Dog A-Z > B > Behaviour problems > Training problems

Training problems

These include:
• Your dog appears to ignore your commands

Possible causes include:
• Under-training
• Using training techniques that are inconsistent or confusing for the dog
• Fear of punishment use during training
• Medical conditions - i.e. deafness

Example  - Why doesn't my dog do what I tell him to do?

One of the main reasons that dogs don't do what we tell them is because we haven't taken enough time to train them properly, or the training that has been given merely confuses them. Just because a dog happens to guess the correct response to a command once, doesn't mean that he understands the command properly or that he will get it right the next time. Without consistent repetitive training with positive rewards, giving the correct response can be a real hit or miss experience for your dog and can lead to him giving up.

If you have used punishment in training for incorrect responses -either physical or verbal - it can affect the way your dog acts when told to do something. If your dog feels threatened, he may 'freeze' or 'fool around' to try to avoid further punishment. If you get angry with him for doing this, he may then try even harder with these 'signals' and a vicious circle begins.

Dogs can also find it difficult to generalise in their learning. If you teach a dog to come on command perfectly in your home or in a training class, he will not automatically be able to take that training experience and apply it to another environment or place - so he won't necessarily come to you as well in the park.

So, what can you do?

• If you are having problems, go to a good training class for support and instruction on the best training techniques for your dog.

• Make training fun and non-threatening for your dog so that he is happy to do what you ask him.

• Training should always be based on positive rewards, be consistent and repeated until your dog really understands each command you train him to do. Make sure that you train the same command in different circumstances and environments so that he can learn to generalise. Make training a life-long part of owning your dog -he will forget commands if you do not use them enough in everyday life.

Further information/courses of action

• See a vet if you think your dog may be deaf and a trainer if you need help to get over particular training problems.

• Go to a good local training class. Contact the Association of Pet Dog Trainers for details of local classes.

• Perhaps try a different way of training such as clicker training, to see if this suits you both better.