Why won't my dog listen to commands, especially without treats?

Question

Conan was really obedient for us during training,(we had a trainer) but now he won’t listen to anything we tell him to do. When we call him sometimes he’ll just stand and stare at us, then walk away. If he’s excited, (usually when company comes) he’ll bark and run around and just disregard every command. We tried to work with him more, using high quality treats, but he just listens when he gets treats. No treats, no deal. He’s driving my parents crazy. Can you recommend more training techniques? Pet's info: Dog | Irish Setter | Male | neutered | 10 months and 3 days old | 53 lbs

Shaneez Wallani, DVM · Accepted Answer

Sometimes dogs Conan's age start to test their boundaries with their owners. I recommend that you start work again with a trainer who uses positive reinforcement to help reinforce/ teach some basic commands. Conan may be running away because he associates you calling him with you trying to stop him from doing something else that he wants to do, in which case positive reinforcement training can help. See the links below for more information: https://avsab.org/resources/ clickertraining.com/node/309 drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/become-more-exciting-than-a-squirrel-teaching-a-reliable-come-when-called/ I also recommend speaking to your veterinarian about having Conan neutered, as this can help reduce unwanted behaviours associated with the instinct to mate (such as humping, urine marking, aggression and roaming away from home) and help prevent them from becoming habits.

Why won't my dog listen to commands, especially without treats?

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