No, its not the dogs but the people. Being the only person in the house that spends the time, bonds and trains the dogs other people in the household can destroy a lot of work in a short order of time. You try to tell them what words the dogs understand but they create their own systematic approach and confuse the dog even further. They don't understand that the dogs were trained under a certain amount of words. I cringe every time I hear a new word trying to be used with the dogs without the proper structure and knowledge. I can't stand it when people try to talk to the dog as a human as if the dog has a huge vocabulary. It just does not work that way. I, at one point, printed out a whole list of words that Chloe understands last year and it goes out one eye and out the other. I ask myself what's the point?
I know some of you that train your dog know I am referring about. How about the multiple instances of repeating the command sit? You only need to say it once please. Saying the command several times is going to change the value of the command. For example, after about the fifth sit, the dog finally sits which screws up the whole point in saying the command once! Thus, retraining has to be done again and again until people which were informed willing to understand the process. Or about if someone uses a word that it means entirely different in what you use it for? I use back for the dogs to turn away from me and take the first obstacle they see. Most people say back for the dogs to back up yet, I taught the dogs, excuse me for them to back up. See the unneeded turmoil?
Other people in the household just don't have the same type of commitment for a consistency for have a well-trained dog. Its plain and simple, do you want it or not?
At the early stages of Chloe's life, I wanted her off the furniture unless invited but when you have other people with dog that they don't train come over for a visit, its pointless because their dogs are pretty much out of control. It would spoil their visit to govern their dogs and the whole experience would just be stressing. Of course, I am talking about a full house of dogs, like 5-6. So I pretty much threw that idea out the window.
People that don't have the same passion and views on the idea of owning dog - that is of course, they are truly dog lover as some just want a dog for convenience - can wreak havoc on dog training let alone complicate life even more.
No ifs, ands, or buts, compatibility matters!