Why does my puppy listen to hand signals more? Should I continue?

It's a dog thing. Most dogs are incredibly food motivated. Start by trying to get Noble to do a command when you are just around the house or out for a walk. Give him lots of praise for performing the command. Continue using treats when you are in a training session. As he gets older, he will be less dependent on treats for positive reinforcement.

Try this. Let him see the treat. Then give him the command with no hand signals. He may move through all the tricks that he knows but as soon as he does the correct one, give him the reward and repeat the trick, something like ‘good sit’. Some dogs will not perform a command without a reward. Sometimes this is because they are young or easily distracted. This may change as they get older. Important thing is to remain positive and encourage the desired behavior. Best of luck.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, there are things that you can do. I recommend treats. It all comes down to positive reinforcement. Puppies love treats so you just need to make sure you associate these commands with positive things such as treats to distract him. It will require persistence and consistency so stay there, you are doing well. Puppies just require some time while they learn but he will get there. Good luck and have a good evening!

I like to train with my dog and start in a group obedience class. That way Kobe learns to listen to you with other dogs around. Obedience training is fun and you'll both enjoy it. I took my dog to several different classes with different trainers as he grew up. Training can be needed for the first year or two to have a well behaved dog. If you are having problems then I'd get one on one training. Personally I only send hunting dogs away for specialized training. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kobe.

You are teaching him the correct way, it is just going to take time and maybe a little maturity to help with attention span and focus. I would try a different trick like stay to help work on the focus. You could also catch him in the act of laying down and sa the command and govehim a treat and with time he will start to connect the two. Just stay patient. You are doing a good job! https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/teach-your-puppy-these-5-basic-commands/

Dogs need to build a relationship with people and the stronger the relationship, the more likely they are to listen to you. I would recommend your mom start working with Bandit in general/basic training. This will help him with his obedience, but also help to build that rapport between them and in turn, he will start to listen better. She just needs to work with him and it will come. If she can, I think some basic training class would really help them both.

In the beginning when training, treats train dogs to do these commands due to positive reinforcement. At a certain point, dogs will respond to commands regardless of getting treats or not because they become conditioned to the response to the command. At this age, you will likely have to continue giving Grace treats to get the response you want. Gradually reduce the frequency at which she receives treats and try and get her to respond to a command without a treat. Rather than a treat, try praising her and telling her how good she is. Dogs like praise as a reward as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.