Lacking obedience is never the dog's fault!

A dog who lacks obedience is often labeled dumb or stubborn - unjustly so. As a general rule, it is not the dog's fault that he has less than desired obedience but rather the owner isn't a mindful leader to the satisfaction of the dog. That is played out in different ways, depending on the dog's personality and situation. Below are some of the real reasons why a dog doesn't listen to her owner.

The dog is confused - which means there is miscommunication. You don’t understand what she is saying and therefore respond in a way that makes no sense to her. Or she doesn’t get what you want because you use commands she doesn’t understand; for example asking with the same obedience command for different behaviors or vise versa – having several words for a certain action you want. Or your command words are not congruent with your body language. Or both – you don’t understand her and she’s confused about what you expect. Sharpen your comprehension skills and teach in ways that make sense to your dog.


The dog isn't motivated - which generally means that the dog is hard to motivate. That can be a real problem with working breed lines; dogs bred for a certain task, but sold as pets. The pooches often have a one-track-mind and are simply not interested in anything else. And if you can’t find the currency, you can’t put the pooch on a payroll and therefore he won’t listen to you. You and whatever you offer is irrelevant. Make yourself relevant by finding one thing that floats your dog's boat - then put it under control and make your dog's behavior contingent on it.


Has learned that the environment is more important - a dog left all day in the yard learns to get stimulation from the environment. If you expect attention and obedience the twenty minutes a day you pay attention to your dog, you are out of luck.

Is afraid and doesn’t trust - inconsistent handling; applying different methods of training or heavy handed methods make for reluctant obedience. One example is the pooch who comes reluctantly and not in a straight line when called. She’s afraid because being near a person is, or was not always good news.


Is sore or tired - it is hard to obey a sit with arthritic hips. If your pooch all of a sudden doesn’t listen to you, or only reluctantly follows once known commands, get her checked out. Your dog won’t come to you if she can’t hear you calling.

Requests are unreasonable – solid obedience can be accomplished regardless of disposition or age of the dog. But it takes time. Not every dog learns at the same pace, or has aptitude for the same things. Don’t put yourself under performance pressure and ask for a level of obedience your dog can’t do, because you set both of you up for failure. Back tracking to a point where your dog performs reliably and building on that leads to success.


Too aroused – reactivity lives in the emotional part of the brain, not the thinking one. If your dog is too charged up because of play, or predatory chase, or anxious, or panicky, she can’t listen to you.

The consequence of not listening to you is more rewarding than listening to you: For example the pulling dog who does get to the person/fire hydrant/dog faster because you follow. Or the pooch who is able to extend play in the park if she doesn’t come. Or the one who gets a chase game out of stealing something and running away from you.


The dog is entitled and bratty because he gets everything he wants free on demand and is catered to. A dog without rules and in control of what he wants, when he wants it, does not heed requests. Why should he be obedient?

You don’t have an off-switch. The off-switch is a command, a specific word that tells your dog that you are done interacting for the moment. That is especially important for busy dogs. If you don’t clarify when you are done playing ball, how is your pooch suppose to know? He’ll continue to pester you. On that note, let your dog know what’s on your mind and what you want him to do. Teach a word for the behavior you are after. Before I cross the road, I say “cross” so that my dogs can walk with me on a loose leash. When I want them to step out of the way for other park users, I give them the “over” command. Dogs are good observers, but they are not mind readers. Clarity feeds obedience.