Is it possible to train my dog to listen to me even though the rest of my family wants no part in the training? He’s just turned 5 and we’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old. My family gave up on training fairly quickly but I’d like to give it another go. I know he can do it, since he’s learned some tricks. But the respect isn’t there. You have to bribe him with treats.
Ah, see, here’s thing. Do you go to work because you respect your boss? Okay, maybe if you really like them and have a good relationship with them - but if you’re just expected to show up because you respect the people you’re working for, you’re not going to want to go on days that are sunny, or when you feel sick, or if there’s anything else you’d rather do. You go because you get something for doing so - you get a paycheck, and that is a thing you value enough to participate in your job even when you don’t really feel like it. Your dog is going to feel the same way about training.
In order for training to ever be successful, we have to totally trash-bin the idea that your dog should listen to you “out of respect.” Training is work, and so a) we need to motivate our animals to work with things they value and b) they deserve a paycheck for showing up and putting in the effort, just like people do at their jobs. Some dogs find the attention of their humans incredibly reinforcing and will work just for the attention, but for most dogs, the best paycheck you can give them is treats. It’s not bribing - we are exchanging money for work, just in dog currency. (And, honestly, most animals that work for attention as a reinforcer generally still require extra motivation if being asked to do something they find unpleasant).
Now that we’ve covered that, yes! Your dog can always learn. It’s never too late to start training an animal. I’d highly suggest checking out literature on positive reinforcement training (Don’t Shoot the Dog, by Karen Pryor, is my go-to entry literature on the topic). You’ll need to ask your family to work with you a little and not actively undo or contradict what you’re teaching your dog, but I bet you that once they see you’re excited about it and how your dog will pick it up and be excited about it too, they’ll be more invested in the idea too. Good luck!
