In this blog post, we will discuss a common concern among dog owners: My Akita doesn’t listen to me, what should I do? We will explain why your dog doesn’t listen to you, and how to fix it with positive reinforcement and easy solutions.
My Akita doesn’t listen to me?
“My Akita doesn’t listen to me” is one of the most frequent complaints in families with Akita Inus or American Akitas, and that is that making a dog obey can be one of the most complicated tasks and can make its owners despair.
If a dog does not obey, barks non-stop destroy things at home, they are symptoms of bad education resulting from a “humanization” of the animal. Treating the dog as if it were a person is a mistake as serious as it is common.
A peaceful and pleasant coexistence with a dog is one of the most rewarding experiences of human beings, but when the dog is not taught to obey, behave, and respect.
In short, when the dog, because of the owner’s fault, believes that it can do whatever you want and get away with it, we are facing a serious problem. If your dog doesn’t listen to you, keep reading – We give you the best tips to solve it.
My Akita ignores me, why?
The first thing to understand why your dog ignores you is to know the two most important things in a dog’s life: his instincts for comfort and survival. The key to teaching a dog to obey is to focus your training on these two bases.
What is survival? Simple, survival for a dog is food. Therefore, it is advisable to focus the training on the reward, rewarding your dog with food for its good results will reinforce that learning.
What is comfort? Comfort is the availability of a comfortable and personal space where you can feel at ease and feel like your own. In addition to having a bed, the comfort for a dog is also feeling part of a home and receiving signs of affection.
When a dog is separated from its mother and her litter to enter a home with humans, it experiences a very drastic change of environment, beginning to consider its human companions its pack leaders, so it is natural for it to obey them, but getting this takes a process …
Why is training so important for my dog to listen to me?
A well-trained dog is happy and well-being for him and all those around him, but this requires some training phases. Failure to do so causes the dog to develop behavior problems that will make everyone uncomfortable. It can even pose a danger to others and to itself: a dog that does not obey a basic command such as “come” can end up being run over by a car, for example.
This is whether you have an Akita Inu, a Saint Bernard, a poodle, or a sheepdog. The size and breed of the dog do not influence their training needs at all, you must be very clear about this before adopting a dog; It is very necessary to commit to following this process until you get good results.
In addition to the basic behavioral orders that make coexistence possible, you can train your dog to perform specific tasks, such as protecting, alerting to the presence of intruders, etc. Any dog can learn it.
My Akita ignores me, what do I do to make him obey me?
The first thing you must do in the training process for your dog to listen to you is to make him recognize and react to hearing his name. It is elemental so that it can learn to obey all the orders that you want to teach it.
Afterward, you can continue teaching him the command “come”. It starts with the leash on, indoors. As you learn, it will be time to increase the order list, moving on to more complex lessons.
Positive training: the key to succeed with dog education
Positive training is positioned against all kinds of canine education procedures based on the punishment of the dog, whether physical or psychological. The positive training technique is based on encouraging good behavior and obedience in dogs by rewarding their progress, instead of punishing their failures.
Many expert dog training doctors have strongly tested and recommended the value of these methods, which also have many benefits.
And the thing is … educating a dog is beneficial for him, but also for you and everyone around you! Perhaps the best-known example of positive training is the use of the clicker, in which this device emits a sound that the dog has previously had to learn to relate to positive things; the handler makes the clicker sound each time the dog does something right, making him feel happy and proud of his progress.
In addition, of course, adding to that prize a little food or some caresses reinforce that new behavior.
We are completely against those traditional training methods based on physical punishment, be it blows by the owner or ultrasound collars or electric shocks, among others. In addition to causing physical pain, they destroy the moral integrity of the dog. However, positive methods give very good results and all kinds of advantages if your dog doesn’t listen to you.
The basic rules for your dog to listen to you
The most important thing is to communicate to the dog your leadership position; It is not about being dominant in the negative sense, being violent, or making you feel bad. But it is essential that the dog learns that the right thing to do is to do what you ask, that you are in command.
Your daily actions should also take priority: eat before him, don’t feed him while you’re at the table, go through the doors before him, control the pace and route of his walks …
Don’t let your dog sleep with you or get on the couch. It’s yours, he also has his little bed and you don’t use it, do you? Just as you respect their territory, your dog must respect yours. Everyone has their personal space.
When it comes to playing, it is better that you provide him with his toys and put them away at the end, do not let him have them indefinitely at his disposal or he will cease to appreciate them. Playing is also a prize, although this does not mean that you should not play daily.
When he does something wrong, let him know so that he does not think it is right and does not repeat that unwanted behavior. Similarly, if you want them to repeat something they did well, immediately reward their action. Both things must be done at the moment, a punishment hours later does not make sense, you will not understand.
How to teach my dog the basic call command?
For your dog to heed the basic command “come here”, constant training is necessary, but it is worth it. This is the procedure that we recommend you follow:
- Get yourself a long leash and find a place indoors where there are no distractions. Make sure to have prizes handy to praise their good response.
- Put your dog on a leash and order him to sit. When he’s sitting still, get away from him and say “come here.” If he does come close to you, give him a doggie treat or toy for a few minutes. Repeat the exercise several times.
- When your dog is clear on that command, vary the method. For example, you can call him, this time, opening your arms and with another tone. Reward him again if he listens.
- Try this exercise off the leash, even indoors. If you overcome it without difficulties, after repeating it a few times you can try outside the home, always in a fenced and safe place.
- Only when it passes this phase, you can do it in larger places and without a leash.
- Always remember to make training something positive so that both of you stay motivated. If you find that he is struggling to move forward, feel free to go back and reinforce a few lessons from previous days. Consistency is the key, remember.
The importance of your tone of voice for your dog to listen to you
For the training to be effective, the tone of your voice is very important. Your orders must be firm, clear, and encourage immediate response. It is not advisable for your dog to perceive insecurity, fear, or frustration about you, he will see himself in control of the situation and will not pay attention.
It is also important to teach him to obey these commands in any environment or situation, even if he hears it but does not see you.
Final tips for your Akita to listen to you
Learning obedience should be part of your daily routine. Start training from the moment the dog enters the house. If it is a puppy it is usually easier, but an adult dog can also learn. Although if you have not done it at the time, it is never too late to start.
Patience! Learning takes time, you won’t be able to obey everything the first day. It may take two or three weeks, even months, for you to learn and internalize an order well, but don’t give up. It is worth the effort.
Remember that your dog does not misbehave because he hurts you, or because he has bad intentions. They just don’t know what is right and they need you to teach them.
Always start with the most basic commands and add complexity once you’ve mastered them.
Remember to always reward and reinforce their good behaviors. When he’s learning something new, don’t give him the award before he completes the order. At first, he will need you to accompany him with gestures or signals to understand what you want him to do.
Practice a few minutes every day and don’t let your dog lose motivation or forget what they learned. Don’t push him too hard if he’s receptive, either. Do not physically punish your dog or scare him! If you want him to respect you, show him respect too.
Once your dog listens to you and learns to come to you in any situation, don’t let him forget it. Reinforcing these behaviors over time is a guarantee of good coexistence and is also a good quality of life insurance for your dog, free of risks.
We hope that this article helps you in the process of educating your best friend. If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!
FAQ on My Akita doesn’t listen to me
How easy is it to train an Akita?
It is easy to train an Akita if you start early. An Akita puppy is easy to teach essential tricks, but if you do not do it on time, an untrained Akita adult can be dangerous and stubborn when it comes to listening to its owner.
Can Akitas be trained?
Akitas like any other dog can be trained as soon as you bring them home. It is very important to socialize the dog as soon as possible, to prevent future conflicts with smaller animals and people outside the family home.
Do Akitas make good pets?
Akitas can be great pets, as they are calm, highly intelligent, and affectionate. However, due to its size and character, Akita is not a dog for everyone.
At what age do Akitas become protective?
Akitas become protective around the age of 12-18 months, as they begin to bark uncontrollably at strangers and seem to want to protect you from everyone outside the family.
References
Insidedogsworld.com
Petful.com
