[vinht]

i have a pretty well behaved husky lab. im sure he knows his name because somtimes i test it out by talking to myself then saying "capone" his name and hell come and look at me. but there are times he just wont listen to me how would i correct this? i kno keep trying and be asertive but are there any little tricks?

 

[omike015]

A big piece of chicken in your hand never hurts. ;-)

But seriously, it could be any number of things: your tone, his mood, other distractions, the need for more training, etc. Just keep at it and praise and reward generously when he does come.

 

[Love's_Sophie]

I use treats, toys, squeekers, and funny voices...all seem to work nicely, depending on how much of a 'distraction' to get his attention I need to be! I'm also teaching him that "Bye" means "you need to get over here right now!" I simply start walking away, while saying it, and he has actually learned that he needs to catch up immediately!

 

[Donna5503]

You've mentioned that he is part Husky....

that's your answer, Huskies are very stubborn!....I have a Siberian Husky and he is the greatest dog...but if he doesn't want to do something, he just won't!

 

[Erick Aguilar]

I also have a Husky, however he does what i tell him 90% of the time.
What i do to call his attention.. i just snap my fingers (as if it was a clicker) and he will look at me with his eyes and do the command.

 

[MrsJohnnyG]

I posted (only half-jokingly) that my puppies will come every time if I call "liver treat"... they loooove freeze-dried liver. But I know that's not much help if you don't always have their favorite treat on hand.

Squeaky things do work, as does kneeling down to the ground and holding out your hand while you call (ideally with freeze-dried liver in that hand! ).

 

[KBLover]

I taught Wally "focus" when I want his attention at that exact moment.

I initially taught it by clicking when I said the word and he looked at me.

 

[Elana55]

Try this.

Have the dog sit in front of you. Have 20 very small (as in 1/2 dime size) treats (but very good.. as in hot dog or Spam or cold cuts).

Say his name, immediately hand him a treat. Repeat 20 times very quickly.

Now, carry treats with you and randomly say his name and immediately give him a treat. He never knows when this is coming. Do this at home and every other place you go...

When he ALWAYS looks at you when you say his name, no matter where you are, start to fade the treats. Randomly treat him (every other time, every 4th time, every 5th time.. sometimes give him 3-4 treats.. mix it up so he NEVER knows if he is going to get a reward or not and never knows if it is going to be one treat or 4 treats). Random treat delivery is intermittent reinforcement and really drives the lesson home. Randomly treat in all kinds of place.. always using high end treats.

Eventually your dog will ALWAYS look at you when he hears his name. You can fade the treats but if you REALLY want to keep him sharp, once in awhile, break out the treats and the random reinforcement.

 

[wvasko]

Some great stuff above,

Donna
My personal belief is there are as many Huskies that are not stubborn as there are stubborn.

Erick
90% good stuff from any breed/dog/pup or even people is great.

vinht
Dogs are not robots, how bout we say, vinht go through life making absolutely no mistakes. You are much smarter than your dog, but I'm gonna hazard a guess and say you might have made a mistake or 2(put your own number in) There is nothing that is 100% in people or dogs. Just set realistic goals for your dog. This isn't meant to be a downer reply, just set goals with your dog that he can handle.