They Know It… So Why Aren’t They Doing It?
I took Hazel out to a local waterfront restaurant on Friday night—just to do a bit of training around distractions, ignoring people, and running through some of our training games. It’s been a long winter, so it felt good to just get out and spend some time together.
There was a woman waiting for her husband outside and she noticed us working. She said,
“Oh, you’re doing some training. She’s not a puppy… is she new to you?”
I explained that I’m a dog trainer, so there’s always something to work on—always something to practice.
She smiled and said something along the lines of,
“Yeah… when they get older, they just decide they’re not going to do things anymore.”
And honestly—the idea that dogs just decide they’re not going to listen as they get older is super common. But that’s not what’s really going on—at least not in the way it might seem.
If your dog stops doing something you’ve trained—something they used to do all the time like come or lie down—they’re not making a conscious decision like, “I’m over this.”
What happens is:
We teach a behaviour.
We put time into it.
We use food, toys—whatever matters to the dog—to build it.
And it works. The dog gets better. More consistent. More reliable.
And then at some point… we hang up our treat bags and call it a job well done.
Most of the time, we’re asking our dogs to do something they’re probably not keen on doing.
Don’t chase the squirrel.
Don’t pull toward that smell.
Stop what you’re doing and come here.
So we train them to do what we want instead.
We use food, toys, access—whatever actually matters to that dog—to build that behaviour.
We repeat it, reinforce it, and over time it becomes more of a habit—something they’re more likely to do again and again.
But here’s the mistake we make:
When the training stops, so does the reinforcement—over time, your dog stops responding like they used to—or not responding at all.
Not because they forgot.
Not because they’re being stubborn.
But because there’s no longer a reason — we’ve taken away their incentive.
If you think about it in human terms, it’s kind of like starting a new job.
You go through the training.
You learn what’s expected.
You pass your probation period.
And then the boss says, “You’re all set—doing so great—so we’re not going to pay you anymore.”
Even if you liked the job.
Even if you worked hard to earn it.
You’re not going to keep clocking in for free for very long.
It’s the same for dogs.
There’s no finish line that you cross so you never have to think about it again. “Fully trained” isn’t really a thing.
That’s not how behaviour works—for dogs or for people.
That doesn’t mean you need to be walking around with a treat bag forever. But it does mean being aware of what’s still reinforcing your dog—and what isn’t anymore.
That’s why I was out there with Hazel—making sure the things I want her to do are getting lots of practice and still paying well.
