What to do when a dog refuses to obey

Okay, so Jinx is coming on very nicely but . . . sometimes she just won't do as we ask when in the normal household situation. (I expect it when we are outside). For example, (and this is just one example - she does more than this) we ask her to sit before we open the door and most of the time she does it before we even ask but som etimes she refuses, and even when we ask she still refuses, and I repeat the command again and she still ignores me. She is looking at me, concentrated on me, but just won't do it. Now, I know getting cross won't help, I don't want to reintroduce a treat at this stage (I do do it intermittently - but can't get my head around bribing her to sit at the door when I know she knows how to do it and has refused to do it when asked) What should I do? I am tending to just take her away from the door and popping her in her crate (with chews etc) for a couple of mins before trying again. Is this right? In the 'old days' I would have gently made her sit and then praised her and let her outside. So how do I get around this? Go backwards 10 steps? If I start treating her every time again, won't she always expect it? Any advise accepted - but be gentle.

Most dogs WANT to please you--especially if a treat might be forthcoming.

She might be confused for some reason---maybe someone has allowed her to not sit? It only takes once!

I'd go back to traeting more often.

rune

Some times we get lazy with the command, like maybe before you could have looked more in control of the command, standing up right, closer to her being in control of the situation, could be some thing as simple as even very slighlty bending or stooping over her, try looking at your whole posture and command timing

yes you need to go back a few steps (with treats) as the sit is not conditioned as you believe it to be.

have you trained it with all people, all times of the day, dark and light, distractions inside or outside, when she is quiet or excited, etc etc etc.

I would tend to agree with the others, I am not sure how old your dog is or how long you have had her, but going back a few steps and using treats again, won't harm her, but rather reinstall her doing this and wanting to do this.
I know you said you do it more than just at the door, but adding in random sit command and rewarding with a treat is good too, just to mix it up and getting her more into the sitting command and obeying.
Also wondering do you have a hand signal when you say sit?? Is there any other command that you use that is similar, that she may getting confused with??
Depending on her age too, if she is young she could be testing the boundaries a bit.
Is there any other command she doesn't do, even though you think she knows it??

Edited to add Jinx is only 12 weeks old, this command maybe one of the first, but would expect it to be less than perfect at that age, and treats and a hand signal a must

It`s not bribery - it`s wages. There has to be something in it for the dog. If you don`t want to treat, how about praise, caresses or play as a reward? Or the reward might be the release to go play in the garden? Or simply being told they are a Good Dog.
Keeping your dog motivated is easy - just make it nice to do what is required.

thanks to all, certainly for me the command hasn't changed and I try to always 'expect' her to do it, hubby is on board so we have to look to ten yr old son who maybe isn't doing it every time. She is 4 months now and, yes, is beginning to test boundaries. I do realise treats are wages, but we had got to not needing treats and accepting praise, a game etc instead a couple of weeks ago. And she is a rare dog in that she isn't interested in food! I do also have a hand signal but don't always use it so will reinstate that.

I think it is a bit much to expect of a 4mth old pup to do it every time, they are so young developmentally wise.
Maybe you are getting frustrated due to your expectation, and going back to using treats is not bad, it just gets the momentum going again. If she is not interested in food a toy reward could be helpful.
Good luck

There are always little blips along the way, and my guess is your dog is maybe getting bored with the fact that everytime he wants to go outside, he's got to sit before you open the door, then he remembers that once, he used to get a tasty little treat when he did it, but now he gets nothing, maybe a little stroke on his head, but he wants more, he's starting to rebel lol, he thought if he tried doing the not sitting bit, he'd see where that got him, just to liven things up a tad! When mine was a puppy last year, she wasn't interested in treats and once she learned something with one, we never used treats afterwards, but nowdays, she will do almost anything for a morsel of cheese, so next time he doesn't sit, bring a morsel of cheese out of your pocket and let him know that if he sits nicely, then he can be freeeeee and he gets the cheese as well! Bless his heart, he's trying different tactics coz he's bored with it imo! Lol!

I wouldn't put him back in his crate, it's not a horrendous crime is it???? Awwww, give him a chance, get those treats out again, or make it more interested, grab a toy so he knows you're going out there with him to have a little game that'll do it!

I am going back to basics again.

She goes in the crate more because I'm frustrated and don't know what to do - not as a punishment (hence she has chews and a stuffed kong in with her). She doesn't mind. ANd it does seem to focus her mind a bit and she is normally better afterwards - but, as I say, it's more for me than her. Unfortunately I've wrecked my back this week and am in a lot of pain and this makes me grumpy - so I crate her when I feel myself getting worked up and cross cos I know it's not her it's the pain talking. Pain makes us do things we wouldn't normally do.