Why does my puppy listen inside, but ignores me outside?

Reasons your puppy can’t focus on you outside and what to do about it.

You and your new puppy have been faithfully practicing his little puppy “sit,” and he usually comes when called. Proud of your little guy, you confidently ask for a “sit” while outside in the yard.

He looks up at you expectantly, then dashes away to chase a passing butterfly. Surprised, you call him back to you, promising a cookie for his swift return.

He ignores you and continues his pursuit.

What’s happening here? Why does he listen indoors, but not outside?

This article will discuss why your puppy’s obedience training falls apart outside and what to do about it.

1) Outdoor distractions + instinct

The great outdoors is an exciting place of intrigue for our puppies. In particular, the sounds, sights, and smells of other animals can overwhelm a puppy’s senses and make it hard to follow cues.

Dogs are predators, and predators scent, track, and chase prey. This instinct is hardwired into their brains.

When dogs are deeply engaged in an instinctual behavior, like smelling and following the scent of prey, it is extremely difficult for them to use their cognitive (decision-making) brain.

The cognitive brain (the “thinking brain”) is the part of the puppy’s brain that allows them to learn and respond to cues from their human. This part of the brain allows the puppy to choose a response, whereas the instinctual part of the brain dictates the puppy’s response.

No one needs to train their puppy to chase a squirrel—this action is purely instinctual.

When a dog is operating from their instinct brain, tuning into cues is very challenging.

What to do:

• Be patient with your puppy and yourself—good things take time. More time than most of us realize.

• Slow things down and use training aids, such as a leash or long line, to keep your puppy closer to you and reinforce recall.

• Practice behaviors using lots of treats and plenty of repetitions.

• Practice behaviors in all different outdoor locations. For example, front yard, back yard, sidewalk in front of the house etc.

2) Novelty

For young puppies, the world—particularly the great outdoors—is full of novel sights, smells, and sounds. In the animal world, novelty is a big deal and pushes animals into an instinctual mindset.

Encountering a novel sight, sound, or smell can elicit both curiosity and fear.

Because of their age and lack of exposure to the outdoor world, almost everything is considered novelty for a new puppy.

For example, your puppy may have never seen a bike before or heard a garbage truck roll by. You may be asking your puppy to “sit,” but they are too distracted by the novelty to tune into your commands.

When we take our puppies outside and surround them with novelty, we are placing them in a high-distraction environment.

Fully grown dogs with years of obedience training and experience can struggle in highly distracting environments, so it’s unsurprising that our little puppies fall apart when asked to follow cues amidst the distractions.

What to do:

• Do you and your puppy a huge favor and adjust your expectations.

• Use a leash or long line and allow your puppy “warm-up” time.

• Let your puppy explore the novelty in the environment before asking for behaviors.

3) Lack of reinforcement or reinforcement that isn’t high-value enough

We often ask our puppies to forsake an instinctual, fun, and rewarding behavior (like chasing a squirrel) in exchange for, well, nothing. This is not a realistic expectation.

If you want your puppy to behave in an unnatural way (like sitting quietly while a squirrel runs two feet in front of them), you are going to need to positively reinforce that behavior.

Not only will you need to reward the behavior you’re asking for, but you’ll need to make sure you’re offering a payout that overrides your puppy’s instinct.

Fortunately for us, most dogs can be convinced to abandon instinct for a tasty morsel. This is why food reinforcement is a non-negotiable for effective dog training.

Be aware that all dogs are individuals and may not be tempted by the same types of treats.

Don’t expect your puppy to abandon playing with his friends for a dry, crusty dog biscuit.

If you are making a big ask of your puppy—like taking them away from something fun or interrupting a very rewarding instinctual behavior (squirrel chasing, rolling in poo)—you had better have an adequate reward that outcompetes the distraction.

What to do:

• Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

• Have your puppy taste-test different treats such as cooked chicken, dried liver, cheese, or hot dogs. Once you know their favorite, use that as your high-value treat.

4) Insufficient practice in different environments

Dog brains have a hard time with generalization. This means that in your puppy’s brain, a “sit” in the kitchen on the rug is different from a “sit” in the living room on the floor. If an element in the environment is changed, this can affect the dog’s ability to focus and respond correctly to the cue.

What to do:

• Practice behaviors in different environments, starting with low-level distractions such as a quiet room in the house, and slowly expand to areas of higher distraction as your puppy improves.

An example of escalating training environments based on distraction levels could look something like this:

• Teach your puppy to sit in the bedroom with the door closed (very low distraction).

• Teach your puppy to sit in the living room with the TV on (low distraction).

• Teach your puppy to sit in the living room in front of a window (medium distraction).

• Teach your puppy to sit in the backyard (moderate–high distraction).

• Teach your puppy to sit at the park (high distraction).

Each behavior must be thoroughly practiced and proofed in each individual environment.

If your puppy listens beautifully indoors but seems to “forget everything” outside, don’t worry—this is normal and expected.

Outdoors is filled with instinct triggers, novelty, and distractions that are genuinely hard for a developing puppy brain to ignore. The solution isn’t harsher corrections or repeating cues louder; it’s lowering the difficulty, using rewards that truly compete with the environment, and practicing the same skills in gradually more distracting places.

With patience, consistency, and the right reinforcement, your puppy’s outside focus will grow.