Did you know dogs don’t understand English?
Humans talk a lot and we often see frustration from owners when their dog fails to respond to their command.
Phrases such as “he’s stubborn” or “he’s disobedient” or trying to be “dominant get thrown around to describe a reason for their failure to respond.
We also see what I call “the English man abroad” reaction where we say our command and then when the dog fails to respond we say it again and again louder and louder.
Imagine if you had been ripped away from your mum and siblings and placed with a family who spoke an entirely different language to yours, how scary and confusing would it be if they suddenly started randomly shouting at you.
Dogs will only understand words or commands if you link the word together with a behaviour. Effective communication is the key to understanding.
It is our jobs as humans to teach a behaviour with patience, kindness and respect and then link a word to that behaviour. This link then needs to be repeated and repeated to build a strong connection. We also need to repeat the connection in lots of different environments and with gradually increasing distractions.
If the dog fails to respond it could be that we haven’t taught it as well as we thought we had or it could be they can’t hear us because they are focused or busy with something else for example sniffing or watching a bird.
Always make sure that your dog is focused on you before you ask him to do something, this is no different than when people talk to you while you are watching the tv, reading a book or talking to someone else.
Approach your training with compassion and patience for your dogs understanding.
If you need help with your training contact Kate@starpawformers.co.uk for more information.
