Surprising reasons why your dog is not listening
Does it ever feel like all the effort you put into dog training isn’t paying off, and you’re taking a step back instead of moving forward?
Remember, dogs are living beings, just like us. Many factors can influence why your dog might not be responding as they usually do.
Here are some common reasons I encounter in my work as a holistic dog trainer (not sorted in a particular order):
1) Lack of Mental or Physical Exercise:
Sometimes dogs act out when they just have too much pent-up energy. From experience it`s rather unrealistic to expect a dog to sit still and “be good” after being penned up inside or in a kennel all day.
2) Hormones & Developmental Stages:
If your dog is a puppy or teenager (depending on their size and breed, this phase can last up to 24 months), they may go through a stage of testing boundaries. During this time, dogs are often less resilient to stress, which can manifest in their behavior.
Remember, this is completely normal—but it’s also a critical time to stay consistent and reinforce their training!
If you want to dive deeper into this topic check out this very thorough research article
3) Health Issues
This is such an underrated possible reason. Physical Pain has a huge influence on behavior. Dogs who suffer under chronic pain are - just like us humans - more irritable, tired, grumpy, and less likely to be motivated to work with us. Take this as a reminder to schedule your regular check-up in with your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health issues.
4) Overstimulation and Distraction
This is a big one: If your dog isn’t accustomed to busy environments and you've recently been taking them to more crowded places or exposing them to more stimuli, they may struggle to listen simply because they’re overwhelmed. In such cases, reducing distractions and increasing the rewards during training can help your dog focus and succeed in their exercises.
5) Inconsistent Training
Dogs need consistent practice to maintain their training, much like staying fit and healthy—there’s no such thing as "once and done." Make it a habit to revisit the basics for a refresher and train in short, regular sessions to keep progress steady.
Did you find any of these surprising? Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or want to find out why your dog won`t listen.
