Why Does my Dog Listen to my Husband More?

One question often asked among female dog owners is ‘’Why does my dog listen to my husband more?’’ When such question is asked you can almost feel the bitter after taste these spouses may feel as a result of Rover listening to their hubby more. Such owners indeed do not limit the event as a single mishap, but more often than not, start questioning other aspects of their lives, from their leadership skills to who truly wears the pants in the household.

Often it is may be quite difficult to evaluate in depth what causes your dog to put on deaf ears when approached by you and then turn into a saint equipped with a shiny halo when hubby comes home and whispers a command. You know the rules are always the same, you have used the same command words, and if needed, you can ultimately mimic a masculine stern voice. So what is the big deal?

One important first step is to be totally honest with yourself. As children, dogs can be quite clever in determining who they can get away and who they cannot. If your hubby asks your dog to sit and does not allow your dog to do something else until he witnesses a rump touching the ground, your dog will be likely thinking ‘’Ok, I cannot get away with this, the rules are strictly in place with this guy, no fooling around’’.

If on the other hand, you ask a sit, and your dog does not comply, and goes to bark to the door, and you think ‘’whatever’’ your dog has just scored high against you. Your dog will know that when you ask a sit you very likely do not mean it. It could also happen that you casually ask a sit and then the phone rings and Rover learns that your sits are not mandatory, but rather just an option.

However, often the most bitter cases, involve spouses that are quite strict with their dogs. These female dog owners have made a commitment with their spouse to be consistent and benevolent dog parents. They really care about their canine companion and work hard to ensure that the rules are the same and must be followed no matter what. If you belong to this category, and you can be totally honest about yourself being consistent, read on, as there are other possible causes for your dog’s selective hearing.

One of the issues to evaluate is the use of overtones. Females typically have voices that are higher in pitch but have fewer overtones than men’s voices. Dogs, equipped with their sensitive ears, are extraordinarily capable of detecting such tones, they therefore perceive the female voice as less aggressive and considerably more friendly, when compared to a men’s voice.

Men, on the other hand, contain much more overtones that dogs perceive as considerably more aggressive. As a result, they are more likely to submit to the voice of a man. As much as this may sound like bad news for a woman, there is ultimately a good side worth mentioning.

According to Riverdog K9, men generally do better with dogs who have not received any training whatsoever, whereas, a dog in training will respond much better to the motivating voice women. But the very best news is that the bottom line is that a well trained dog ultimately responds well to both!

Pam Young, a certified dog trainer claims that women have a better ''good dog'' tone of voice, whereas, men do better with the ''bad dog tone''. She recommends trying to watch the dog's reactions upon reprimanding a dog for doing something bad using the good tone of voice and praising using the the bad tone voice. Very likely, the dog will react according to the tone.

As interesting as this may sound, there are also other considerations other than voice tones to keep in mind. Generally, men have a more direct approach with dogs, they get into their space more, and carry themselves with more authority. Dogs can sense this and therefore respond better. Men therefore may do better with dogs who question authority and engage in testing behaviors.

However, often this means that dogs somewhat fear men more, and this explains why there are often dogs fearful of men. Men can have a deleterious effect on certain fearful or excessively submissive dogs that will cower and even submissively urinate when exposed to a man. In these cases, a woman will do much better.

So, if disobedient Rover pulls you on the leash, and heels admirably with hubby, first question yourself if you have slacked on training, and if you can honestly admit you have not, then consider your dog’s response to your hubby just natural. Keep up the training and do not give up, as he gets better and is less testing, your voice will work wonderfully in motivating him and inspiring him. Just as raising children, it is through cooperation that you will obtain a good dog that will ultimately respond to both. Just work together as a team and the results will eventually show and shine.

As a dog trainer I see this scenario often in hubby/wife interactions with their dogs. Men may not do this on purpose of course, but it can have a deleterious effect on the dog's perception of the wife. Here is a common cliche':

Wife asks dog to sit. Dog does not sit, actually pretends not to hear her. Hubby therefore intervenes by saying ''sit'' in a firmer tone of voice. What did this just teach the dog? The dog likely learned that the wife is not worth paying attention to and that hubby is the actual one that means business. It is imperative therefore, that the wife follows through if the dog does not obey the command the first time.

Did you know dogs also go through a teen-age testing phase? Most dogs in shelters are abandoned around the age of 18 months which often coincides with the peak of testing behaviors.