02/07/2025
10 WAYS TO GET YOUR DOG TO LISTEN (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND OR YOUR VOICE)
An honest guide for dog owners and trainers who want better results and a stronger connection
Let’s be honest, getting your dog to respond consistently can sometimes feel like shouting into the void. You call their name, ask for a sit, cue a recall, and you’re met with… nothing. Not even a flick of an ear. And no, they’re not being deliberately “disobedient.” The truth is, if your dog isn’t listening, there’s always a reason, usually one that points back to us, not them.
This guide isn’t about gimmicks or one-size-fits-all solutions. It’s about shifting your mindset, upping your value, and understanding what your dog actually needs from you. So here are 10 practical, down-to-earth ways to help your dog become more responsive and to help you become the kind of human they want to listen to.
1. Talk Less, Move More
If your dog’s ignoring your words, it’s not because they’ve suddenly gone deaf, it’s more likely they’ve tuned you out. Dogs quickly learn that human chatter is often meaningless. “Sit, sit, sit, SIT, oh for goodness’ sake, SIT!” becomes just background noise.
Rather than rabbiting on, ask yourself:
• Do they actually understand what you’re asking?
• Are you cueing in a moment where they can reasonably respond, or are they over-threshold?
• Is your body language conflicting with your voice?
Sometimes a simple shift in your body position, walking away, or a purposeful hand gesture can cut through more clearly than any verbal command.
2. Play More – On Their Terms
Here’s a hard truth: you might not be as exciting to your dog as the squirrel, the fox poo, or the dog over the road. But the more you become the source of fun, the more they’ll choose you.
And no, playing only in the lounge doesn’t count. If you only ever engage with your dog indoors, don’t be shocked when they ignore you outdoors. Learn what kind of play your dog enjoys, tug, chase, search games and bring that energy to your walks.
Become their teammate, not their taxi driver.
3. Stop Nagging
Saying it louder, saying it again, and saying it with more frustration doesn’t suddenly make it clearer for your dog. Repetition without clarity just teaches them to ignore you faster.
If they didn’t respond the first time, repeating it won’t fix the problem, diagnosing it will.
Ask yourself:
• Was the environment too distracting?
• Have you overused the cue?
• Did you teach it properly in the first place?
Smart dogs aren’t being stubborn. And if the behaviour isn’t repeating, it likely wasn’t reinforced, or wasn’t taught in a way that made sense to the dog. That’s on us.
4. Drop the Grumpy Routine
Constant commands barked out like drill orders are more likely to cause shutdown than success. A dog responding out of fear or pressure might “obey” in the short term, but it won’t last, and it won’t feel good.
Respect doesn’t grow out of grumpiness. It grows from clarity, consistency, and connection. Dogs don’t follow miserable leaders, they follow engaging ones.
Tone down the scolding and focus on making it worth their while to respond.
5. Celebrate Small Wins
Your dog came back to you instead of chasing that pigeon? That’s a win. They chose to check in with you instead of barking at the dog across the park? Win.
To us, these moments may feel minor. But to your dog, they’re massive. Think of it like rewiring their instincts, something that takes time, reinforcement, and acknowledgement.
If they do something right, even halfway right, let them know. Praise, play, treat, engage. Build that behaviour like it’s gold, because it is.
6. Think Intonation, Not Vocabulary
Dogs aren’t linguists. They don’t care about the dictionary definition of “Come.” What they do care about is how you say it.
Be consistent with the tone and rhythm of your cues. If “Come here!” sounds like “Come heeeere?!” on Tuesday and “COOOOME HEEEERE!” on Thursday, don’t expect a consistent response.
The emotional energy behind your words matters more than the words themselves.
And if you’ve ever tried to understand someone from a different part of the UK, you’ll understand this perfectly. (Try deciphering a thick coastal Scots accent when you’re from Essex. You’ll get it.)
7. Manage First, Train Second
Letting a dog off lead before their recall is reliable and then complaining they don’t come back is like handing over your car keys to someone who’s never driven before and expecting them to merge onto the M25.
Use your lead, long line, or management tools while you’re building the skill.
Training happens in controlled conditions. Management prevents rehearsing the wrong behaviour. Get that the wrong way round and you’ll just keep repeating mistakes.
8. Train at Home, Then Take It on Tour
If your dog can’t do a behaviour in the living room, they won’t do it in the middle of a busy park. Start at home. Then the garden. Then the quiet field. Then the car park. Then the café.
Think of it like education:
• Home = primary school
• Garden = secondary school
• Quiet public area = college
• Busy area = university
• High-stakes environments = postgraduate
Stop throwing your dog into “exam conditions” before they’ve even passed Year 6.
9. Reinforce,? Don’t Just Reward
Not all rewards are created equal. Just because you think you’re rewarding your dog doesn’t mean they felt rewarded.
Would you clean a festival toilet for a fiver? Probably not. Now imagine your dog being asked to return from a high-speed chase for a dry biscuit. Not happening.
A true reinforcer is something your dog will work to earn again. It needs to be valuable to them, not just convenient to you. Know your dog’s hierarchy, whether it’s food, toys, praise, or freedom and use it wisely.
10. Let Them Be the Dog They Were Born to Be
You can’t bring a working dog into your home and expect them to be a Netflix-and-chill housemate without offering them anything to do.
Dogs have biological needs rooted in their breed’s history. Herding, chasing, scenting, retrieving, guarding, these aren’t faults, they’re features.
If you want a dog who listens to you, first give them an outlet for what they were designed to do. Find constructive ways to meet those needs through training, enrichment, structured play, and outlets that mimic their natural behaviours.
When needs are met, obedience becomes a by-product, not a battle.
Final Thoughts
If your dog isn’t listening, don’t assume they’re being wilfully defiant. Dogs do what works, what feels good, and what’s reinforced. Our job is to make sure that listening to us ticks all three of those boxes.
Responsiveness isn’t just about obedience. It’s about relationship, understanding, and communication. And when you get it right, the results speak for themselves.
The goal isn’t just to have a dog that obeys. It’s to have a dog that wants to.
www.k9manhuntscotland.co.uk
