# Why Dogs Don't Comply



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Here's an interesting list of the poor excuses we use when our dogs don't comply. by Jean Donaldson

Top ten Non-Compliance Excuses for Undertrained and Undermotivated Dogs
1.Dominance play by dog (or it's watered-down version- dog in need of more "leadership") 
2.Dog spiteful because of some recent event 
3.Dog stubborn (i.e. disobedience "on principle") 
4.Dog too excited or distracted; 
5.Dog tired, bored, or in wrong mood 
6.Dog overtrained (!) and so bored with responding 
7.Particular breed-related difficulty 
8.Dog underexercised 
9.Dog recently boarded/other disruption in routine 
10.Life-phase-related difficulty (too young or too old)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> Here's an interesting list of the poor excuses we use when our dogs don't comply. by Jean Donaldson
> 
> Top ten Non-Compliance Excuses for Undertrained and Undermotivated Dogs
> 1.Dominance play by dog (or it's watered-down version- dog in need of more "leadership")
> ...


Well, I don't buy some of the things on this list, and NONE of them should be used as "excuses" for poor behavior. But OTOH, some of them CAN be explanations of WHY something is harder for a specific dog at a specific time. For instance:

4. A dog CAN be too excited or distracted to learn well in that moment. But that means you need to work on exercises to calm him and get better attention, or work in a less distracting area until he's ready to handle more.

5. Dogs have "off days" just like people do. They aren't machines. If your dog is having an off day, find something simpler to work on for just a few minutes, even if it's just a good sit on command, reward the dog and end the training session. Puppies, in particular, really DO get tired... they are babies.

6. While I don't think a dog can be "over-trained" they CAN be "over drilled" to the point of frustration and non-compliance.

7. Certain breeds do have a predisposition to have and easier or harder time with certain tasks. Watch someone cheer-leading their phlegmatic Great Dane around a Rally course, or doing expecting their Border Collie to be a lap dog. It doesn't mean that you can't TRAIN these dogs to be good citizens, but you have to keep their innate character in mind as you train.

We have a lady at our training center with 12 sled dogs. (yes, she mushes) she brings every one of those dogs (not all at once!!!<g>) to Rally practices. She is well aware of their prey drive and closer-to-wild temperaments. She is EXTREMELY careful to keep them totally focused on her whenever they are near Kodi or any of the other little dogs. I've had all to many Huskies and Malamutes lunge at Kodi on the street... I know how hard she works to make sure that her TRAINING overrides the basic prey drive in these powerful dogs.

8. An under-exercised dog has a harder time focusing... just like an under-exercised human. But who's fault is that? Get out and walk yer dog. It's good for both of you!

9. Disruptions in routine CAN be unsettling for a sensitive animal. Again, it's up to the owner to train for these non-routine events as much as possible, diffuse anxiety as much as possible when an emergency dictates that a non-routine event needs to be thrown at the dog, and if there is some back-sliding afterwards, just train through it. A dog with a good foundation will bounce back quickly.

10. Puppies DO have shorter attention spans than adults, and also tend to get revved more easily. You need to keep this in mind as you work with the dog. At the other end, physical discomfort can make some things very difficult for an older dog, so his training will need to be adjusted to accommodate. Neither means stop training, though. The puppy needs it, and the old dog will feel sad if you stop working with him just because he's "old".

So again, I don't believe in the first three items on the list at all. But the ones below that should NOT be used as "excuses", but they can be useful EXPLANATIONS that guide better training practices for that individual dog.


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## DorothyS (Aug 11, 2009)

Very good comments, Karen!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

krandall said:


> Well, I don't buy some of the things on this list, and NONE of them should be used as "excuses" for poor behavior. But OTOH, some of them CAN be explanations of WHY something is harder for a specific dog at a specific time. For instance:
> 
> 4. A dog CAN be too excited or distracted to learn well in that moment. But that means you need to work on exercises to calm him and get better attention, or work in a less distracting area until he's ready to handle more.
> 
> ...


Karen ,these are just excuses people use for not training. Nothing more ,nothing less.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> Karen ,these are just excuses people use for not training. Nothing more ,nothing less.


OK, that's not quite how you introduced the thread.:wink:


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