Quote Originally Posted by ashleycat
He knows sit, down and roll (where I get him to lay on his side)

But he ignores me a lot of the time. Unless I have something he wants. Sometimes I reward him with getting pet. No treat. So I've been doing that not every time has a food reward.

Depends on what I have. Sometimes he acts like he's the best trained dog in the world and sits and downs sooo fast. Then theres times where he ignores me.
If he ignores you, you're either boring the the living daylights out of him or he simple isn't trained well enough. Honestly, enroll yourself in an obedience class (I don't recommend PetSmart). You need a professional trainer to work with you because it doesn't sound like you and Charlie are communicating efficiently. Here's a link of where to find trainers in your area from the APDT (Associate of Pet Dog Trainers): http://www.apdt.com/trainers-and-own...-a-trainer.htm

Also, I *wouldn't* get Charlie started in any advanced classes since he doesn't even seem to grasp the Basic 5: sit, stay, down, come, heel. Charlie is an aussie, I assume? If so, aussies are AMAZINGLY intelligent dogs. They learn and they learn quick. They don't like repitition. You need to vary your commands and perform them randomly. Don't just stand in one place and ask him to "Sit" 5 times in a row. He'll get bored and try to invent his own form of entertainment (i.e. counter surfing and knocking dishes onto the floor). If Charlie ignores your commands, DON'T repeat it over and over again or the effectiveness of the command wears off and he gains leadership over you. This is why NILIF is *so* crucial and *so* important.

When you ask Charlie to do something, he thinks, "What's in it for me?"

A pat on the head? I'm sure you love Charlie very much so I'm sure you give him loads of kisses and pats and hugs anyways. So why should Charlie sit for a pat on the head? If he's going to perform for you, he needs a strong motivation. The primary motivation should be because he wants to please you because you are ALPHA. You see, this whole training business all goes back to NILIF. You need to assert yourself as alpha and he as the omega. Once you strongly establish leadership over him, everything falls into place. Once you are leader, Charlie will want to please you. He doesn't know right from wrong, but you do. Once you are leader and once Charlie finds the motivation to perform willingly for you, he will act "obedient".