Hello everyone! Today's blog is all about obedience - or is it obedience? We will be talking all about how to identify how your dog might be listening - and what it means for your relationship!
When dogs are given a command they know very well, they make a choice. Within a split second, they identify the word you said, apply it to their active situation, calculate what exactly you want, how it should be done, and decide whether or not they're going to do it - all of which is dependent on how you taught the word, if they have been given that word in this situation, whether or not they trust you, respect you, or understand you, and how you said the word. It seems all very complicated, and to the dog, it is. Dogs are exact - a certain tone will mean "If you like", where another will mean business, and another will mean "my human is unstable, ignore, or confront this." But, depending on how they react, it communicates something completely different.
Listening
For the sake of this blog, we are just going to call this listening - in the long winded sense, we are referring to obedience because they want to please you. When a dog is truly listening, they will look at you like the whole world has vanished away. They will be happy, relaxed, quiet, and often will perform the behaviour before you get the whole command from your mouth, and it doesn't matter if you have a reward - they're doing it because they love you. Everyone likes to think their dog is in this category; unless your dog resembles Michael Ellis and his dog Pi (seen below), all the time, your dog is not an active listener type. Looking at your dog through rose-colored glasses, whether you are a life-long owner, active professional trainer, or a first time owner, will not do your dog any favors. If your dog looks like this all the time, congratulations, your dog is well trained!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qaodSBuSIM
Obeying
Obedience itself is a lofty goal for some owners - but this trait is marked by a dog performing a behaviour after a few seconds, either because they know they have no actual choice, or because they know the outcome will be worse if they don't. Either way, it is not happening out of respect, but it is happening in a way that is not harming your relationship - but it won't build it, either. A dog that is simply obeying is usually lazy-looking, slow to respond, or takes a few moments to complete it. Sometimes you may need to repeat yourself, or make sure they're paying attention. You can refine obedience into a listening skill by making it more exciting to listen.
Complying
When a dog is doing as you ask out of compliance, these are dogs that won't listen if you don't have a toy, treat, or specific tool, like a special collar you train them in, or a certain place in the community. Compliance occurs when a dog doesn't care about listening, they just want what you have enough to indignify themselves to obey. A dog that is complying is tense, anxious, or an unhealthy kind of excited, often whines or barks, as if to usher on their reward. These dogs won't look you in the eye, or if they do, it's because they think it will get them their treat, and often break eye contact once they realize it isn't working. When there isn't the reward or tool present, they might take being told 6 or 7 times before listening - and its time you contact a trainer for help. A dog that is complying won't listen when it really matters - like in a fight, in a self-rewarding behaviour, or if they are running across a street. Compliance is not obedience, and it signifies that your dog thinks they are in control of YOU. There is likely a damaged relationship, or a relationship that isn't build yet. This doesn't mean you've done something wrong; it just means you need to change up what you're doing.
Manipulating
When a dog believes without a shadow of a doubt that they control their humans, they will manipulate you to get what they want - such as repeated barking, begging, or nipping. Dogs that use unwanted behaviours, seemingly to get a response from you, is doing so to either gain something, or stop something. For instance, a manipulating dog might nip at you or your heels if you get too close to their toys or food; they might charge at the front door and bark, even if you tell them no; they might bark repeatedly at you to get you to appear in front of them; they might ignore you when you give then a command, or halfway do it, and look away; they might only perform for you very rarely when they believe there is something beneficial for them in it, or, they might perform the wrong behaviour on purpose to assert their dominance. In any case, your dog needs a trainer intervention before they hurt themselves, or someone else.
Just Plain Ignoring You
If you can shout, scream, do jumping jacks, bribe, or otherwise try anything to get your dog to listen and they won't, either they don't know what you want, or they're just ignoring you. Classic ignoring behaviour happens when a human is not consistent, doesn't follow through, or doesn't expect anything of their pets. A dog that ignores might look away, pretend you're not there; they might just look at you, pretending they didn't hear you, or look at you with that dumb face expression, and you might buy it or are too busy to follow through. For instance, take a family that does not allow the dog in the dining room might tell the dog "Out", and stop paying attention once the dog looks like it's walking away, but the dog darts under the table and starts hoovering the food, or when you tell them to sit, they walk away and flop over. This is indicative of a dog that knows exactly what is expected, but either doesn't care what you want, or knows the command is optional. An ignoring dog will often keep the behaviour going, such as nuisance barking, licking themselves when told to stop, running around the home, or otherwise doing as they please; they will play dumb, or not complete a behaviour. If this is happening, something between your communication and the dog's reception of it has gone wrong, and basic training needs to reboot - as if they are an 8 week old puppy. Back to basics, and it's time to call the trainer.
Warning Signs
When none of these match, there are a few situations where the issue may not be behavioural. If your dog doesn't respond to you at all, if they appear listless, unresponsive, drooling more than normal, glassy eyed, or is very hot to the touch behind the ears in the folds of the neck, take them to a pet emergency immediately.
If your dog is about to bite, they will get quiet, and low. They will not be growling, or circling. If your dog is about to bite, stop what you are doing immediately, and if you can, move to safety and call a trainer immediately.
Hope everyone has a great week!
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