Current animal training and behavior knowledge tells us that when a dog "misbehaves" it is often because she didn't really understand what was expected of her.
There are other reasons for non-compliance, such as a highly distracting environment, competing desires, learned irrelevance, lack of motivation, or fear. But lack of training is the most common reason for dogs not following instruction. Often we expect too much of dogs without teaching them thoroughly, with clear communication and consequences for their behavior.
We may think our dogs are trained because they perform some of the time, or in certain situations, but chances are if your dog isn't following your requests you are not being clear enough, you haven't proofed or generalized the cue, or perhaps you haven't successfully taught the
relevance of your requests.
The good news is with a little forethought and practice you can teach your dog to work with amazing precision!
Watch this video of a Beagle responding to verbal instruction to see what can be accomplished with the right motivation at both ends of the leash.
Teaching your dog to perform stationary position changes
at a distance is a good place to start the process of attaining crystal clear communication.
