I’d work on getting her used to the car a little bit at a time. That’s going to take some time and some patience, but it’ll be worth it!
Change leashes — buy a new one for this exercise. Get the best treats you can find: sirloin, salmon, grilled chicken, tripe, etc. Get your clicker out. Put the leash on your dog, click and treat. Repeat that 10 times. Then quit for that session. Later, put the leash on and take her JUST outside. Click and treat. Do that 10 times then quit for that session. Systematically, you’re going to get her closer and closer to the car, always stopping WELL before she refuses. Keep your training session short and upbeat. When you get her to the car, open the door, click and treat, and close the door. Repeat 10 times. End that session.
For the next session, open the car door, click and place the treat NEXT to the car. Repeat 10 times, end the session. Then do the same thing, but put the treat ON the car (like on the door jamb). You know the drill: repeat 10 times and end the session.
When she’s good at putting her paws up on the door jamb to get her treat, the next session you can actually place the treat in a little farther so she gets into the car. Lather, rinse, repeat. Good luck! This is an easy-to-fix problem with some patience, some baby steps, and some excellent treats!
Thanks Laurie, I really appreciate the response. Rosie certainly does have a mind of her own.
My wife and I adopted a shar pei about a year ago she has become attached to me more than my wife to the point that she will not go outside or eat without me what do i do?
Hi Gregory, what a lucky dog! While I’m thrilled she’s got such a good home, it’s got to be frustrating for you and your wife that she’s attached to you in such a way that it makes life difficult if you’re not there. I would suggest letting your wife feed the dog with you present. Also, if your wife can take the dog out (with you there, as well), that might begin to help your dog warm up a little bit to your wife.
If, after a week or two, you’re not seeing any improvement, you may want to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist in your area. A veterinary behaviorist is a useful resource who can help get to the bottom of your dog’s anxiety and trouble bonding with your wife. Then, together with a positive trainer, the team (veterinary behaviorist, trainer, you and your wife) can make the best progress.
My 10 month old husky/border collie mix won’t listen to me. He knows what I’m telling him to do but sometimes when I tell him no he barks and snips at me. Than I get up and he runs away cause he knows I’m gonna hit his nose. He also has a problem with jumping on my grandpa he doesn’t jump on any one else and I don’t know why only him. He also jumps on guest but once I tell him no stay down and slap his butt he stays down but not my grandpa. He is really hyper and I just am not bonding with him I try so hard but he just won’t learn no matter how hard I try.
Hi Jos1415 — sounds like you have a smart dog on your hands! Smart dogs tend to run off when they know they’re going to get hit! He’s looking out for his best interests! I’d suggest a good positive reinforcement group doggie manners class that will help you and your smarty pants dog get on the same page. I think you’d both really enjoy it!
I don’t have my license and there isn’t a close pet trainer around my area so it’s hard to get to one
See if you can get someone to give you a ride — a group class is really a great way to get on the same page as your dog. Or search around to see if you can find a good positive trainer who can come to you!
Laurie, thank you so much for your insight. Your advice has truly been a help for us as we train our 2 month old Newfoundland pup.
We started this technique last night, and it worked very well. We live in a condo area, so Hagrid (our pup) has been on a leash outside since we’ve brought him home. When we walk him in areas other than our condo, he does very well. However, at home, he either doesn’t move or rushes the the lead.
Both my husband and I have never had a dog that refused to move while on a leash. So we are so perplexed. We assume it’s because the area is full of so many distractions and smells. Could there be any other reason? We are doing the clicker/treat technique to get him moving. But no matter what, every time we go out, he lags in these specific areas. Is there anything else we can do? Change up the treats? Or is he still learning because he is so young?
Thank you
Oh my! HAGRID?! I love the name! Especially for a Newfie pup! It’s not uncommon, especially for the giant breeds to sort of plant themselves. I think it’s a learning curve — teach him what you want (nice, loose leash) and reinforce it often. And before you know it, you’ll see less of the rushing and the lagging. Be sure that you’re not pulling the treats out *after* he’s lagging or forging ahead. The click and treats should be used to tell him when he’s getting it right. So start clicking and treating him for moving forward (click WHEN he moves forward) and be sure you’re not waiting until he either forges or lags to start your clicks and treats. Keep me updated, I’d love to hear your progress!
I have a 13 week old american bully he is so energetic and if i release him in his cage even if i call his name or make sounds like whistle he is not listening to me he keeps on ignoring me . Anyone can help me
13 weeks old? still a puppy, had a Lab with the same characteristics, I’d let her runabout and tire some before we started training. Still do it to this day. you need to go back to the basics and complete that. Sit means Sit. OB training isn’t “once & done” it’s continual through the dog’s life span. your Puppy is developing, and sounds like it wants more attention.
Hi Vince, this is the PERFECT time for a good positive reinforcement training class! So much fun for both of you and you’ll learn lots of ways to help teach your dog to pay attention to you.
I have a mini dochshiend and she is very obsessed with treats (we don’t give too many to her) and won’t do anything except sniff for them when they are out. She also doesn’t play with toys or fetch. Can anyone help?
Hi Anya, have you take your dog to dog training classes? I think the classes would help in a couple ways: (1) it will give you both a common language. You will learn how to ask her for things and she will know what you want her to do. (2) It will also provide her with the mental stimulation it looks like she’s craving. Plus, positive reinforcement training classes are a ton of fun!
I have a 5 month old pit mix and I’m having an issue with his nipping. Every time we run with him i guess he gets super excited or something but as soon as we stop running he jumps and jumps and won’t listen when i tell him to stop and i have even tried ignoring him but he continues to grab onto our pants or shorts with his teeth and he’ll try to bite our fingers. Please give me some advice!
Hi Natty, that can be pretty frustrating (and painful)! For now, while he’s still learning self control, I’d eliminate the running. Not forever, but just until you are able to teach him some exercises to increase self control.
Hello I have a 8 yr old jack Russel terrier and have had her since she was a puppy she has always gone to the toilet in the house when we are out at work we tried putting her in a box thinking she would not go in her own space but that did not work.4 years ago we found out that she has a shunt which is pretty much liver failure so she is on a very strict diet and medication for the rest of her life but saying that she is doing really well since she started the medication but still goes to the toilet in the kitchen every day once we leave the house even if we leave her outside to go to the toilet before we leave we come home and she has gone to the toilet in her usual spot and iv tried puppy training pads iv tried not reacting iv tried giving out to her but nothing works. She also growls at us if she is on our lap and someone might come into the house or even rub her and she growls sometimes even at me if she was on my partners lap and I try to rub her and she refuses to sit and stay. I can get her to sit but she won’t stay sitting and again with plenty of trying to train her using all the methods I can find she seems to think she is queen,can you help me at all please?
Hi Maria, how lucky that your dog has such thoughtful and caring people! With the issues you’ve mentioned, I think finding a trainer in your area who can come out and see you in person would be a much better idea than me trying to offer information over the internet. Take a look at http://www.findagreatdogtrainer.com to locate a positive reinforcement trainer near you who can help.
I just rescued a beagle/ jack russell mix. He’s great! When we go to go out for a walk even though he has to potty, he gets outside the door and either sits or lays down. Directives that work all the time do not, I have to pick him up and carry him for a few feet then he proceeds no problem???
Hi Jahn, glad your dog has a great new home! Sounds like you’re doing it right so far — carrying him for a bit, then letting him walk. Something else you can try is teaching him to target his nose to your hand. If you search the blog for “hand target,” you’ll find plenty of articles and videos to help with this.
Thanks Laurie … I will definitely do that. He’s a great little dog, loves all dogs, cats and people!
My puppy definitely has sensory overload, I think she knows whats right, but immediately goes back to the wrong behavior. I’m trying to be consistent, but how long until I see results?
Hi Jessica, thanks for the question. You’re right — your dog might be completely overwhelmed and in that case, it’s really hard to respond correctly. Ideally, move her further away from the distraction so she has a better chance of being able to actually think. Results will come much faster if you can keep her below threshold (in other words, eliminate the overload, teach her what to do, and reward her heavily for doing it).
Hi Laurie, I have a 6 month old male walker tree hound puppy, I also have 3 rambunctious kids! My puppy gets so excited he literally bounces of my furniture and runs circles for ever. He refuses to calm down at night and usually ends up in a pen. Lately he has been mocking my younger kids over and sometimes ends up on top of them biting at their arms and legs. It seem somewhat playful but usually ends up getting them hurt. Yesterday my older son went in the yard and he kept jumping on him and biting his arms. This has been my wife’s final straw. I work long hours and have found that my puppy gets everyone so overwhelmed he ends up in a pen. I don’t want this for my pup or my family and I refuse to get rid of him. I planned on training him for SARS but I’m new to this venture and I’m afraid with my schedule I’m in over my head. Help me!!!
Hi Christian, sounds like you and your wife have your hands full! It’s not easy having kids, a job, a house, a teenage dog, etc.! That’s for sure. I would not let the teenaged dog in the yard with the kids unsupervised. In fact, I’d have the hound on a leash, working on basic attention behaviors (touch, watch me, etc.). Those seemingly small things will make a HUGE difference and will hopefully get your teenager dog out of time outs, haha.
i have a lhasa 14 yrs old he recently started snapping at me when i try putting on his leash any suggestions
Hi Edward, our old girl, Lily (15 years, 4 months) has *significant* vision loss. It’s entirely possible that your dog is snapping because her vision is declining.
A dog that can’t see something won’t snap at it because it won’t know anything is there. Think! Put a blindfold on and ask a friend to walk from the other end of the room towards you with their hands outstretched. Can you see them? Nope.
Dogs have more than one sense: they can smell and hear even if they cannot see. In fact, dogs with diminished or non-existent vision can be more inclined to bite as they don’t have that sense to help them determine if a situation is safe.
But you can hear them!
Dogs have more than one sense: they can smell and hear even if they cannot see. In fact, dogs with diminished or non-existent vision can be more inclined to bite as they don’t have that sense to help them determine if a situation is safe.
I can hear thunder when it’s miles away…
I think what Laura’s saying is that the dog could be starting to lose it’s vision and is possibly only seeing shadows. Therefore, it may be getting spooked when it see’s a big shadow (a hand) reaching towards its face & is reacting defensively by nipping because, dogs bite out of fear. Maybe you should “Think!” about googling “cataracts” ?
I’ve had a dog with cataracts. Never once was it scared of anything.
That’s great! I’ve been a pet stylist for 10 years and I’ve worked with many senior dogs who’ve had cataracts. Some have been difficult to clipper/scissor around their face and most usually respond best to reassurance & moving slowly around them but some don’t :/ And I’ve also encountered the occasional older pup who could care less & will let you do anything to them whether you move slow or not ?. When a dog who has been able to see his whole life slowly starts to lose his vision, I would imagine that might be a scary thing especially considering that we can’t explain it to them. Without a doubt, the majority of dogs that I’ve been around & watched get older will act differently as they enter their senior years. However, I understand that this is not always the case with every dog but just because it’s different than what you’ve experienced does not mean that it’s not possible. Just saying, don’t put someone down for sharing their experience and trying to be helpful.. At least Laurie had advice to give, to me it seems like you only posted to be critical.
Yes, thanks for chiming in. That’s exactly what I meant — cataracts can impair vision. And impaired vision can lead to snapping. Thanks again. ?
Trust me my dog is stubborn for one example when I take her for a walk fifty percent of the time she walks perfectly fine, the rest of the time she wants to go her way. If I refuse to go her way she will lay down in the road and play dead until I give in and go her way. She is about 14 months old.
Stubborn? Or smart? hahaha. Or, more accurately, has an opinion. There’s nothing stubborn about a dog who has an opinion. They think, they sniff, they want to go the way that smells the best. Not stubborn at all. 🙂
Thanks, really never thought of it that way.
That is semantics. Sticking to one’s opinion and refusing to comply with the authority figure is the definition of stubbornness. No wonder you’ve never encountered a stubborn dog. You refuse to acknowledge that one exists and redefine behavior to suit your premise.
Nobody can possibly know how a dog thinks, period. Humans are not dogs.
I have a 14 week old lab puppy, maybe pit mix who has recently been showing her very stubborn side. When we go on walks, I think she gets spooked by cars and will just want to turn around a go right back home, but she gets so low to the ground and pulls all the way until we are home. She has tons of energy so I want to get her exercise outside but I can’t take her walking anywhere there might be semi-fast moving cars. Is it the cars that make her want to turn around or something else? There are also times when I take her out to use the bathroom but she’ll just sit at the bottom of the stairs and refuse to budge so I have to pick her up and take her up the stairs, which obviously will not be practical when she is bigger. Any suggestions? 🙂
Hi Sierra, yes the noise or the motion (or both) of the cars could be spooking her. Carry some REALLY delicious treats if you can, to reinforce her for walking with you. If you can find a quieter route, definitely try that! For the stationing herself at the bottom of the stairs, teach her how to target your hand. (Search the blog for hand targeting for lots of articles and videos.) Hand targeting can really help!
Hello I have a 8 month old Pug/Boston pup she is a good dog barks sometimes but will usually stop when said no to jumps on my 3 kids but calms down quickly most days, but we got her and it was really really cold here so we were trying to pee pad train her but she is still after 5.5 months peeing/pooping on my sofa and the floor around her mat. she will go out and do her stuff but will not go to the door when she needs out and no matter how many times i rub her nose in the pee/poop tell her no take her to the mat or outdoors, or even give her a treat and major praise when she goes somewhere she should she still goes on the floor and my sofa? my husband who told the kids they could finally have the dog is now telling them if she doesnt learn soon she will be gone. HELP
First, understand that the dog can’t open the door. Dogs depend on us to get them outside often. If you can’t watch (keep your eyes on the pup 100% of the time), make sure she’s crated.
Second, stop rubbing her nose in it. You’re teaching her to hide when she needs to go to the bathroom.
100% supervision, crating, and regular outside time should solve your problems. Happy training. ?
Why does my dog bark at every single dog and gets crazy I try to tell her sit but she just keeps barking and I also do it before the dog gets closer but she still doesn’t listen. By the way she does know “sit” she sits when I tell her to(house)and I give her a treat.
She’s not listening because the distraction level is too high — she may be able to sit, bot not when there are other dogs around. I’d take a few steps backward in the training process: start where you’re FAR away from another dog. Far enough away that she can sit when you ask her to. Reward her generously! Work at that distance until you’re ready to bet me $100 that your dog can be successful at that distance.
That might take a day or a week or even a month. There’s no timetable on learning, but the smaller the steps and the more fabulous the reward, the faster your progress.
Move a little closer (10 feet?) when she’s terrific at that initial distance. Keep your expectations fair and your rewards high! She’ll learn how to listen even despite distractions if you start where she’s successful.
I’m looking for advice on how to train my 6 and 8 year old cavacuan’s the bark at the sound of car doors ,they go ballistic barking at the front door. My 6 year old will not listen to me unless it suits her and she seams to be my most difficult one.in the past I admitt I spoiled them but I’ve been trying for the last 3 or 4 months to train and control them .I’m just not getting anywhere with them.i could be easier if she wasn’t so distracted because my wife has 5 other cats ranging from 1,2,3,and 2, 18 years olds .plus I’m having trouble keeping them out of the cat food also.any ideas or help would be appreciated
Hi Doug. it sounds like each dog could do well with some individual “good manners” training. It helps if the dogs each know how to do things separately, then after that, you can begin to ask them to do things together. Right now, though, the distractions (each other, slamming doors, cats, etc) are just way too high. I recommend you take each one (individually) to a good positive-reinforcement dog training class to help them learn foundation behavior that you can then use to teach them to do different things (instead of barking).
I’ve just learned my dog seams to have the small dog syndrome.my wife and my vet both said that’s what we’re dealing with. So now I’m trying to deal with that
We have this issue as posted above. Haha we never won out totally but we did train her to not go ballistic. We practiced making the offending noise, and had one family member hold her and let her and cuddle her saying “no bark” and offer a treat before she could even bark as we heard the sound. We delayed the treats little by little to get the reaction. Lucy was able to learn the command and delay her bark, then curb the ballistic barking, but she did always have to get the last word in with at least one low woof. She was a VERY quick learner and highly used to being trained so It only took a day to teach the command, a few weeks to practice it and about six months to reinforce it. With a regular dog who has a bad habit, I’d do the teaching every day for a week, then practice for about six weeks.
Hi Laurie,
So you’ve educated me that my now five-year-old little toy poodle/miniature dachshund mix is not stubborn, just untrained. He wants to go where he wants to go and lies down on the pavement until we go the way he wants. He pays no attention to me on walks, and instead seems intent on encountering other dogs, which he then barks incessantly at and twirls around, always to the left.
We cannot approach any dog because he lunges and nips at them. However, he has made some dog friends, whose owners kindly acquiesced to me telling them that after a walk around the block with them, Little Bear would eventually calm down and make a friend for life. That has been the case. So much so that after walks with his dog friends, he wants to follow them into their houses and not leave. I always have to carry him home. Once home, he is fine.
Tonight was particularly troublesome, as after a very enjoyable walk with two of his friends, he rushed to follow them into their house. He would not let me pick him up (went to bite me when I tried), and planted himself on the sidewalk, looking back from whence we came. To get home, I had to drag him, which I know was wrong, but otherwise we would have been on the sidewalk all night.
He is very affectionate toward me, and I play with him all the time. He screeches in delight when we chase each other through the house, and he runs like the wind to fetch the play toys I launch for him to retrieve. He doesn’t want to be without me at these other “dog houses,” but wants to stay at them with me there, too.
He acted this way even when I had another dog, who he bonded with before the other dog died. He just seems to be, in human terms, very clingy. On the other hand, he will go after these dogs he “loves” when they attempt to get on the couch if I am sitting on it with him. We have been through training for his reactive behavior toward other dogs, but nothing works. He is not interested in or swayed by treats.
My thought from the beginning was that he would have benefited greatly from attending a puppy class, as having been kept in a cage in a hoarder’s home for the first year of his life, he had no social skills. But no trainer I’ve contacted would allow that, since he was not a puppy. When I picked him up from the rescue director’s home, he was following the pack in her yard. He was “wild” to human touch, and it took almost three months before he would allow me to touch him (the initial vet report labeled him as “fractious”} There were eight other little dogs rescued from the situation he was in, but he was the only one not socialized.
He is extremely playful. wants to play all the time, and seems to long to be with others of his kind, but just hasn’t been trained in how to politely approach other dogs. If I let him off the leash, he would run at any dog no matter size or breed or number, and go after them. Yet he longs for the company of other dogs. And he likes cats; he plays with my sister’s cat. Any ideas of what to do? I am at my wit’s end.
Other than Bruno is kinda lack of focus. He doesn’t accept treats or toys when he is on leash even I tried training inside the house. So, how do I reward him? Cause I kinda wanna train his to be able to do his tricks outside the house too
Does Bruno eat his meals? If he eats his breakfast and dinner, train him during those times and use his food as a reward. ?
Also, try different treats. Chicken, salmon, sardines, etc. Just make sure you don’t use treats that are too fatty as they can cause GI upset.
Haha I actually had a stubborn dog.
She was also incredibly well trained- to the point of dropping hamburger if commanded to! She would sit and stop eating if asked to, wait while we walked away, she was amazing. She had all kinds of things she would do and could do anything she was taught. She was so smart she had even figured out the spelling for about ten words (say L-E-A-S-H, or W-A-L-K, and she would run to her leash obviously excited for a walk!) she would do basic command splus some fun tricks as well (like play dead if we said “bang” and pointed a finger gun at her)
One thing she would not let go of because she was stubborn. If someone drove down our road by our house, she would bark bark bark bark bark. We trained her down to about two to four barks and each time she was corrected (just a verbal correction was enough for this well behaved and well loved lady) she would bark one more time no matter how many times we corrected her.
Finally if she kept it up (and she usually did) she would be told to “go lay down” She would go slink to lay down. And after about 20 minutes later she would give just the quietest whisper of a woof just to get that last bark in.
So yes. Dogs can be stubborn and they can be stubborn and very well trained. Just sayin’….
I do think some dogs are stubborn and therefore harder to train because they do want to be the leader of the pack.
Emily, thanks for stopping by. I think it’s great that your dog was so well trained! Dropping a hamburger is quite a feat! However, each skill is individual. While she was great at dropping a burger, she wasn’t as good at the “quiet” cue. That’s ok — I’m not nearly as good at math as I am at spelling — but that doesn’t mean I’m dumb. I just need more work (i.e. more help/coaching) with math. It’s a totally different skillset, just like “drop” and “quiet” is for your dog.
I’ve not yet met a dog that can’t be trained. I’ve not yet met a stubborn dog. In all my 25 years of training, I’ve had dogs that have needed different motivators (one dog worked for mandarin orange slices!), but they’ve all been quite willing to work for their food and other reinforcers.
People, on the other hand — I’ve met some stubborn people. ?
Hello, I was hoping I could get some help with a 4 year old cheagle (Chihuahua x Beagle).
She is a brilliant dog. She knows many commands on top of the basics, such having her come from ten feet away, sit in front of me, and then “finish” or walk around me and sit on my left side. She learned all of these as a puppy and was showed in 4-H with these commands. She even won her obedience class! Fast forward three years and it seems like she forgot how to do everything. I can tell to sit, stay, down, or heel and she’ll either do it on command, lay down and roll over onto her belly or stare at me and wag her tail. Sometimes she just walks away.
She needs to be back at the level she was in by mid-August but she just won’t listen! I have even tried these in a distraction free room and she doesn’t do them.
Is this a behavior problem or is she just refusing to listen?
Sounds like she needs a refresher course! I took 6 years of German (4 in high school, 2 in college). It had been about 10 years since I’d spoken German when we planned a trip to Germany. I started to brush up on my German and was astounded at how much I’d lost over the years!
So no, I don’t think your dog is refusing to listen. I think she needs a refresher course! ?
Thank you for both of your comments. I’ll try putting her through a refresher course and see how much she remembers.
BandGeek 2.0, thanks for stopping in. I’d suggest re-training those behaviors from the beginning. My guess is that after you get through one or two of them, she’ll get in the groove and start to remember those things.
I took 6 years of German (4 in high school, 2 in college). Fast forward 20+ years and we were heading to Germany. I bought a language program to brush up on my German and I was surprised to see how much I’d lost (but also how quickly it came back after a few hours of study).
Hi Laurie!
You’re the expert so I’ll take you at your word that my dog is not stubborn…
About five months ago I adopted a 3-4 year old AmStaff named Tyler. When we got him he was already trained with the basics and has proven to be a great dog. Generally speaking, he’s calm and well balanced. We’ve taught him several new tricks and he usually picks up on them quickly (e.g. it only took one 15 minute training session and he now runs to his blanket when told “bedtime”). I’ve been teaching him the names of his toys and to “go get xyz” when I want him to bring a toy to me. With the exception laying on top of me and licking my face (and thus having forgotten that he weighs 65 pounds), he loves nothing more than to play fetch. He does so flawlessly on a 100 yard field without ever getting distracted on his way back. So, “go get xyz” seemed like a natural next step. He was starting to get it and was making solid progress during the first couple training sessions. But now, even if I can get him interested in practicing in the first place (with treat rewards), he quickly loses interest (often as soon as the 3rd attempt). Eventually he looks at me as if to say, “eh…I’m all set…if you want it, go get it yourself.”
Another common problem I have with him (which I suspect may be related) is the simple command of come. When we’re active in our home or outside I can be 95% certain that he will come the first time he is called. In that scenario it is extremely rare that he doesn’t obey the command. However, when I’m sitting on the couch and he’s playing with his toys by himself or simply laying quietly on the floor, my success rate drops dramatically to less than 10%. He hears the commands, looks at me for 5 seconds, and looks away. But, if I stand up (i.e. put myself in a more dominant position) he immediately comes without me having to repeat the command. It appears as if he understands the command, is consciously deciding to disobey it, and then, after seeing me stand up, thinks to himself, “oh I guess he was serious about that one”.
Assuming there is no silver bullet, do you have any suggestions for both motivating him to actively engage in training and to consistently obey commands that he already knows? Thanks for the help!
My 14 year old “fluffy” Pembroke Welsh Corgi was named “Trinity’s Miss Brash and Sassy” by the breeders We purchased her when she was almost a year old.. and called her “Sandy” ever since, But she has always been self willed It has been a struggle for me to get her to comply with my wishes unless I let her do what she wishes..Shame on me.!!!..She has made her reputation as being a favorite of many dog owners and those who don’t own dogs because of her personality and cuteness and non-compliance to my rules… I never used treats to train her except at an obedience training when she was 4years old. .After she was trained I expected her to perform without treats.So she is in for a new life of happy treats and so am I..Thank you for the great idea
I thought my dog lacks training when I tell him to sit before he goes out because he “ignores” me. I get so frustrated because he knows sit so well. Does he get excited and distracted easily? Sure. However, my dog trainer pointed something out to me recently when we were muzzle training him. She said that my dog is trying to communicate with me that when he is avoiding me and is acting stubborn is because he is telling me that he is not ready yet to listen because he’s very smart and is trying to figure out the noise or smell he sense. She told me to wait and my dog will look when he’s ready. Sure enough now, when he’s too excited to go out I just wait a second until he is ready for my command for him to sit because he knows I will ask him to and he does it calmly and sits and waits until I open the door and tells him “ok” Unlike before I make him sit unwillingly and then he just rushes out as soon as I open the door. Now don’t get me wrong. My dog listens to me when I call him, when I tell him to stop or no. It’s just that he knows when I’m going to tell him to sit or do other “tricks” before going out or getting a treat or getting a toy. He also knows when we’re training. That’s when he asks that I give him space and time to wait for him when he needs a break because he’ll let me know when he is ready to learn again. I thought that was fascinating. Now I understand him well and he’s so much different now. He listens better and feeling more confident because I give him a choice.
My sister moved in with an almost 2 year old pit bull. I love my dog-niece to pieces but she drives me crazy when I have to walk her! She is pure muscle and won’t listen to sit, stay, come, etc. when I take her on walks. I was calling myself the Dog Shouter instead of the Dog Whisperer. After nearly losing my arm and my wits, I googled “is my dog stupid, stubborn, or deaf?” as a sort of joke, and this came up. What a blessing!
For 2 days now I have been working with her on the walking technique you provided. She’s like a new dog! Today we walked by bikes, humans, bunnies, and even other dogs with relative ease (as in: she pulled, I stopped, she looked at me and received praise, she continued without pulling). It’s a miracle! And knowing she’s supposed to look to me for direction has also helped like a billion times with other commands. Wowza!
Thank you for this! It gave me the hope and direction I needed to help her. My sister has been gone for the weekend, boy will she be surprised when she comes back! It’s not perfect, and we will have setbacks I’m sure, but now I have faith that this dog can be trained (or really, I can be trained to direct her well)!
Sorry for the novel, but I was at the end of my rope and the turnaround has been beyond belief so I had to share. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
This such great news! Thank you for taking the time to stop in and leave a comment. It’s greatly appreciated!
Those other dogs should be able to follow the cues from the others, IF you teach the other people to give the cues like you do. I hope they did their homework and watched/listened to how you cued the dogs. So glad you were able to work with and teach those dogs that weren’t yours! Great work!
I’m at my wits end with my new 4 month old Maltese. She purposely picks on me. I give her positive attention and I’m the most patient calm and loving person. People tell me all the time that I’m the type that puts myself in the other person’s shoe and really understands what the other person is trying to get across and why. I do that with my dog too. I feel I can read her before she even knows what she wants but I just can’t understand why she purposely just walks over to me and bites me HARD for no reason?!? The first assumption is she wants my attention or doesn’t like what I’m doing. But usually I’m giving her 100% attention. For example she comes and drops her ball for me to play fetch. I throw it several times and then she runs after the ball, doesn’t grab it and instead runs back to me and bites my ankle so hard it draws blood! What did I do to deserve that? At first I yelped to let her know it really hurt me but she acted like she loved that reaction and tried to bite me again but harder! I just lost my 10 year old Maltese to a rare cancer and she was the best most sweetest dog ever! We were glued to each other. I’m doing EVERYTHING the same with this dog but this dog seems to be evil! She likes to hurt me, she loves to pick on me! I don’t react because I’m afraid she will enjoy the reaction. Instead, when she does bad I put her in the closed off kitchen for a 2 min time out. That way it stops the current behavior, shows her that her fun time ends when she acts up and gives me a minute to calm down from being hurt. What do I do when she picks on me without making her win or like it?!? I’m desperate because I love her so much but it’s getting so hard and I end up crying most days because I miss my dog that passed away that showed me so much love and respect all the time. I feel like this dog is making me depressed!
I totally understand you! I have a 5 month old English Shepherd. Super smart. When she doesn’t get her way she squats down in front of me an pees on the floor. Carpet. And does it deliberately. She snaps at us. And tries to eat the chickens, I bought her to guard the chickens. She nips at all of us. Snaps at me. Pulls out plants by the roots that I water and take care of in my garden. She is horrible and I am tired of it. She knows commands and is learning agility. She just had another dog attack her and bit her face to the point we thought she would loose and eye. Why? Because she took his toys and laid on his bed till he had had enough and put her in her place. But it didn’t work. Nothing has… I am tired of all the food she eats and begging even after I have given her food. She licks the floor etc. All these things I have taught her are not acceptable but she does them to get back at me for whatever she thinks she deserves and isn’t getting.
She is five months old, a very playful age, and she’s just looking for fun and entertainment like a small child that wants to play but can’t distinguish between a toy and a trinket. She has a high energy level and needs to exert all that energy or she will be more prone to the behavior issues you are describing. If she is still begging and licking the floor after she finishes eating it could be that she needs more to eat than she’s presently getting to sustain her high energy level or else her present food type isn’t meeting her needs. Dogs don’t do things deliberately to make people mad any more than a two year old child does. It’s just not how they’re wired. A 5-month old puppy needs a great deal of time, energy, and affectionate patience. If the situation has become horrible for you, chances are that it’s horrible for her as well. In light of the situation you described, it sounds like both of you would benefit from finding her another home better suited to her energetic personality. No dog deserves to be kept in a situation that clearly isn’t working out and is detrimental to all involved, nor does any dog deserve to be bit in the face and nearly lose an eye as punishment for a perceived misdeed.
Hi Courtney, it sounds like you’re having a really rough time of it! It’s so difficult to lose a dog friend, so please accept my sympathis on teh loss of your 10-year old Maltese.
You have a new puppy — and she’s really all puppy it sound like! All pups need a good positive reinforcement puppy class (followed by a “good manners” class as they move into adolescence at about 5-6 months of age).
Many of the issues you describe are quite common, thankfully, even if they’re really annoying. A little good manners training can go a long way. Take a look here to see if there’s anyone near you: http://www.findagreatdogtrainer,com
Hi Laurie Luck, I have a 1 year old Cane Corso Mastiff who weigh more than 130 pounds now. We inherit him from some people we met on craigslist for 3 months now. He is very sweet, loyal but very needy and defiant. he wants things to go his way all the time. And my husband is getting sick of it, and very angry now that he couldn’t even have his silent time and watch his favorite show cos Homie always walks around in front of us, makes noises like panting a lot, licking his paws and when we let him go outside after 10mins he’ll start pawing the door. He is not getting better as my husband said. And one more thing when we leave him one time he poop inside the house, that’s the first time he’d ever done that. and he broke to our fence too one night when we leave him but to our surprise he was just sitting on our front door and waiting for us. I would love to keep him and I love Homie so much cos he is the sweetest dog ever, very affectionate but my husband told me if he keeps doing all these things we might get rid of him and I don’t want that to happen. Please help me! your response will be very appreciated Laurie! Thanks!
He’s just being a regular dog by the sounds of it. You might want to trade your husband in for a more patient one. If you want him to stop walking round as much once you sit down for the night, tire him out more take him for an interactive walk, play with him, train him. As for licking and breathing he’s just cleaning himself gotta get used to it, and big lungs mean loud breathing unfortunately (I guess). If you don’t want him to scratch the door don’t lock him outside for too long he’s a pack animal, he wants to be around you, near you or playing with you. So to be honest with all that in mind I stick to my first bit of advice. Get a new husband, or maybe get a cat it might be more suited to what you want. Please please don’t ever put him in a shelter though, take the time to find him a good home, it might be a bit of a nuisance for you but it’s more of a nuisance to him if he ends up getting put down cus your husband has no patience.
Sounds like a good positive reinforcement dog training class would really help out a lot. See if you can get both you and your husband to go — that’s really the best way to work with the dog. Good luck and happy training! http://www.findagreatdogtrainer.com
I have a 14 month rescue whippet lurcher. He is very excitable when he meets other dogs, but after a bit of sniffing jumps all over them. I have started walking him in a class with other dogs to socialise him. He’s still excitable but seems to enjoy the walks. Now I have a new problem in that he has started to slip his harness when the walks are over as he doesn’t want to leave the other dogs. I am fast losing confidence as shouldn’t he want to stay with me? He has no recall yet so this is quite a problem. I am pleased he seems to be enjoying the company of other dogs, but I need for him to leave with me when necessary. It took me 15 minutes to get him off the common at the end of the walk to day when everyone else had left. Any suggestions – I do take treats with me, but they work for a few paces and then it’s game over.
Instead of treats, I use very small pieces of chicken. It makes a big difference. (Some treats cost more than a breast of chicken.)
Hi Judy, thanks for stopping by. Yes, in my videos I suggest using plain chicken as treats for training. Way better for the dogs! And we can snack to, haha!
Hi, I have a 1 year old Rottie. She is amazing when it’s just the immediate family around(myself, spouse, 2 toddlers). Listens well and minds her manners. Unless we move around or dance, then she becomes unresponsive and acts like she is herding us and nips at heels and jumps around you until you stop what you’re doing and go sit down or put her in a submissive position. I have tried giving commands and leashing. I am trying to teach her not to act this way, any tips or advice on how to get her to stop doing this? She also gets this way with toys that talk or have wheels.
I go to walk my sons 4year old pittie mix twice a week about 2,3 miles each time because he is not getting walked. He gets soooo excited when he sees me and he recently has been biting me when i am going to first walk him. He has his harness and leash put on before i come which isnt easy anf then i walk him immediately. soon into the walk he is just focused on walking but it very strong and a puller Any tips, advise,ideas.
Hi, i have a 1y8m husky. Usually for walks, I would let him walk anywhere he wants as long as the leash is slack. However it did not work very well as he would not look back and I want him to be conscious to the point where there is no need for a leash.
Recently, I decided to limit his leash to a length that could only allow him to walk in close proximity to me (a finger’s length). He would pull violently at times (sometimes even to the point he would yap) with his body crouched closely to the floor and sitting at maximum leash length, faced another way.
I have let him peed before commencing the short leash training, so any further sniffing would be probably marking.
Have consulted with other owners and they felt that he is rebelling. However, this rebelling of him has resulted in his nails bleeding.
Any recommendations as to what I can do?
He’s definitely not “rebelling”. Dogs don’t really have the subtly of “He’s doing this, so I’m going to do this”, remember, they have the intelligence of very young children. Its much more likely he just doesn’t understand what you want him to do.
Think about it from his perspective. He’s out on a walk with you, everything’s great, he can sniff whatever he wants, pee on that cool patch of grass. Oh, wait now the leash is super short, and he can’t reach anything? What’s going on? It seems silly but how would he know that you are doing this because you want him to look at you? Even if it’s clear to you, you need to make it clear to him. Beyond that I would just read what’s written in the article. The whole thing is about getting your dog to pay attention to you…
Or otherwise, perhaps he just needs more time to adjust to the stricter training regiment… He is doing fine now, following closely.
Get a herm sprenger prong collar. They are german made and completely safe for the dog. A 2.25 or 3mm would be just fine. You may need to buy extra links but I wouldn’t go bigger than a 3mm unless you had like a 200lb dog. lol. Anyway! Simple wrist taps can go a long way. Look at some youtube videos on how to properly use and put on a prong collar. It should stay behind the ears and the top of the neck. you controll the head of your dog and you control the whole dog. It does NOT harm your dog!
thanks for your advice! much appreciated 🙂 I assumed you must have used them before to give such reviews on them?
Hyper 5 month old Shepard rescued from a drunken idiot almost 2 months ago. He is loyal loving, but hyper over zealous. I had to teach him basically like an infant. He tries to set the rules. Will not listen unless we are alone. Prayers my old dog to death. He is driving me crazy. I can’t give him treats because his diet before was terrible. He is finally over the diarrhea. Please some good advice without the long winded pre-explanation
Dominance. My puppy wants to be the pack leader. He’s been that way from birth. It was clear to see when he was around his litter mates. He dominated everything and even as I work with him he does well and learns, but he doesn’t like me being in charge. I don’t think he’s stubborn. But that desire to be on top doesn’t seem to leave him even as he gets behaviors down.
Hi there! We just got a 12 week old female Siberian Husky pup. She’s adorable and so smart… but is a handful. She has shown toy aggression with my 4 year old shepherd husky mix which is also female. She also did it with the water bowl. I’ve always had a communal water bowl so I’d prefer not change if possible. We also have two cats. I’m really working with the pup not to chase them and am working on sit with a treat anytime she starts. I want to halt any possibility of any aggression towards them at all. Huskies are known to be prey driven but can also live with cats of trained properly. So far it just seems like she wants to play with them. I just need some advice on how to handle it all. I want my puppy to be a puppy and have fun, but I also don’t want my 4 year old dog to have her life ruined because she can’t approach a toy or water dish. I also don’t want the cats to be chased to no end either. I had a trainer come in on Monday and she was great but she taught us to keep a leash on her and give quick little jerks when doing unwanted behavior. I felt like that’s all I was doing! I’ve since quit using that technique but distract with treats instead. I still keep the leash on most of the time to stop the cat chasing and she does great. But after awhile she just seems defeated and loses interest and becomes more defiant. Please help. I want to get a hold on her sooner than later.
I hope you can find a good positive reinforcement trainer near you who can help you in person. Try http://www.findagreatdogtrainer.com.
I have a dog that won’t let me back inside the house without him. He has a fenced in back yard.
Haha! We’re in charge now! TRUMP 2020!!!
My dog runs out the door and when I tell come or go home she doesn’t she walk away, she had used the bathroom on my bed, pisse in my bed, like this is not right
Maybe your dog has a bladder issue or infection? That can make it difficult to control. Dogs really want to please their masters. It could also be fear, some dogs have an involuntary release when they are afraid. If she has been punished in the past it will likely make make the situation worse, use only positive reinforcement.
I have to say, I absolutely disagree when you say there is no such thing as a stubborn dog. A perfect example is a dog with a dominant personality. I have trained my dog to go into her crate on command. She does it every single time I ask her to, unless I have my shoes on, got dressed, touched my keys, or did anything to suggest that she’s going in there and not coming out. And she does not have separation anxiety. She does this before bed as well, because she doesn’t want to do as I ask. Her kennel is right by my bed, so she’s not going to miss me, but she will barely step into the kennel and then escape quickly and jump around and tease me. She knows I want her in the kennel, and has been properly trained, but she decides she doesn’t want to go in so she tries to push me around and not have to go in. It can take up to 10 minutes for her to finally give up and go in. So there ya go, a trained, very intelligent, very sweet, but VERY stubborn dog. She knows I’m the boss, but she pushes her limits sometimes to try to make her own rules.
I’m having similar trouble with my pup! He definitely knows the “crate” command, but often chooses not to listen (or will do a half-hearted walk TO the crate, but turns back around before ever going inside). We do not use the crate as punishment and we have never put him in using any force, so he’s not afraid or reluctant to go in there based on anything we’ve done. We don’t even keep him in there overnight or while out of the house, so I don’t have any reason to believe that he thinks of his crate as “bad”.
I think the distractions bit the author focuses on is a good reminder and is probably true in many, if not most, situations. But we’re at home, he’s alert (but not over-excited), and he has no issue with the other commands. Just now we did Come, Sit, and Down just fine, but as soon as I said Crate he apparently went deaf and blind. After a few attempts, he just lays down and sighs, which feels to me like a middle finger.
Have you tried feeding his meals in the crate? Our pups *run* to their crate whenever they’re asked because we’ve always associated great things with the crate. They know that crate time means a good time! 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to respond, Christine. Your dog isn’t stubborn, she’s smart! She doesn’t enjoy being in the crate all day and she’s smart enough to try to delay the inevitable.
I lived with a roommate in college who hit the snooze button 15 time (I’m not even kidding). Was she stubborn? No. She was putting off going to class until the last possible minute!
So what you may consider stubborn, might just be a smart dog!
We just brought home a 7 month old GP/AS. She has never had any training. Never wore a collar or leash. Never had any food other then her dog food. Never had treats. When I put a collar and leash on her she will not move. She turns her head and will not look at me. She won’t even move for a hot dog, cheese, dog treat, nothing. Nothing moves her. She sat in the same spot, in the rain for hours. When we took the leash off, she was a normal puppy. Put the leash back on, she won’t move. I don’t know what to do!!! Nothing moves her except removing the leash.
We call these dogs tactile sensitive. It’s not uncommon for an older dog, who has never experienced a collar or leash, to freeze when one is placed on them. You can find a very light collar, even making your own (to help her get used to the feel of something on her neck).
Try placing a piece of twine or other light rope/string across her back while feeding her really good treats (steak, salmon, etc.) You won’t ever leave her unsupervised with the twine, but rather you’re pairing the feel of something on her with something REALLY good.
As she gets more comfortable with this, you can systematically increase the weight of the rope (thickness) until she’s comfortable with something the same weight as a light collar.
You have a really good understanding of dogs, thanks for all of your great suggestions! I wonder in this case if it might help to use a lightweight harness instead of a collar (?). Just a thought.
I have a 3 month old rott german mix pup. He keeps biting (proper biting) his family members and other people as well. He gets super aggressive at times, and starts running like a mad dog and jumps on the beds and sofas. We’ve tried so many ways to teach him not to bite. Any suggestions as to what should i do?
I have a 3 year old Newfie female who is very sweet and generally very well trained, sits, stays, comes when called, etc.; however, recently, she has developed an aversion to getting in the car. I don’t know why. In the past, she has always loved being in the car, going for rides, I took her everywhere and then suddenly, one day, she refused to get back in the car after a walk at the beach. She was tired, so it wasn’t simply a matter of not wanting the fun to end. I finally managed to coax her into the car to get home, but from then on, it has been a struggle to get her in again. I’ve tried using treats, toys, encouragement, etc., but she just plants herself and refuses to move. She knows what I want her to do, but won’t do it. She often refuses to even approach the car, turning herself into a speed bump the minute I turn in the direction of the car. Since she weighs as much as I do, there is no moving her if she doesn’t want to move. How is this not being stubborn?
I have a 5 month old hound/lab mix we have had for a month. She Has very little confidence and can not get her to play or have fun. ( I have a 1yr old Hound/lab that was very obident and learned super quick). She is quick to play with the other dog but shuts down when I try to play with her. I have gained some confidence in her with clicker training eye contact and basic obedience. However trying to stir up play time is impossible as she sits there and is not interested. I am also strictly hand feeding right now and she is more attAtched to my wife. Who doesn’t train her feed her or bring her anywhere. Any advice to get her more attAtched to me and help her become more playful?
Hi Nick, I applaud the time you’re putting into getting to know your hound mix. It looks like you’re taking it slow (good!) and trying different things (also good). Dogs, like people, are all different. Our Labrador, Lily, never really liked to play at all. Once in a blue moon, she’d “let her hair down” and play with the other dogs, but it wasn’t really in her nature to be a typical playful Labrador. After we realized that’s who Lily was, we were ok with it.
If your dog shuts down when you try to play, back off a bit with the attempts to engage in play. She has been with you for just a month and it’s not unusual for a dog to take a few months to get adjusted into her new home. Give it time, let her move the play along at her own pace, and follow her lead.
My husband had a dog, Nemo, who was absolutely HIS dog. I did all the training, all the feeding, all the everything. However, he chose my husband. I was fine, but my husband was HIS. You may want to let your wife start doing some of that stuff — maybe if you did a little less, she may be more interested in you?
my dog knows how to sit because she only does so when i give her treats, she’s smart enough to do so when she knows i have treats on me when i have no treats and i ask her to sit, she ignores me like i’m not even there
Yep, dogs ARE smart! You said it perfectly. Sometimes, people unintentionally teach their dog to sit (or down, etc.) ONLY if a treat is present. We teach people to only offer the treat after the dog does the behavior, not show it before. If you used treats as a lure to get your dog to sit, and now your dog only sits when you have a treat, your dog really does think a treat needs to be present before she starts the behavior.
What if you’ve adopted a 2-yr-old ‘rescue’ Yorkie who’s previous owners lacked in the training? We’ve had our new friend for 3 wks now and have seen little gain in training to potty outside. He/Thor was crated and left in a bathroom most days and only let outside for ‘play-walks’. He is able to hold eliminations while crated and all night (sometimes). I’ve taken Thor out at consistant times, caught him ‘in the act’ and taken him out (only for him to get distracted and forget what he started to do). I’ve set-up an indoor doggy area, use crate and diapers puppy pads, ‘go-here’ sprays (indoors and out), etc. We have no other family members or pets in yhe house – just me and my husband and I’m a housewife, so all of my attentions have been with attempting to acclamate and set-up our home for Thor. I have omitted walks altogether (which is a whole other issue with barking, charging and pulling – sometimes out of harness and into the street, etc.) but since we live in town and there are always distractions outside -even tethered on harness in the same areas – Thor makes no association with “potty outside”. It’s like he needs to be untrained AND (then) retrained! I ring a hanging bell when we ho out. I blow a whistle to get hus attention when distracted outside. I don’t want to have to keep him in one confined space or another; otherwise what’s the point in having such a precious companion to share life with, if he can’t be free ‘to ve’.? We’ve had other dogs (cats, turtles, hamsters, frogs, etc. – when our kids were young and living at home) but I’ve never been this frustrated or discouraged as I am now. Thor doesn’t much like treats but does love praise; however, how can I give praise when nothing on the key issues is being done that is praiseworthy? I fo praise him when following commands, when fetching his toy, etc. Please HELP!
Consistent and persistent attention (and a few tweaks) may be what you need. You say the dog gets distracted when he’s outside. If he’s not on a leash, be sure to put him on one when you take him out. Stand still. Once the dog goes to the bathroom, then you can play, go for a walk, whatever. But otherwise, you stand still and wait for the dog to do his business. If, after 3 or 4 minutes, the dog doesn’t go to the bathroom, take him inside and put him back in the crate for another 15 minutes. Try again in 15 minutes.
Treats: I have a picky dog (and I’m picky myself, so I understand “picky” dogs) and it took me a lot of experimenting to find a treat that works. Turns out cheese — a specific kind of cheese (colby jack for Schooner) — is a treat that he goes nutty for. not grilled chicken, not ANY dog treats. But colby jack cheese really floats his boat.
So keep looking for a treat that your dog goes crazy for, it’s worth the effort.
And keep up the good work on the house training — just remember that if he doesn’t go on the trip outside, crate him for another 15 minutes, then try again. Keep repeating that sequence until he goes to the bathroom outside. Then you can play and go for walks!
I am late to this conversation, but I wonder if the dog is in pain or has a health issue. I so wish they could talk to tell us what they feel.
My dog is excited to be outside. However, he pulls me off my feet. I have been injured a few times from this as it is completely unexpected (out of the blue). He wants to run, I get that. But, it takes BOTH hands to hold him. I cannot let go with one for a clicker. What can I do?
Try a no-pull (front clip) harness or a head halter. My favorite head halter for Schooner, our 170 pound Great Dane, is a head halter called Walk N Train.
We have suspected we made a bit of a mistake getting our beloved Labrador/Border Collie (Borador) mix, Wallis. We are two women getting on in our years. We joked that this dog might be smarter than us, but the reality is he is also stronger. Hard headed, just the way we thunkl it! Will try this with devotion and consistency (or at least as much as we can muster with our full time jobs). It’s been over 2 years of sheer hell taking her with us anywhere. All I really want is to actually enjoy a vacation with her! Will really try!
Have you tried head halters and/or no-pull harnesses? I really like the Walk N Train for my 170 pound Great Dane if I’m going to be taking him out in the wind (which makes him pull a bit more than usual).
Hello,
I have a 5 1/2 mo. deaf Border Collie. We have been taking her to group training in a puppy xl class. She has been doing very good with hand signals. Last week the trainer let her and another Australian shepherd puppy play, they had a ball. We graduated last week but as the Australian shepherd had another week to go, she said we could bring Luna back and play again. Well, Luna gets there, the shepherd did not show up, but there are 3 new puppies in the class. She absolutely shut down! She just laid there and would not pay attention. She wanted to run over to the other puppies, but she doesn’t allow play time until the end. Luna would not do anything except lay there, we had to pick her up to move her. I took her outside and she loose leash walked beautifully, then for the first time ever jumped into a big deep mud puddle, over and over, lol, before I couldn’t get her near much water. Anyway, frustrated, we left at the half way point of the class as no one had a suggestion how to reengage her. Ideas? Thank you in advance.
Congrats on your Border Collie, such smart dogs! Glad to hear you have her in group classes, too. You may want to try to find a treat (or several!) that she goes crazy for. I had to search high and low (and LOTS of different types of food) for a treat that our Dane, Schooner, loved.
We tried all different types of cheese (feta, mozzarella, cheddar, swiss, gouda, etc.) — he likes colby jack! I also tried lots of different types of meat (hot dog, chicken, salmon) — he really likes summer sausage! So it may take some time (and some experimenting), but I bet if you find something that really floats her boat, you’ll see improved responses. Happy training!
I have a 4 month old labradoodle. From the time we got him at 8 weeks until just recently he has done great in his crate at night and when we leave or coming in from outside and letting me wipe off all four paws without any fight. Now for some reason he will run away from me anytime I try to do either one even though he knows treats are involved (he loves treats, any kind it doesn’t matter). Any tips on how to stop this behavior before he starts to think he can get away with other things?
Alyssa, thanks for the comment. Without knowing your dog or your situation, it’s very hard to determine what is going on. However, I’m always quick to rule out any medical problems first. Is the paw tender? The leg? The elbow? Shoulder? Sore back or neck? Any of those could lead to resistance to having a paw handled. Or, has he had any rough grooming experiences? (May not have seemed rough to the groomer, but may have been perceived as rough by your dog.)
Or, did something scary happen when your dog was in his crate? We had a low level tornado come through one day when I wasn’t home. I could see the whole thing on our Nest home camera (until the power went out) and the storm was scary! Ever since, our Great Dane has been terrified of storms. Had I not had the Nest camera, I wouldn’t have known how bad the storm was…
Note that it doesn’t have to be weather — it could be anything the dog perceives as unpleasant. Maybe the trash truck banged about a bit and made a startling noise when your dog was in the crate. Or perhaps your dog got a nail stuck in the crate while you were gone?
The possibilities are endless, so I like to focus on the solution: Desensitizing your dog to paw handling and reintroducing the crate as a great place to be.
My dog is about 3 years old and when I first got him and he would want to go potty or just when he gets really excited he starts to peel out which makes me laugh.! Has anyone ever experienced this?
Hi Kristie, thanks for your comment. We sometimes call this excited urination. It’s not uncommon and it is usually best dealt with by toning down greetings toward the dog. Having guests ignore the dog as they are coming in the door is often helpful. Paying any attention to the dog or to the urination can increase the frequency.
My daughters dog has started refusing to get out of my car to go into my house . This started when she moved house. I have always taken him for walks and he has stayed with me overnight often.
My dog refused to go potty outside. I take him out but he still goes inside.
He went out till recently
When you bring him in, put him in the crate (or tether him to you) so he doesn’t have the opportunity to go. ?
Hi Laurie, our hound mix is quite smart and independent-minded. We taught her to “say please by sitting” by getting her to sit before mealtime. Now she does this regularly for other things too (never mind what they say about dogs not generalizing lol). She sits when she wants to chase a squirrel or go to the dog park etc. If I say “no” or don’t take her in the direction of the thing she wants, she refuses to move and our walk comes to a halt (counter productive as I’m trying to give her a chance to get some energy out by walking/jogging). I appreciate how polite she’s asking but I can’t give her everything she wants when she wants it. I don’t want to lure her with treats/reinforce this behavior. What else can I do?
While I get how this can be troublesome, isn’t it cool that your dog has figured out a way to communicate with you?! As a trainer, I absolutely LOVE this! My yellow Labrador, Tango, learned this very thing. I love knowing when he finds something (or someplace) he’d rather do. Sometimes, our schedule will allow these jaunts, but other times, we can’t do those things, even though he asked so politely! In those instances, I almost always let him do something else fun or reinforcing, like sniff the next mailbox or head across the street where there’s an interesting smell. Sometimes we would run a bit, if that’s what he wanted, or I’d chase him if he was in the mood. Sometimes, particularly early in the process, I’d have to stand and wait for him. That might take a minute or so. Or sometimes I would ask him to do a different behavior (like touch my hand, for instance), and then praise him for doing that behavior. I didn’t do that often, though, as he might chain those two things together (stand still –> get asked to do something –> earn a reinforcer).
You’re right Laurie, it is pretty amazing! We’ve only had her a few months now. I’m looking forward to learning to read her better and find the best ways to engage her (she loves chasing squirrels but fetch doesn’t seem to hold her attention). I think she is going to teach me to be a little more patient and flexible. Thank you for your reply 🙂
Hi there! I have a 3 month old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie. I have a hard time walking her on a leash. As soon as we start walking she will sit down. If I give her a slight tug she then lays down. I try to coax her with treats and positive reinforcement but she ignores it. The only time I can get her to move is when she walks somewhere she wants to go or if I drop the leash and call her to me.
Hi Laurie, me and my partner have recently adopted a dog from the pound… around 3 months ago… on adoption we were told she was very shy around people and held a lot of anxiety. During the first few days of living with us she didn’t go to the bathroom for 48 hours… she would be very nervous to leave the house and pull a lot to come home. If she heard any loud noise she would panic and try to run away. We just left it down to the fact we lived above a bar and it was summer at the time so we said it was normal she felt overwhelmed leaving the house, and due to the fact that she wasn’t going to the toilet we began taking her with the car (she would run out of the house without any fear when the car door was open) we decided this would be the best option at the time because she would have some freedom off the lead and be able to use the bathroom freely!
However the season has ended and me and my partner decided it was the right time to train her to walk on the streets now as all the bars are closed there are much less people around. However this has become problematic, before reading your article i would have named my dog stubborn but after finishing it i am second guessing myself… I can see she is overwhelmed when we leave our house, her nose twitches, she refuses any sort of food, her tail is tucked between her legs and she is too busy looking around, she doesn’t answer her name or any commands. It seems she has around 100m barrier from the front door, somedays she will come outside 1 or 2 feet anticipating the car being open, upon realising we are not going with her car she will retreat to the front door, other days she won’t even leave the house… and today for example she walked slowly and hesitantly approaching her 100m barrier and stopping frozen looking around. For example we tried to walk her this morning with high quality liver treats, I read online to have the treats in my hand and have the lead as close to me as possible so she would have her attention on me instead of the street.. again she left the front door maximum 100m and began to retreat back…we remained patient and tried to entice her away from the front door with the treats – to which she would walk a few feet forward, we would praise her with a treat and then she would walk back the few steps she took! In the end we took her home and tried again 2 hours later, she refused to leave the house. In the evening she left the house walked a few feet forward, than began to look for the car, she then pulled me to our car and waited there for us to open the door for her.. (This has happened many times – we would try walking to the left of the house she refused, then to the right – refused, to the front door – refused then she would pull us to the car) This is where i get the idea she may be stubborn, i understand maybe she doesn’t feel safe walking near our house (unknown reasons why…we live in a quiet area maybe not for a dog but few cars and few people and she hasn’t encountered any traumatic experiences around here) but i get the feeling she knows we will go to a quiet place if we go with the car… a beach or a field so i feel she is being ‘stubborn’ to go with the car. I understand this may most likely be our fault, due to the fact we took her with the car the first month she lived with us… but as i said she was refusing to go the bathroom near our house so what could we do 🙁 I’ve read many things online saying if you have a nervous or insecure dog the worst thing to do is to force her because it may increase her trauma… but at the minute it seems like she is refusing to do anything unless we take her with the car
We are trying to praise her when she walks on the street but sometimes she will only take 2 or 3 steps before stopping. I am very confused and worried… any advice would help!!!
Emily 🙂
What is a clicker
Hi I have a Maltese puppy mix breed with Chihuahua I’m a first time dog owner he’s only 4 month but it’s so hard for me I’m a cat person but wanted to expend the family with a pup but is so hard there very picky eaters he pee on the wee wee pad but don’t poop on it I’ve caught him a couple times trying to eat the cat poop or play with it but he takes out the cat litter I try telling him no all types of ways but he still does it and it’s very aggravating cause I really felt in love with him I tried feeding him hard food pedigree soft food pedigree he won’t ear the hard puppy food but soft has to be certain type so I gave him Purina alpo soft food and his stool too soft and very smelly he has no shots I just got him like exactly a month so I don’t take him out much cause don’t want him to get sick on me sometimes I wanna give up but I can’t he depends on me any suggestions please what should I do why is he like this I don’t if it’s me or him trying to get attention the wrong way
Hope fully someone can help me get to end of this if not gotta give him back and just stay with my cat they come trained
Well you have never seen my dog Rosie. She is a very good dog; understands a lot of English words. But— she also can read minds and body language. She absolutely will not get into a car although at one time she used to get in and today when we were locked out of the house in 0 degree weather she refused to get in the garage , refused to stay on the porch out of the cold, refused to move when I put her on a leash, and rolled over in the ice and snow when I tried to get her to move forward. She is absolutely belligerent at times. She gets certain ideas and won’t move. For example I have a side door to my house and Rosie for a while absolutely refused to go out of that door and wouldn’t even put her head through the door frame when I offered her treats. I can’t take her to the vet because she won’t get in the car and treats don’t work. Sometimes she sits down about 20 feet from the car and will not budge when she suspects that I am going to want her to get in the car. I definitely can’t say “let’s get in the car.’ or let’s go for a ride.” She knows what this means. This is the first dog I have had out of many who has had this behavior. I don’t punish her but she knows that I don’t like that behavior so we don’t talk for a day or so. She is a Boxer, about 10 years old.
Hi Deco. Yes, some dogs have a flat-out aversion to cars. It makes some dogs sick or queasy and it’s unpleasant for them. They aren’t stubborn, they are looking out for their well-being. It’s not unlike a person who gets carsick — car rides simply are aversive.
If you open the door and ask him to sit, you’d better have a leash on him or he might run out the door.
My 2 year old Newf was stubborn about jumping in the car for the first time in months today… but he wanted to drink from a muddy parking lot puddle and he was breathing very hard so I didn’t let him. Just gave him a sip and waited until he decided I must have a good reason and popped in. The last time he went through a period of not wanting to jump in the car, I realized that he was afraid of slipping off the back seat into the well (he’s huge) so now I’ve stuffed the well with old blankets, and there’s no problem. I guess my point is that often “stubborn” means they are trying to communicate something important to you.
Suzanne, thanks for your comment. YES! Very often, “stubborn” means something other than what we think it means. Almost always, dogs are trying to communicate with us. I’m so glad you were so observant and noticed what your dog’s issue was. What a great team you two make!
Hi,my 1year old,old tymme english bulldog has 2days,when he was completely mental,we took the leash off,that he could run and he started to jump on us,he wanted to bite us and when I said clearly NO,he got mental even more,his eyes looked different then usual,what does it mean?