My schnoodle dog doesn't know or respond to her name?

Question

My dog, a schnoodle (miniature schnauzer , poodle mix) is 6 mo. old. I have had her since she was 3 months. She does not respond to her name. I know she is not deaf because she is stimulated by noise. I always use her name when addressing her and never scold her using her name. How can I help her learn her name?

Answer 1

The way I teach people to teach their dogs their names is to say the dogs name and then right away give it a treat. Keep repeating that and the dog will start responding to its name. Possibly even running to you whenever they hear it expecting to get that treat! As soon as the dog is responding consistently you can start slowly weaning off of the treats.

Answer 2

Yes. They tend to hear certain sounds better -- the ssss sound and a couple of others but I can't remember --- likely a site or two on the internet about it though! haha I always attempt to utilize one syllable names because I train in obedience and the less I have to remember the better :) My b*tch's name is Sidney but I use 'Sid' in obedience instances. It is easier and crisper to say 'Sid, Here' than to say 'Sidney, Here' -- or whatever -- actually now I rarely use a name with an obedience command but when I do it is short and sweet :) I don't necessarily speak commands loudly as much as crisp and clear -- my voice has good range and I tend to be a little loud anyway but dogs have excellent hearing so yelling a command isn't necessary and can also be counterproductive. I try not to name dogs the same as a command or correction - like Noey or Joe is too much like No -- Sid is a lot like Sit but I don't really use sit as a command with the same intonation so you might have to realize what your own voice does to words when deciding on a name to use - also sit is dropped fairly early on as the exercise becomes automatic anyway. I have a dog named Viggo and I call him Vigs because the 'go' part of Viggo can either sound like 'no' or the command for the go out so I drop that part in training. I usually try to keep names in training to three letters -- easier for my old brain to remember! haha

Answer 3

I've never been around a mini schnauzer that was.. how do I put this.. smart.
And miniature poodles are hit or miss - they can be smart, but they're sort of obnoxiously scatter brained in the way Yorkies are.
She probably isn't paying attention to you because she doesn't want to.
If she doesn't feel she has any reason to respond, she won't. It's as simple as that.
Saying her name over and over again if it means nothing to her won't illicit any of the responses you're looking for.
That's one of my pet peeves - to hear a dog owner screaming their dog's name over and over again when clearly it doesn't give a poop about what the owner is saying or wants.

Answer 4

A name has no meaning to a dog, it is your job to make the word mean something.
With working retrievers their name is their "go" command, so there is no problem. With nonworking dogs I teach them that their name means to look at me. To teach this (takes about 10 minutes) hold a small slice of hot dog between your teeth. Say the dogs name and spit the piece of hot dog at the pup. Takes an awful stupid dog not to figure this one out after about 3-4 repetitions.

Answer 5

You just have to be patient about it. Dogs don't understand English, or Chinese, or Italian, etc. They may not know that you've named them in the first place.

Positive rewards, i.e. treats or affection, when she responds will help, but once again, patience is key. Remember, she's an animal before she's a dog, before she's your companion.

Answer 6

The same way we train our children...REPETITION!
Keep on calling her by name, and have her check by a vet.
Just because she responds to noise, doesn't mean she is not hearing impaired. Dogs have a greater range of hearing abilities than we do, which would leave them open to a greater range of deficiencies as well.

Answer 7

Agree with mmcrobinson. People tend to just "give" names to pets, instead of observing the animal and learning what their "true" name should be.

You could be talking too much. Dog hears blah blah blah food blah blah. Blah blah blah "Fluffy" blah blah blah. They do and will tune you out.

What training have you given the dog? Do you work at it daily or is it just a cute fuzzball you have around?

Answer 8

And they claim mixed breeds are smarter than purebreds.....

Perhaps you are using her name TOO often, dropping it into conversation or saying it repeatedly to her. She needs to learn that her name is a cue to pay attention because you are going to ask something of her. Don't just say her name for the heck of it or she will tune it out.

Answer 9

Have you ever thought that she does not like that name? My dog picked her own name.... I just kept calling out names until she found one she liked and came to me.