Ever wonder if your dog is deaf?
Ironically, we hear this a lot in the veterinary world; and ironically, few dogs are actually deaf.
Of course deaf dogs exist, but most often we find that it is selective hearing on your dog’s part.
I mean, if he comes running the minute you open a cheese stick, but totally ignores your commands, chances are that you have a selective listener.
For help with deaf dogs, click here.
Dogs With Selective Hearing is Almost an Epidemic.
Why?
Where is the breakdown?
You Probably Haven’t Taught Proper Listening
Dogs aren’t people…
I know that this is hard for some of you to accept.
But canines and humans have a whole different way of learning and understanding.
Puppies don’t spring from the womb knowing our human ways.
However, most of the time, we take that very fact for granted.
I mean, your dog should know to not eat your shoes.
He should never steal your underwear and run through the house.
He shouldn’t dig.
He shouldn’t bark.
And, he should listen to your commands when you give them.
But, chances are that you haven’t truly invested the time to teach your puppy NOT to do the things that he shouldn’t, and likewise, taught him to obey your commands.
You Babble All The Time
We don’t mean to, but we talk nonsense to our dogs all of the time.
We talk about the weather.
We tell them how adorable they are.
We discuss our work and relationship problems with them…
The list goes on, and on, and on.
And, although your dog loves listening to you, bonding to you, and comforting you, he learns to ignore the “babble”, and the words that mean nothing.
He just stops listening because the words don’t really have meaning.
That Cheese Wrapper
That cheese wrapper has meaning, because every time he hears it, you are eating cheese and likely to share with him.
You have successfully conditioned him that cheese wrapper noises bring cheese.
You haven’t conditioned him that your commands, “Sit”, “Down, and “Come”, also bring cheese or other good rewards.
So when these commands come out of your mouth, it is like just another discussion about the weather!
Make sense?
Often, it isn’t even that he is trying to be difficult, he is just used to ignoring you.
Imagine Living in China
Imagine living in a foreign land.
You are lucky enough to live with a nice family.
They feed you, snuggle you, and make sure that your needs are met.
And, they talk to you in Chinese all of the time.
At first, you try to learn their language.
But, they seem to have no real interest in teaching you, so you stop trying to learn and although you like listening to them, you begin to ignore the language that literally means nothing to you.
The same holds true for your dog when you speak.
Make sense?
Just 25 Minutes of Training a Day
All it takes is just 25 minutes a day to see a HUGE change in your dog’s listening and behavior.
If you can just devote five 5 minute sessions to working with your dog every day, you will notice a huge difference!
Your dog doesn’t require hours and hours of training a day; just a few minutes of fun and consistent training will have him looking like “Lassie” in no time!
via Whisker Therapy