He's too smart....

[nevikrmsw]

So, with starting the new job and playing three shows a week, i haven't been as up on Levi's training as i should have been (have started back like i should be). but we have run into a problem im not sure how to fix. He still listens to me but im the only one. My sister lives with us now and neither her or my gf (the two of them together barely break 200lbs) can get him to listen at all. He's 11m old and pushin 100lbs and he knows he's too powerful for them. How to i get him to listen to them better? Right now im the only one who can walk him or play with him and it really bothers them.

 

[srennie]

You need to make them more important in his world. If they take turns feeding him that will help. The one who controls the food is often given more respect. They shoudl also be participating in his training and doing it when you aren't around. If you are there he might be feeling like he doesn't have to listen to them because his 'boss' (you) are right there and you aren't telling him. They need to not be nervous or excited while doing training...the fewer, calmly spoken commands with an immediate reward/treat is best. I rarely speak words to my dogs and communicate with a lot of hand signals and finger snaps. The book "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell is a great book that talks about how we confuse our dogs with too many words. Since they don't understand english, all of that talking we tend to do just totally confuses them.

 

[Gatorblu]

Sometimes my dogs won't listen to me because of the pitch of my voice. I can sound like a kid. (I honestly had someone call selling something and asked if my mother was home, I was in my mid-30's at the time.) Sometimes I have to consciously lower my pitch and give the command. I don't know if it'll help, but I thought I would throw it out there. We also use a lot of hand signals for commands, and sometimes they only follow a command if I do both, hand signal and verbal.

 

[nevikrmsw]

Well im sorta having to take over the whole feeding thing because my gf refuses to stick to a schedule she wants to leave his bowl full all the time and free feed him. He listens to me very well but she will tell him to sit and he'll look at me as if to say " does dad want me to sit?" and if i don't tell him to he won't it's kinda funny but i really need to fix it and they don't wanna put in any effort they just want me to fix it.... lucky me

 

[Gatorblu]

they don't wanna put in any effort they just want me to fix it.... lucky me

You can't get the dog's respect if you don't earn it. It's that simple. Your pup is still young and has a lot of growing to do. If they don't think they can control him now, what do they think is going to happen in the future? Maybe you can sign your sister and gf up with the dog for an obedience class. That way they all can learn.

 

[samsons]

not sure if this helps , since gf doesn't really wanna work at it, BUT sam will do anything I say , about , ummm .. jack ... for other ppl. since i am training him for therapy work he HAS to listen to other ppl also. so here is what i did....

when doing a short training session , i would get him warmed up on commands ( what ever we are working on ) and then have another person do the same commands. I would just turn my back - so i was there, but he couldnt " look to me " to see if he had to do it . it has really helped with him listening to other ppl, whether i M round or not.


good luck ~ but JMO if they dont get on bored and help with feeding & training , i feel you wont get to far on him respecting them as much as he does you. especially since he already know he can kinda do his own thing around them, so now its a option to listen.

good luck & keep us posted !

 

[whiskers]

I think the only way is to get more people involved with his training. It doesn't even have to be them specifically, if they don't want to and you know other people who wouldn't mind helping out. Dogs just don't generalize well. It's the same reason why we have to teach them to sit in the living room, the backyard, and at the park--they need to learn that it means the same thing no matter where they are. Similarly, they need to learn that it means the same thing, no matter WHO is saying it.

Juno used to be the same way. Someone else would give her a command and she'd look at me like she wanted to know what I thought about that. But I can't be around all the time, and I might not take her with me when I move out, so she has to be able to take direction from the rest of my family. It doesn't take much effort, she only needed to be rewarded by other people a couple times before she realized that it pays off to listen to them just as much as it does to listen to me.