All of a sudden my dog getting a little jerky when he meets people (men). He’ll bark and growl and people are afraid. This is new. What can I do to curb this?

Listen to him and help him walk away as his main solution. Dogs who know they can remove themselves from an uncomfortable situation will not hesitate to do that, but when they can’t or feel like they can’t, their bark and growl is the hope that others will remove themselves instead.

Practice walking near men (at whatever distance your dog is comfortable with) that won’t care or expect an interaction and then walk away, mark and reward.

Your dog will want to learn that men = space, time and absolutely no pressure. Unfortunately I know most people might think that they’re good with every dog and that every dog should just be comfortable with them.

But just…

Why is it hard to teach a dog to come?

It’s not about whether it’s easy or hard to teach recall, but rather it’s about why the dog feels the need to not come when called.

And really it’s no different than calling someone on the phone. Your best friend will always answer. Someone who isn’t close to you.. likely won’t. Recall works the exact same way. It’s all about the bond and the relationship you have, as well as the environments that have tested just that.

If your dog feels heard, understood and their enrichment needs are met (mental, physical and social), they will associate you and your recall with positive feelings too.

From then on, it’s about the types of environments you practice recall in. Some are easier on us and our dogs than others. No different than how your best friend is less likely to answer your…

How do you train your pups to listen? 75% of the time our dog doesn’t listen.

We’ve recently moved house, she’s gotten of her lead & ran out the front door and doesn’t listen to me when I call her name.

“Disobedience is a demand for change.”

I think the question I would ask instead is why my dog is choosing to not follow my guidance. And usually to answer that I will start with looking at what you and your dog do together to make it so your dog listening to you is something that pays off to them more than anything else.

Think of the #1 relationship you have in your life. With someone with whom you would always pickup the phone when they called. If you think about it, they didn’t train you to be that way.. but rather the time and experiences you share together got…