In obedience class, if a dog has difficulty relating the recall cue "come" to the act of going to the owner, it may be experiencing:

The concept of learned irrelevance is central to understanding why a dog may struggle to connect the recall cue "come" with the action of returning to its owner. When a dog experiences learned irrelevance, it has been conditioned to disregard certain cues or signals because they have not been associated with meaningful or rewarding outcomes.

In this context, if the dog frequently hears "come" but hasn’t consistently experienced positive reinforcement or has been exposed to distractions during training, it may not see the cue as important or relevant to its behavior. This leads to confusion and disengagement when the cue is presented, as the dog fails to understand what is expected of it.

Positive reinforcement is critical in teaching commands. If the dog consistently receives rewards (like treats, praise, or play) when it comes when called, it begins to understand the significance of the command. If this connection isn't made repeatedly, the dog may instead tune out the cue altogether, considering it irrelevant.

In contrast, adaptation refers to a gradual decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure, which doesn't specifically address the misconnection with the command. Habituation is similar, focusing on a decrease in response to a non-threatening stimulus over time, and sensitization involves an increased reaction to a stimulus following