http://www.yourdog.co.uk 15I
f there is one owner gripe that comes
up again and again, it’s the fact that
their dog will not ‘listen’ to them, or
generally goes ‘deaf’ when they ask him
to do something.
It can also be a source of immense
emotional frustration among owners, as
they imagine their dogs are making some
deliberate choice to ignore them, or engage
in a dei ant battle of wills.
At the heart of all this owner grief,
however, often lies a wider misunderstanding
of how dogs’ brains work, how and why
they learn to behave in dif erent ways,
and what is necessary — through training
and motivation — to make any dog more
responsive to you. In this new series, I will
be looking at this important issue in far
more depth.
Let’s begin by exploring exactly what it is
that makes any dog more or less responsive
to an owner’s commands or requests. There
can be many dif erent factors involved; see
‘Dogs and the science of compliance’ (right).
Next month, we will be looking at specii c
exercises and training you can do with your
dog to improve his levels of cooperationDOGS AND THE SCIENCE
OF COMPLIANCE
Often better and more appropriate training is the key for a dog who is
less responsive towards you and your commands, especially when you
are out and there is so much else competing for his attention.
However genetics can also play a part, with many dogs i nding it far
harder to remain owner focused, when faced with other deeper urges
to do things, like hunt or chase things or see of some potential threat,
especially when these instincts will have been deliberately heightened
in them through selective breeding.
This apart, dogs can also dif er greatly in the level of psychological
dependence they will build up in an owner. The more independent
a dog in his mindset, the less important he may i nd it to keep closer
to an owner, or keep securing their ongoing approval, whereas with
more psychologically dependent dogs the reverse is true, giving
the impression that they are somehow more naturally obedient as
opposed to just dif erently wired.
Rescue dogs who have had mostly negative past experiences of
humans may also need far longer to re-establish trust in them before
better focus and cooperation training can begin. So, when looking for
reasons why your dog may be less responsive, it is important to bear
all these factors in mind.When out with your dog, remember you
will be competing for his attention with
many other strong canine instincts.▼Attention spans in dogs can vary from only
seconds to 15 minutes plus, depending on
many dif erent factors including genes, age,
and quality of training.DID YOU KNOW?More independent dogs
may be more inclined to
do their own thing.“Often better and more appropriate training is the key...”