Him Something! "First
off, know the difference between disobedience and
incomprehension. If your dog isn’t obeying
a command because he doesn’t know what it means, he isn't being
disobedient, and that isn't a behavioral problem. In that case, you
just need to spend some more time teaching him the command.Actual
disobedience occurs when your dog deliberately doesn't obey a command
or request, although he knows exactly what you’re asking him
to do - and you know he is full aware of what you're asking because
he’s performed it reliably several times beforehand. Even
though this might seem like a relatively small problem, it’s
actually pretty serious.
Not only can it be dangerous for your dog
(for example, if he’s heading towards a busy road and ignores
your ‘come’ command), but it’s also damaging to
your relationship with your dog. Disobedience
actually comes from disrespect. When your dog purposely
ignores a command, he’s saying, "I don’t respect
your authority enough to do what you want me to do". If
you let your dog get away with this, you're letting him form the habit
of passive-aggression. This is not something that will just fix itself
- the problem will keep getting worse. It’s
very important that your dog knows that you outrank him
in the pack order of the household. The idea of alpha status is something
that you need to be familiar with to maintain a healthy, functional
relationship with your dog.
It
might not sound kind from a human perspective, but your dog is much
happier when he knows that someone else is in charge of making all
the decisions.It
isn't really possible to have a good relationship with your dog if
he does not understand that you are in control -
he must know that he’s lower then you in the chain of command.Be The Boss!The
first step in dealing with your dog's disobedience is to reestablish
your dominance. Here are some tips to do so:
When leaving your house or car, make sure that you always leave
before your dog. This is unmistakably behavior of the alpha - to
a dog, the alpha always leaves first. If you let him exit the house
or car ahead of you, you are saying to him, "You’re stronger
than me and you should go first because you’re the decision-maker".
Inside doors aren’t as important, but every time you leave
the house or car to go outside, make sure that your dog waits for
you to go first, and until you release
him to go.
Make your dog wait for his food. You and your family should always
eat before him – if this means he has to wait an extra half
hour or so for his food, that is fine. When you put his food down
for him to eat, make him sit and wait until you release him to eat.
Try not to keep his feeding schedule the same, so he knows that
you are in charge of his food – don’t
let him form expectations of when he should get his food.
Don’t allow him free access to the whole house. The house
is your den and you’re letting him to be
inside. Keep certain parts of the house strictly for you, such as
your bed, certain furniture, or some certain rooms.
Never allow your dog to start and initiate play. If he nudges you
for attention or to play, he’s really saying: "I’m
the boss and I’m telling you to play with me right now."
If he starts bugging you for attention, ignore him and get up and
do something else. Wait until he gives up before initiating to play.
Playtime is an excellent way to bond with your dog, but it should
always be done on your terms, not his.
When you get home, don’t jet over to your dog and shower him
with affection. That is not alpha behavior at all. When an alpha
dog gets home, he doesn’t go to the other dogs and say, "I'm
Home ! I missed you guys! Let’s cuddle!". The alpha totally
ignores everyone else, relaxes for a little while, maybe has a bite
to eat, and only interacts with them when he’s good &
ready.
Even though you’re probably good & ready to interact
with your dog as soon as you get home, it will make more sense to
him if you ignore him for a little while when first getting home.Never
give your dog a command that you cannot immediately reinforce. Every
time your dog ignores your command, he’s learning that it
is both easier, and more fun to ignore you. Until your dog is completely
reliable with a command, he should be on a long line or retractable
leash so that you can enforce it if you need to.
Remember to use your voice to its best effect. When you praise your
dog it should be in a light, cheery,
and happy tone of voice. Try to smile too - it
makes a difference to your tone of voice, and most dogs will study
your face to make sense of your expressions. Wnen you correct your
dog it should be uttered in a stern, "brook-no-nonsense"
tone. You don’t need to yell, but your voice should be low
& authoritative.
When you are verbally interrupting your dog, it’s more effective
to shout, "OI!" or "Ah-ah-ah!" instead of saying,
“No”.
The sounds are more clear-cut, and you'll get
a better response from your dog.Never repeat a command. You should be training
with your dog on a leash or a long line. If he ignores you, he gets
a short, sharp tug on the leash to remind him that you are present,
and you are in charge. Repeating commands teach
him that he can ignore you, and to wait for the command to be repeated
before he obeys you. 5-15 minutes per day is a good amount of time for
training. Any more than this in one session and your dog can get
bored and his concentration will likely lapse.
If you want, you can move on to more advanced training and tricks,
but only once your dog’s got the basics down completely. Remember,
this is not something that you should feel like you have to do.
Another nice option is formal obedience training classes. They can
be a great way of socializing your dog since he gets to interact
with other dogs, and the owners of those dogs. It can also teach
your dog to concentrate on what you want even though there are distractions
taking place around him. It can also be very helpful to have face-to-face
contact with a trained professional - they can see any mistakes
you might be making, and give you advice for improving your dog training techniques.
