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| A dog's sense of hearing is second only to their sense of smell. Their sensitive ears can pick up tones that are too low for us to hear, as well as tones that are too high-pitched for our human ears to detect. |
Information> Communication (Getting the Message Across)
Be fair. If your dog disobeys you, it may not be malicious behaviour, but rather, due to some unique condition. Your canine companion may not be responding because of illness, hunger, thirst, heat exhaustion or a bitch in the area that is in season. Some breeds are renowned for acquiring hereditary blindness and deafness. Watch for signs. Does your dog actually understand what you want? They don't comprehend the meaning of commands, but react to the sound and how they've been conditioned to respond. Keep commands crisp and clear to avoid confusion. 
Stop repeating yourself. If you must repeat yourself a second time, correct or encourage the dog to do what you ask. This will remove tardiness and inattentiveness in the future. There are no "third" chances. Be sure to praise the dog once he obeys you. Don't yell. Dogs have acute hearing. The hearing range of humans is between 64 and 23,000 Hz, while dogs can detect sounds between 67 and 45,000 Hz! Timing is everything. Dogs don't associate the correction to their bad behaviour if the time gap between them is more than a few minutes, even seconds, apart. Correct poor behaviour immediately, as it occurs, and praise likewise. Tone of voice is important. Most dogs are tough and resiliant animals and may misinterpret a verbal correction as an invitation to play. If your dog is misbehaving use a deep and calm tone of voice, much like a growl. Updated Jan.12, 2004
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