Tuesday, April 21, 2015

5 reasons your puppy may not be listening

 

  1. They can’t hear your words over your emotions: When we let irritation or anger get the best of us and drive us to yell or use words or tone that is aggressive, we shut down the parts of our dog’s brain that helps them to listen, learn and cooperate.

 

  Solution: Learn and practice calming yourself and managing your emotions and responses: Identify personal coping and calming skills that help you to manage your emotions and responses. Designate a time every day to ponder and practice these skills so that you can use them when you need them most. Daily relaxation and meditation can be helpful. It can also help to plan ahead of time simple words or phrases you can use when you are upset. Realize your dog is not plotting your demise...  he is simply doing what works... are you?

 

  2. They know you’ll remind them when it’s actually important: Most people call this nagging. Even though no one likes to be nagged, when we are told multiple times to do something, we start to learn that the first request is not important. Unconsciously we make those requests low on the priority list because we know that we can ignore it without any real consequence until it is actually important

 

  Solution: Only tell them once. Set appropriate limits or boundaries to their play and movement.  If your dog knows a behavior... ask it once, then wait.  Don’t ask for sit, sit... sssiiiiit.

 

  3. They are preoccupied and busy with something else: I know one of the most difficult times to get my dogs to listen is when they are playing with their canine buddies, relaxing in their bed or chewing on their Nyla bone.. The thing that helps me empathize with my dogs on this one is that I experience the same thing regularly. When I am working, I can become pretty absorbed in the process. If someone asks me to do something else while I am in the middle of a thought, chances are it will not happen right away. There’s even a good chance that I may not verbally or non-verbally respond to them. This is not because I don’t care about what they are saying or even that I don’t intend on fulfilling the request, but I have already set my intention and priorities on my present task. Simply shifting gears before having some completion or closure is difficult. I know that my dogs feel the same way about their friends. When my pups are engrossed in play and don’t hear my request, it’s not because they are ignoring me. Chances are it’s because they are engaged in something else.

 

  Solution: Move toward, touch, make eye contact, speak kindly and calmly, and respect their current engagement: When we are immersed in something, shifting attention can require respect, patience and more than just words. We often bark out orders while our dogs are engaged in something else. In order to increase listening and make sure we are heard, move toward them, give them a gentle touch on the shoulder to get attention and make eye contact, use a food or toy lure or even body block their distraction. When you have their attention, ask for the cue. (sit, down, wait etc.)  As your pup gains focus and impulse control, you can increase the distractions. Ask yourself "Have I been practicing enough?

Am I asking for the behavior this time the same way I did last time, and the time before that?" We all get busy and slack off on practicing for practice's sake, and then get frustrated when we don't get the behavior we want. If puppy doesn't sit at the video store, it is because I haven't practiced enough in general, or in places that are not my living room.

 

  4. They need more control: Puppies don’t like to be controlled or restrained. Pups will go to great lengths to assert their independent personal ability to control themselves. Pups in general will do some absurd things at times in the name of non-conformity simply to say, no. You can’t tell me what to do!

 

  Solution: Increase your influence through kindness and giving them as much control as they can handle: Give them choices and problem solve WITH them. With young pups, it can be helpful to give them small choices and limit the choices to 2 options. At bedtime rather than simply saying, go to your crate! Reward them for going to their crate with a stuffed Kong.  As the behavior is learned, you may choose to fade the reward, but for now we want them to make the decision to do the best thing because it creates the best reward.

 

  5. They are overwhelmed and over stimulated: Sometimes we use too many words and give too many directions back to back. If someone attempted to give you directions to a place you have never been in a totally unfamiliar foreign language, you might simply tune them out and seek your own solution. Similarly, dogs need us to speak their language and speak to them in digestible pieces.

 

  Solution: Give them smaller, bite size pieces and learn proper canine body language: When giving instructions don’t overload them. Simple one word cues like sit and down are more helpful then, “Come here, go to your bed”

 

  There really are some pretty good reasons our puppies might not be listening. They are the same reasons that we sometimes don’t listen, hear or do what others ask of us. When we understand the reasons, we can bridge the gap and increase respectful listening and cooperation between us and our pups.

 
Tails-A-Wagging