Ever feel like your dog doesn’t listen to you? (Photo: Dachshund with one ear up and one ear down)
Does your dog race to your back door only if you have a treat?
Do they ignore your commands when they’re outside? Especially if they’ve found some yummy bunny poop?
Ever feel like your dog has no idea that you’re actually at the other end of the leash?
Here are three tips to help:
EYE CONTACT: You need to become relevant to your dog. You know the way you feel when your friend is on her cellphone and completely ignoring what you have to say even though you’re sitting right beside her? You’re not relevant to your friend in that moment. You don’t have her eye contact. It’s the same with dogs. Before you leave the house for your next walk, wait for your dog to look up at you. You are the gatekeeper to the outside world. Calmness and eye contact are the price of admission to a fun walk outdoors with you.
Be patient and wait for eye contact from your dog (Photo: Beagle giving perfect eye contact)
2. CONFIDENCE: Dogs require leadership. A coach. Someone they can trust to help them safely navigate the human world. Someone who pays attention during walks, is aware of traffic and other hazards, and will advocate for their safety. Put your phone down, tell yourself that you are awesome (because you are), pick up the leash and call your dog over. If they are jumping all over you, (that is disrespectful in the dog world) put the leash away and try again in a few minutes. It doesn’t take long to teach a dog that jumping on you is no longer tolerated.
3. CONSISTENCY: If you allow your dog to jump all over you on the couch, she will be confused when you don’t want her to jump on you while you put her leash on. The key is consistency. Be the leader at all times. You’re not her littermate, you’re her boss.
If you reward this behaviour, you will see more of this behaviour. (Photo: Shiba Inu being rewarded with a treat for putting her front paws up on a person’s legs)
Nothing worth doing is easy. It’s not easy to go to med school, but thank goodness people do it. It’s not easy running a marathon, but you could run one if you learned how, trained hard, and showed up. Helping your dog overcome her challenging behavioural issues isn’t easy, but showing up for her every day and trying your best is. Reading this blog post to learn more wasn’t that hard. You can do this.
And if you need a little help, find a behaviourist who understands how to coach dogs AND people across the finish line.
I am one of those people and I would love to help you and your dog find balance.
Alyssa
Photos by: Erda Estremera @erdaest (Dachshund with one ear up and one ear down,) Marliese Streefland
@marliesebrandsma (Beagle giving perfect eye contact,) billow926
@billow926 (Shiba Inu being rewarded with a treat for putting her paws on a person’s legs,)