04/02/2025
I just posted a new blog detailing the main reasons a dog might not be doing what you ask them to.
In an attempt to keep things simple for my clients, I break down training information this way. “There are 3 reasons why a dog is not responding they way you want them to”
In the pet training world, I believe #1 is the most common reason. Most people believe their dog understands their request or expectation, but in reality, they don't.
For example: A typical situation would be a pet owner wanting help for a dog that jumps on the door or on guests that show up at the door. When a trainer suggests that obedience training will help resolve the problem, the reply “He already knows Sit” is a common response.
What many people don’t understand is that dogs learn things in context. For lack of a better description, consider learning in context as capturing “photographs” in the mind. So while a dog has learned and retained the “photo” that Sit = putting their butt down when in the kitchen when the treat jar is nearby, they haven’t learned that it also applies when someone new shows up or there is the excitement of a knock at the door. That is a whole other picture that we have to show the dog.
Good training involves many repetitions of Sit done successfully in many situations, ie. Capturing lots of photos of that behavior in lots of environments and circumstances.
The second reason comes along as you work your way down that long list of photos you need to help the dog capture.
And the third reason…well, that is the one that can get tricky and is often overlooked. When you’ve done the work, you know the dog understands and is generally well mannered and compliant, but there is just that “one thing”…that’s when you might want to start looking for potential underlying health issues.
If you want more in depth detail check out the blog by clicking this link.
https://robinmacfarlane.com/is-your-dog-stubborn-or-is-it-something-else/
