The reasons your dog may not be listening might be medical in nature, but most often, if your dog will not come to you or ignores you completely, it is because of a training or a behavioral issue. Once you feel you have ruled out potential illness, training and conditioning your dog will improve his recall ability.
The reasons for this are numerous, ranging from just an age related phase, not adequate training, fear, or just simple distraction issues. The first step a frustrated owner should take is to try to assess WHY their dog is not taking a command, as the solution differs for each reason.
When a dog is feeling rejected or unloved, they will try to do everything in their power to make up for it. If they find that nothing is working, there is a good chance that they will become depressed and feel down. When this happens, they will begin to tuck their tail in between their legs.
Some reasons dogs don't come when called include distraction, confusion, or fear. Gradual training and positivity are ways to help build a reliable recall so your dog will come when called.
There is nothing wrong with using the word “no” properly when training your dog. “No” should be said calmly and should mean, “That is not a behavior that I want.” “No” can also be a “no reward marker.” It can just mean that the dog will not get a reward for that behavior.
Dogs can get depression, and it's most often caused by big changes, such as the loss of a significant human or an environmental change (such as a move). Depressed dogs may show symptoms such as a lack of interest in activities, loss of appetite, increased irritability, and unusually clingy or needy behavior.
Whether it's hitting, tapping, or bopping a dog on the nose as means of discipline, this aversive technique still falls short of the success found with using reward-based or positive training. Contemporary experts urge against all uses of physical discipline.
Methods such as alpha rolls and physical corrections (via the leash and a choke chain or by smacking the dog on the nose or by shaking their scruffs) were often recommended as a way for humans to establish dominance over their dogs.
Dog language is visual. They communicate volumes with their posture, their tails, their eyes, and their ears. For this reason, their first instinct when trying to figure out what we want is to watch us; not to listen to us. Our constant talking is just noise to them.
Sometimes, their response is to not respond at all. Dogs that don't listen aren't necessarily defiant, disobedient, or dumb. They might be choosing not to listen to you on purpose, but they also might not know what you want from them. Either way, having a dog that doesn't listen is always frustrating.
If an owner rewards the behavior, purposely or accidentally, the undesirable behavior will continue to linger. Even if the owner ignores her dogs 10 times, but screams “no” once, the behavior won't go away. To truly extinguish a behavior, it must be ignored each and every time.
We think the phrase should be dropped, and not just because the words are often uttered with anger, which does nothing to help a dog calm down so he can learn a new way to behave. It's also that dogs are very good at being dogs. They're not bad at it at all.
However, experts have explained why you shouldn't shout at your dog, and that shouting can actually do more harm then good when trying to teach your pup to be well behaved. In fact, not only is it likely to make them naughtier, it can even lead to even stress and depression.
Health issues that can change your dog's behavior include arthritis, hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, sore teeth, thyroid problems, epilepsy/seizures, ear infections, digestive issues, skin or environmental allergies, yeast infections, hearing loss, eyesight loss, and cancer.
Little or negative socialization
You might find your dog become aggressive, shy, or fearful around other humans or animals. Lack of socialization may even cause depression spells. You may witness your dog develop irregular sleeping and eating patterns, or it may refuse to play.
Dogs are capable of feeling lonely, and as they are a social species this is a very valid concern for owners. Although the ideal situation would be a fellow doggy to keep them happy, there are lots of other ways to keep them calm and content!
Keep in mind that just like humans, dogs are social beings that need love, care and affection. If you're always leaving your dog alone, failing to spend quality time with them or pushing them away, there's a good chance you're hurting your dog's feelings.
Experts agree that dogs get lonely when they spend much of their time alone because they are pack animals.