This is the single most frequent request I get from readers: “How can I get my dog to listen?”
Sometimes it arrives in the form of “My dog doesn’t listen to me,” “He never listens,” “You’d think he was deaf!” and so on.
But in every case it’s the owner complaining about her dog’s fault.
How about turning that around????
How about looking at what you’re doing first, then look at what your dog is or isn’t doing in response?
You actually have to teach them first!
I find that folk arrive with me, complaining that their dog doesn’t listen, then they’re surprised when I ask them how they have taught their dog to listen.
They haven’t, of course. They expect the dog to arrive with Listening-to-Owner installed. They don’t realise they have to make it worth their dog’s while to listen to them - every time!
We spend a lot of time with our friends, family, even a prospective spouse, teaching them how to listen. We all want to be heard. And there are different levels of listening. We want the very best!
Your dog is the same! He needs to learn that listening to you is good, listening to you is worth his while, listening to you always results in good things.
And there’s a very real danger that if you don’t teach him what you like, then he’ll teach you what he likes!
In every relationship, one person is shaping the other. Sometimes it gets horribly one-sided, like in an oppressive marriage, or an unequal friendship. But that isn’t necessary. A little careful groundwork can start a relationship off right. True choice in a relationship comes when both parties can express themselves fully..
And that’s what we want with our dogs too.
We want a companion dog who enjoys our company, chooses to hang out with us, is alert to our needs, and eager to please. Note that this doesn’t imply slavery, grovelling, or self-abasement! We want an honest relationship with our dog, the same as with everyone else.
I know the frustration your dog’s apparent ignoring can cause - when you do your best to do what you’ve been told in training your dog - only to find it doesn’t work. It causes the opposite of what you want! Antagonism, distrust, loss of love.
There is a better way. A way which works.
And, importantly, a way which does not involve any force, coercion, or intimidation. The same way as you choose to treat your family and friends.
I love my dog, but he just doesn’t listen!
Would this be you? Have you got a dog who simply doesn’t listen to you? Well, you’re in luck! I’ve just made a new training workshop with exactly you in mind!
You can find it here - it’s free, by the way, as is so much that I give you.
Why do I give so much away for nothing? Some suspicious people even say “What’s the catch?”!
Well, there are two reasons:
1. I am passionate about changing the lives of dogs, and this means changing how their owners are with them. Getting these folk to dip their toe in the water of Choice Training is a great start!
and
2. I know that a number of those people I help will want more - they’ll want to work with me in person, through one of my programs. Hooray! Now I get to help them in depth! That’s the fullest expression of my passion to help dogs be understood.
Understanding leads to harmony.
As Carol, one of those students, put it just recently,
“I’m amazed at how much me and my dog have changed, and what we’ve now become. A proper team.”
Don’t lose another minute!
Register for this free Workshop here and get stuck in! You’ll come away with solid strategies you can put into practice TODAY, to change things in your life with your dog, remove that conflict and frustration, and build an unbreakable bond.
Start the change with your puppy or dog with our free Workshop packed with ideas and strategies -
all force-free!
