How to tell your dog doesn't respect you?

We see the dog loves the owner it just doesn’t take them seriously. If you had seen this person act in disrespectful ways for a long time, it will take a long time of changed behavior before you begin to believe the change. To win your respect a key thing would be for the person to treat you respectfully. Respect doesn’t form from babying or cuddling, and frankly sometimes emotional space must be created. A major part of respect is being consistent and reliable. So if you ask for something to be done, you’ve got to insist it happens.

Dogs don’t respect us. None of the dogs. Not just Juno. But it’s not because they think they are better than us. It’s just that the concept of respect has never crossed their minds. Dogs simply don’t think in terms of respect. They think of “this works/this doesn’t work” and “that’s safe/that’s unsafe.” Dogs behave to create a consequence they want or to avoid one they don’t. When Juno was out in the yard sniffing all the things and I called her, she paused and did this simple calculation - stay out here or go inside. And she decided that staying out worked better for her than coming in did. She had strong motivation to stay outside and no motivation to come.

When you find yourself wishing that your dog showed you more respect, think about exactly what they’re doing, and exactly when they’re doing it. Like this: When [describe the specific context], my dog [describe what your dog does]. For example: I feel like my dog doesn’t respect me when [I call his name when he’s in the backyard] and my dog [ignores me completely]. One of the most frequent ways we see the word “respect” being misapplied to behavior is when the dog is actually exhibiting some kind of distress–typically fear. Fear is frequently misinterpreted as respect. Another common situation in which the word “respect” is misapplied is when a dog is in a shut down state. In many cases someone might think that a dog is being disrespectful when they actually have mountain lion brain. People also might think a dog is being disrespectful when really the behaviors they’re learning just haven’t been fully proofed yet! And sometimes, people say a dog is being respectful when the dog is just really focused on the handler–which is a good thing! Use the fill-in-the-blank method above to identify exactly what your goals are. Learn dog body language to more accurately identify what your dog is telling you.

The most common sign that your dog doesn’t respect you as pack leader is when they jump on you without being requested. Other common signs that your dog doesn’t respect you as pack leader include when your pup walks in front of you, demands things with a not-so happy-go-lucky bark, takes five seconds or longer to respond to a command. According to Millan, it’s all about safety. Your mom, your dad were your first pack leaders, and they have to make sure that you’re safe. And the way that you are safe is that you listen to them fast enough. There is no knowledge behind instinct, it’s only reaction, and somebody can get hurt. Dogs need exercise, discipline and affection, and in that order.