Dog expert explains why pet listens in kitchen but not outside - and how to fix it

A dog expert has explained why your pet might listen to you at home in the kitchen but not outside.

are trained to be obedient and listen to their owners, particularly commands like 'sit.' These have a wide range of natures and personalities, influenced by factors such as age and breed.

Getting your dog to listen to you outside as perfectly as they do at home is something every owner wants. Thomas from McCoubrey K9 Services, based in , has given some expert advice on how you can make this happen.

Speaking in a video, he said: "If your dog listens perfectly in the kitchen but ignores you as soon as you go outside this might be why. Inside your dog's a genius but as soon as you step outside, it's like they forget everything.

"Here's why. Your dog's only going to perform the behaviour to earn the reward and your treats inside might be cool but outside they've nothing compared to squirrels, smells and freedom."

Thomas suggests focusing on your dog's motivation outside before thinking about any commands. He says to have your dog work for their food in challenging and new environments.

When playing outside, you should ensure to "have something of value to offer your dog".

The canine trainer added: "Once you have something your dog wants, obedience is easy because they just learn to unlock what they want. They need to perform the behaviour."

Puppy and dog training app has explained that it's important for your dog to focus on you outside for safety and control.

Having a dog that will focus on you with distractions around will mean you can ask them to come away from things you don't want them eating or interacting with and also improves general behaviour.

More tips to get dogs to listen outside

1. Find a treat your dog loves

The training resource encourages finding a treat your pooch loves, describing food as a "powerful reward for positive reinforcement training because it's quick to deliver so you can get lots of repetitions of exercises in and reward behaviour immediately."

2. Play with your dogs However, Zigzag notes that for some dogs, play will be more rewarding. For example if you have a breed like a Border Collie then stopping that ball moving, or for a Spaniel retrieving a toy will often be more highly reinforcing.

3. Try a training lead

It's worth employing some management techniques like using a long line lead.It adds: "Management helps your dog make the right choice and is worthwhile at all stages of training, especially if you have a dog who can't focus on you outside and won't listen to you."

4. Reward your pet outside

The experts say: "While your dog might not struggle to focus when training indoors or in low stress environments, going to different environments is a challenge. You're basically resetting back to zero, so reward frequently with high value rewards when you go to these places." 5. Be consistent Zigzag adds: "Start in a low-distraction environment and gradually increase the level of difficulty. Be patient, consistent, and avoid common mistakes like punishment, giving up too soon, and inconsistency."