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Why My Dog Won’t Come Inside When He’s Called?

January 28, 2021 by Mary Telesz

You stand at your back door and call your dog to come inside. Your dog may glance at you and go back to whatever it was sniffing. You call again, but this time, your dog does not even look back at you. Why does your dog do that and why your dog won’t come inside when called?

Possible Reasons Why Your Dog Won’t Come Inside When You Call

A woman and her dog on the meadow trying to 
know why dog won't come insideThere are several reasons your dog is not responding to your call to come in. If you can figure out what the problem may be, it may help you know what to do to correct this behavior. One thing that will absolutely not work is punishing your dog by scolding it, yelling at it, or inflicting physical pain on it. Punishing your dog will do nothing except confuse your dog and make it afraid of you. And in all cases, using physical force on your dog is nothing more than abusive.

You and your dog will be better off if you try to understand why your dog may be ignoring you. Here are common reasons that may explain your dog’s behavior:

Your Dog Has Not Been Trained To Respond To Your Command

Think about whether your dog simply does not understand what you are asking it to do.
If you have recently gotten your dog from a rescue or another owner, your dog may be confused about what you want. It may not yet view you as a companion, or it may have lived outside and been neglected. It may just need some time to learn to trust you and understand what you are asking it to do.

With a new dog or a fearful dog, make sure your tone of voice is positive, reassuring and inviting—not threatening or angry.

If your dog has never been trained to come when you call it, you cannot expect that it will suddenly understand what you want. In that case, you may need to enroll yourself and your dog in an obedience training class or hire a professional trainer to help you.

Your Dog May Not Remember The Command Word

A man commands his dog to sit working on why dog won't come insideWith a puppy or young dog that is just learning obedience behaviors, the dog may be unsure or may have forgotten what the command word means. Young dogs have limited attention spans. They need a lot of repetition, practice, and positive reinforcement before they can respond reliably.

Another possibility is that your dog was trained but was not trained well, and the “come” command has lost its meaning. Or your dog thought (rightly or mistakenly) it was being punished when it responded to your command. In either case, your dog may not know what you want or is too scared to comply.

Your Dog Is A Breed That Is Independent

Some dog breeds are independent, even stubborn. Getting an independent dog to do something it does not want to do can be challenging to the owner. These dog breeds have been selectively bred for generations to be confident, comfortable making decisions on their own, and spend much of their time outside. Such independent dog breeds include hounds and breeds that guard livestock.

Coming Inside May Feel Like Punishment To Your Dog

An independent dog like this may feel as if coming inside is punishment.

Also, a dog may regard it as punishment if the dog does not get to spend enough time outside where it can get the mental stimulation it needs from exploring its environment. Dogs need to be able to sniff the ground—it is important to your dog’s mental wellbeing. If it does not have enough opportunity to do that, it will be very reluctant to come inside where it is deprived of that canine pleasure.

There Is No Positive Reinforcement Or Reward For Coming Inside

An owner rewarding his dog after knowing why his dog won't come inside when calledThink about how you react when your dog comes inside. Do you praise it and give it a treat for being a good dog? If so, your dog will be glad to come inside where it is safe and loved.

Or do you ignore the dog when it comes in, or worse, speak to it harshly even though it did exactly what you asked it to do? Have you or another member of your household created a negative environment indoors due to being overstressed or fatigued? A sensitive dog will pick up on those signals and may prefer to be outside for a while longer. Such a dog will be less inclined to respond to your call.

Your Dog Has Learned To Live Outside

If your dog spends most of its time outside in your yard, it likely has developed the habit of living outside. Your dog probably has favorite resting places, and that is where it gets its food and water. Your dog may have become independent in that living arrangement and does not feel the need to respond to your direction.

Talk With Paw Pals For More Info On Why Your Dog Won’t Come Inside When Called

If you need help working with your dog, contact the dog care experts at Paw Pals. Their knowledgeable professionals are available to spend time with your dog and help make sure your dog gets the attention and consistency in training it needs.

Filed Under: Pet Advice

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Centreville – 20120, 20121
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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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