Are you able to sneak to the kitchen and help yourself to a tasty snack without the dog finding out? Me neither. When you ask your dog to do something but they ignore you, don’t repeat your command right away – they probably heard you the first time.
When you repeat your command you are teaching your dog that the first time you asked them to do something, it was optional. If you ask your dog to sit three times in a row but they only sit on the third attempt, you are teaching your dog that they are free to ignore you the first two times. Owners who find themselves asking their dog to sit over and over soon find themselves asking four, five, six times in a row or more. The command is supposed to be a crystal clear, “sit” – not some variation of, “sit… sit… sit… please sit… will you sit… sit for me… sit down”.
When you give a command, say it once.
If you’ve followed the 70% rule there is a good chance you’ll have success on the first attempt. If you can use your dog’s name to get their attention before giving the command, the chance of success is even higher. While training, you want to give your dog the best possible chance of success so that you can teach your dog to respond instantly to a single, simple, clear command.
But my dog ignored me – what should I do?
The first thing you should do is stay calm. Don’t be annoyed. Maybe you have a young dog who knows what ‘sit’ means when you’re at home, but is now in an unfamiliar setting with other dogs in the distance and trees blowing in the wind. In these unfamiliar and distracting surroundings, your dog may not realise that ‘sit’ means the same thing it does back home and must be obeyed everywhere and at any time.
Maybe your dog should know better, but they might have something more entertaining or interesting to focus on instead. Dogs will usually do whatever is most fun, and that’s just one reason why we love them so much. You’ll need to figure out how to be more interesting than whatever it is that’s distracting your dog.
Why your dog ignored you doesn’t really matter. Approach your dog calmly but swiftly and put them on a lead. If your dog moved from the spot they were on when they ignored you, take them back there. When your dog is in the right spot, get their attention. Ask your dog to sit. Praise your dog for obeying. If your dog ignored the ‘sit’, you’ve now successfully corrected your dog. Still not working? You might need to call it a day and try again tomorrow, make things easier for a while, or go back to the teaching phase – remember to teach first, practice second.
If your dog ignored a recall, heel or fetch command, decide if you’d like to give them another opportunity to try again (use the 70% rule) – try walking away from your dog so you can recall them, set off walking and encourage your dog to come with you, or take your dog’s lead off to send them to fetch something. If they succeed the second time around, you’ve successfully corrected your dog.
If you think your dog is unlikely to pay attention the second time, that’s okay. Go back to training in more familiar and less distracting surroundings for a while.
Correcting your dog after they ignore you is all about reminding your dog that doing the right thing leads to rewards. However disappointed or frustrated you might feel when your dog has ignored you, look for the opportunity to show your dog that you are pleased whenever they do the right thing. Grit your teeth and tell your dog how wonderful they are whenever they get something right, even if they’ve driven you around the bend and up the wall first.
Wyre Walkies 