# My dog ignores me!



## MelLily (Oct 19, 2009)

My 11 week old Maremma Sheepdog/Lab mix ignores me when I call her name. I've had her since she was 5 1/2 weeks old (I know that is too early but the owners of the mom and dad wanted to get rid of the puppies as soon as possible). She knows her name and she doesn't have a hearing problem because responds to me--_sometimes_. However, when she gets into something and I try to call her away from it, she completely ignores me! Every dog I have ever had in my life at least looked at me when I called their name, even if they were being disobedient, but not her! She does not look at me or respond in any way that acknowledges that I am speaking to her. If I make eye contact with her, she usually obeys my commands. The problem is, most of the time she won't make eye contact with me! 

I want her to learn to come to me immediately when I call her in case we are ever in a dangerous situation and I need her to come quickly. This is very frustrating! Any tips?


----------



## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

what sorts of things have you done to try and train her to respond to her name?


----------



## MelLily (Oct 19, 2009)

I've tried calling her in a sweet voice, stern voice, and yelling in a mad voice (just to see if she would look at me); I've also tried clapping and whistling. When she does come to me when I'm calling, I give her a treat and lots of praise.


----------



## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Only Call her Once, if she doesn't respond go up to her and lure her back to the place where you were and give her treats. If she is in a place where she has the option to get away from you she should be on a leash for her own safty.


Remember ONLY say her Name ONCE! Clearly but not harsh. ALWAYS have treats in your pockets.

if you are consistent in a couple months she will associate hearing her name with getting a treat and she should come running, however if you say her name alot and then give her a treat she will learn she can come when she pleases and still get the treat.


----------



## poopydogface (Sep 5, 2009)

I got a 5 month old puppy awhile back, and started immediately teaching him his new name, Tobi. 

Your dog sounds like mine, Tobi is a very excited and easily distracted puppy. He literally becomes fixated on things one after the next. You could literally stand next to him with a megaphone and yell his name he won't notice sometimes. 

What I had to do (and for me this was important) was begin at the VERY bottom and teach name recognition and eye contact. I personally used clicker training, and simply called his name in a quiet room. If he perked up his ears and looked at my face, I would click/treat. 

I would wait until he looked away again and got distracted doing something else (doesn't take long for him.) Then I would repeat the name. 

Just do this rapid fire... over and over. I did about 150 repetitions spaced out through the first several days. Just simple, "Tobi! [he looks at my face] click/treat... repeat." 

You'd be amazed, he sort of got out of the habit not long ago, so I had to "retrain" him... to reinforce his promptness. But now, he comes running from OTHER rooms when I call ears perked and ready!


----------



## lizziedog1 (Oct 21, 2009)

Have you had her hearing checked? Hearing problems do exist in dogs too.


----------



## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

If you continuously call the puppy while she is distracted, you are teaching her to ignore you.

STOP calling the puppy when she is distracted. GO GET HER if you want her to come to you.

Teach the puppy that responding to her name is a very good thing.

No Lookie No Cookie

Teach the puppy to come when called

The Recall Game

One of the keys to getting puppies and dogs to respond to you is to NOT verbally name behaviors unless the dog is performing it.

For example, if you call your puppy to come to you each time it is running away from you, what do you think you are teaching that puppy? You are teaching it that running away from you is what it should do when you call it, because THAT is the behavior you are naming.



poopydogface said:


> I got a 5 month old puppy awhile back, and started immediately teaching him his new name, Tobi.
> 
> Your dog sounds like mine, Tobi is a very excited and easily distracted puppy. He literally becomes fixated on things one after the next. You could literally stand next to him with a megaphone and yell his name he won't notice sometimes.
> 
> ...


And what if he does not look?


----------



## poopydogface (Sep 5, 2009)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> And what if he does not look?


Quite frankly, I've never really focused much on what happens when he doesn't look. If I happen to say his name and he doesn't look, nothing happens. Conversely, if he looks at me and I didn't say his name, it doesn't mean he gets a treat either. 

If he doesn't look, I just ignore the situation, and give it a few moments. And start again. 

I really am only speaking for my recent puppy, who's very alert and responsive and people oriented. He would often snap to attention and look at even the slightest gestures and sounds. So teaching him his name was admittedly easy since it just involved tying his name to the action of him looking at me. 

I do however say that this method worked very well and quite fast early on and I'm still reinforcing it currently. It's working very well.


----------

