4 Strategies to Try When Your Dog Refuses to Listen

As a man’s best friend, you would expect that dogs would be hanging on to your every word.

However, there are many dogs out there that just won’t listen to their owners. It can get pretty problematic especially when you are trying to teach him a new skill or are concerned about his safety.

Well-meaning people will have a tip or two for you to try, but only something tried and tested will result in changes when it comes to these areas.

When safety is a concern, here are some strategies that you can apply for those times when your dog just simply refuses to listen to you.

Do you want your dog to be calm and listen to you all the time? CLICK HERE to watch this FREE Step-by-Step Video from Doggy Dan’s Program!

Before Everything Else

Before you eagerly await some sort of magical tip or trick that will suddenly make your dog stand at attention, heed this first bit of advice – and that is to try again.

If you have been training him or he has been to training classes, a refusal to listen will usually mean that there is a breakdown that happened when it comes to the training methodology.

That is something that can be pretty challenging to spot. Try to call him again several times because he might just be being a bit goofy and preoccupied with something. And if he still doesn’t listen then proceed reading to the next steps to take!

1. Employ the use of a leash.

The very first thing that you need to whip out when your dog is refusing to listen to you is a leash. Leash your dog when you are out. Leash him at all the times that he will be in any area that is not fenced in, and most especially if he does not listen to you.

Any dog who has been trained well can easily be called back even after he has chased or investigated something.

But when it comes to a dog that just plain doesn’t listen, putting him on a leash at all times will guarantee the prevention of any dangerous situation he might have put himself into.

2. Put up a fence in certain parts of your home.

When you have a dog that refuses to listen to you, the next thing that you can do in order to avoid worrying about him running off when taken outside is to fence the part of your home where you will frequently release him for his daily exercise and outdoor time.

A fence in the yard means your dog can freely run around to expend his energy without requiring that you put on your rubber shoes and jog after him. This is because the area that he will be zooming here and there in is completely protected with the fence.

A note on fences, though: Please always ensure that the gate is kept secure at all times to keep your dog from accidentally opening it and running off. And make sure that the gate and fence is high enough to keep him inside.

A good option is a six-foot privacy fence for larger dogs, if you have big ones.

A privacy fence is ideal because it keeps him from getting crazy about what is on the other side of the fence. Thereby preventing incidents of him attempting to jump over it in order to chase what it is that he has spotted.

3. Dog proof all your things.

As a responsible dog owner, this is something that you probably ought to be doing anyway. With some dogs, it might not be a necessity. But with dogs that do not know how to listen, it is highly important that you take this extra step.

When a dog does not listen to its master, it will be in danger of eating or ingesting something that has caught his attention. And it could be dangerous to his health.

Sure, things like your dog swiping a burger off the table might seem like a minor annoyance that’s otherwise harmless.

But things would be very different if the situation were such that your dog somehow makes its way into a cabinet filled with cleaning equipment and harsh chemicals.

When you dog proof all your things, make sure you first prioritize the equipment and resources in your home that are hazardous to his health.

4. Keep trying.

Already mentioned before, continuing to try making your dog listen to you is what good dog training is all about.

This is very true even with the most stubborn dog. Look back on your training methods and re-evaluate the ones that you have learned about or taught.

Were you able to exhaust all strategies in that training method? Were you able to follow all the steps as instructed?

Are you still looking for your dog’s “currency”, or that one thing that you know will make him obey you once he sees you taking it out (ex. a favorite toy, treat, etc.)

Might there be something in the training method that you could adjust to better cater to the needs of your dog? All of these are very important questions that you need to answer and think about in order to help your dog learn how to listen and obey.

In training a dog that does not yet know how to listen, it is best that you ensure safety measures first before anything else.

While you would want your dog to go through the training process in the soonest possible time, you first need to ensure that its immediate surroundings are safe for anything that might happen.

There is no telling whether or not your dog will suddenly bolt off in the middle of training and make its way towards something dangerous.

So having peace of mind will be easier to ensure when you know that no matter where it goes or what it does, it will always be safe.

Over time, it will eventually learn how to listen because that will also come with its growing maturity. But for now, these tips will surely be helpful for the time being!

Do you want your dog to be calm and listen to you all the time? CLICK HERE to watch this FREE Step-by-Step Video from Doggy Dan’s Program!

Please leave a comment below or let me know any questions you have. I’d love to hear what you think!