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Why won't my puppy listen to commands when distracted by people?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 4 months and 15 days old | 25 lbs

My dog will not listen to me if there are distractions around. She knows cues like "sit" and "laydown" but doesn't act on them if she sees another human or dog. I'm also having trouble training her to "stay" and not jump on people. Help!

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mirissa Duncil, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 6th, 2017

Hi there. It sounds like Bea is having some trouble with her focus. While much of that is just being young and full of energy, I feel you would benefit from clicker training (a treat and reward system) as well as a well organized puppy class. Puppy classes are often offered at your local pet smart as well as through several trainers as help puppies to develop a sense of ability to socialize without being distracted enough by their surrounds that they ignore their owner. To many puppies-they see this as an exciting time to meet new friends and play with their owners. For us it is a wonderful area to help the puppies feel safe and bond with us over respect and learn boundaries. She is likely just reacting to stimuli (things she doesn't often get to see) and doesn't realize she's being "bad" as well as being full of energy. This will take a lot of patience and treats on your part when she performs or listens to you. She will get there, it is just a learning process.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    The best thing you can do is continue to work with Bea on her training commands while she has no distractions. Then you can start to slowly introduce her to situations where she may become distracted and try to reinforce her good behavior with positive reinforcement (like treats and praise). Also, tell the people she is getting excited over to ignore her until she listens to your commands. It sounds like you are doing everything right so far so keep it up. Bea is young and if you continue with her training she will grow up to be a great dog!

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