It’s
not uncommon to hear owners report that their dogs will only follow
commands inside the home, under low distraction, when they are focused
on a food treat. But add a distraction like playing outside, or going
to the park or vet’s office, and it seems like they can’t hear or
can’t remember anything they’ve been taught. That’s because dogs have 2 separate and distinct brain functions: the limbic system and the cerebral cortex. The limbic system is the center of all of the “doggy drives" like chase, forage, hunt and defend. The cerebral cortex controls more complex thought - let’s call them “doggy decisions.”
These 2 brain functions share an inverse relationship. When one is activated, the other is inhibited. That’s why, for example, an untrained dog will not come back to you when called if he is “busy” chasing a squirrel. A trained dog will stop, turn around and shoot back to you when called, even if he was in mid-chase. His training has taught him to interrupt the “doggy drive” and turn his thought-center back on.
Dog obedience training must be done using a process that works in harmony with these drives, not against them. When trained properly, your dog should follow obedience commands every time, under any distraction. Otherwise, the obedience commands are just parlor tricks and have no practical use.
