Do you talk like a dog using ‘Doglish’?
We all talk to our dogs and it’s amazing how they (as so many dog owners will claim) seem to ‘understand what we are saying’.
But, if you are trying to change your dog’s behaviour or to train it, you have to be able to talk in your dog’s natural language.
That’s what I call ‘Doglish’.
In my dealings with dog owners and their pesky pooches, I commonly see folk who have great difficulty in getting their dogs to do simple things and usually it’s because they are not using the right type of voice and the right type of words and the right type of rewards.
If you are trying to change a dog’s behaviour, you will need to have three different voices in your armoury. If you use them properly, you can throw out the rolled newspapers and the electric collars and other harsh techniques. They are too old-fashioned for Sensitive New Age Pet Owners (SNAPO’s) such as you!
The ‘Good Dog’ Voice
The first voice is the most important and it should be the most common voice you use. It is the praising ‘Good Dog’ voice. It is a high-pitched, happy and excited voice. Whenever your dog does something good, this voice is the reward that he or she should receive and so this voice is called the Primary Reward.
You can then follow this (usually after a pause of 5 – 10 seconds) with the Secondary Reward – which is often a food treat but can be pats and strokes or sometimes throwing a toy if that’s appropriate.
But it’s really important that you focus on your VOICE as being the most important reward (the Primary Reward) because you will always have your voice available and you won’t always have food or balls available, or be able to pat your dog.
The other reason to use your voice is that your voice reward can be instantaneous and thus perfectly timed to reinforce the wanted behaviour.
The Leadership Voice
The second voice is the voice of leadership. This is a voice that leads the way to the behaviour that pleases you and your dog.
You should use this voice whenever you want your dog to do something.
You don’t need to yell at a dog to get it to do normal tasks, so this voice is not a hard and harsh Sargeant Major voice. This voice is usually short, sharp, and clear – much like a ‘dog bark’.
This voice is used with commands such as ‘SIT’, ‘COME’, ‘STAY’ and, with that powerful command ‘LEAVE’.
However, when using the voice of leadership to get your dog to perform a task, don’t use a long sentence of words. For instance, if you want your dog to sit, just say ‘SIT’. Don’t narrate the Gettysburg address.
It is important that you don’t repeat your commands more than twice. If you repeat your commands over and over again, you are only training your dog to ignore you and that you don’t expect a response. Your commands just become wallpaper and background noise.
You should always pause after issuing a request and before praising your dog. The pause is important. It causes the healing, the therapy, and the learning. It is a test of who is in control – you or your dog. Often, I advise my clients to wait for at least five seconds after a dog responds to a command before the praise is given.
This, for instance, is very important with the ‘SIT’ command.
After commanding ‘SIT’, if the dog sits for five seconds, then you have definitely achieved your goal and the praise is justified. However, if your dog does not sit for five seconds, it is still in control, and you need to issue the request again. This time though, use a food reward to lure your Pooch into the correct position.
Sometimes placing it gently in the sit position and holding it there for five seconds is effective.
The ‘Bad Dog’ Voice
The last voice is the one you should use least. Preferably not at all.
It is the BAD DOG voice and sadly it is so often overused.
Usually, it is loud and instantaneous and if used, needs to be timed to the moment an unwanted behaviour occurs.
While it doesn’t physically hurt, it can still cause anxiety with some dogs so use it sparingly.
Soften your voice a little if your dog is nervous, fearful or timid.
Remenber – the Bad Dog voice is a punisher.
Punishment is rarely effective if it is used on its own. It confuses dogs. It can break the bond between a dog and owner and it does not show them what they should be doing.
You should only use it to distract your dog – to interrupt an unwanted behaviour. Once distracted, then get your Pooch to do something else which is more appropriate and that you can reward.
Words of Wisdom
If you find you are using a punishing voice often, ring my office for advice because this shows your therapies are not working and you will be delighted at how pulsed, reward-based training creates exact behaviour change more rapidly than punishment alone.
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