You Can Talk To Your Dog!
The Voice and the Tone you use when talking to a dog can make all the difference
in the training of your Puppy / Dog!
The #1 mistake, is using the WRONG " "Tone of Voice" "
The #2 mistake is using the WRONG " "WORD'S" "
When people look at a dog they think, Inferior, Stupid, Small Brain!
Whether you want to believe it or not, when people think this, they are the
You can talk to a dog, and the dog will talk back to you!
The first thing you have to understand is the "TONE of VOICE" you use is how the dog understands just what you are saying. Look at it this way, everybody in this world has had an "A-Hole" for a boss and he would talk to you like you were a Inferior, Stupid, Small Brain person, and he was the all powerful, knowing everything, can do no wrong! And he got no respect from you!
And then there is the boss that would treat you like the human you are! Understanding the fact that you do not know everything, and would work with you and show you how it is to be done and would give you the time of day.
Now lets put you as that boss, and which "one" would you want to be?
So when you train a dog you are the boss and the dog the employee!
Now take the attitude of the boss that is understanding, and knows you are new to the job, and works
with you, and talks to you like a person.
You will work harder to please him or her, RIGHT!
Now that you know this you have the first key to open the first door,
First, A puppy dose not know what you are saying!
So a gentle hand is needed with a "gentle sweet voice" when training a puppy.
So the first sweet words out of your mouth should be "COME", and it should be with open arms. (Body Gesture)
OK, one more thing you should know, your body movements are a big part too! Have you ever moved quick when a dog
is barking at you, and what is the first thing the dog will do? "HE JUMPS"
(Natural Instances) That will be a topic for another article.
When working with a puppy you have to remember that a puppy has know idea what you are saying! So keep commands (word's) simple and only one or two syllables long, ( Sit, Down, Heel, Off, ) etc. Commands given, are given in very sweet tone of voice, ( Fluffy...... Come ) And if the puppy will not come, I will start to lower my voice to a ruffer tone, and will use one word "COME" and never use the word more that once! If you don't get a response from the puppy you do not have its attention!
One more key thing is that you have to get the puppy's undivided attention!
This is were you have to understand that a puppy will be "HYPER" and this is why you will have to use any
means to keep the puppies attention,
(collar and leash) this is called "UsingTools"
This will be a topic for another article.
In "NO WAY" use hitting as a tool, your hands, or a rolled up newspaper!
Hitting a dog, never mind a puppy will gain nothing!
Again remember that the puppy dose not know right from wrong. All you will do by hitting a puppy is get an
unpleasant experience that will set you back ten steps! And a very reluctant puppy that will not want to do what you
are trying to teach it! (A Negative Responses) This will be a topic for another article.
A great way to teach an association to a command word is to OVER-LAY the command word while the action is occurring naturally for your dog.
Example: When my puppy is outside and peeing, well on a leash and I am within the distance that the leash will allow, as she is peeing I say the command to go to the bathroom, Taking a pee. Then when she is completed, I might say "What a good girl", and also give her a little physical touching praise. I prefer not to use food in most instances, unless needed for reasons of motivation. But that will be a topic for another article.
If by chance I distracted the puppy by talking and she quit peeing, I would just ignore the situation, and the next time I would tone down my enthusiasm (voice) a little. It is likely that it was my excitement that distracted my pup!
Too many people will stand outside with their dog saying the command words like "BATHROOM", or "Go To The BATHROOM" expecting the dog to start peeing. "Remember there is no association created yet"
It does no good to say the command before the action is happening. That is why we are teaching them the association, so that eventually they will do these actions on command.
Another example of overlaying... Say I am in my home and I see my pup is sitting there watching me, then I notice she is going into the down position. As she is lying down I will say "Down" or "Lay Down" If she completes it I will give her a little more praise, verbal and physical. BUT... If as I am overlaying the command words, she got up and walked over to me, I do nothing and, in fact, I will ignore her for approximately 1-2 minutes.
If I were to praise her, then I would be teaching her that "Down" means come to me. And I do not want to correct her verbally by using the word "No!" because we are only building an association at this time. I DO NOT correct in any manner during the word association phase of training, even verbally.
Now here is a hint to remember, when you use the correction word "NO" you have to remember that it is just that!
A Word To Tell The Puppy / Dog
Example, When a puppy pees on the rug, Jumps up, or dose something that you are teaching it not to do. You have to say the command when it is doing it! When you use the word "NO" you only use it in a loud ruff voice! And only use it no more than two times, and make shore you have the puppys full undivided attention! What I do is when I use this word, I will pick the puppy up, look it straight in the eyes and say "NO"..... "BAD DOG" and will repeat "NO" one more time. Depending on what the correction was, is what I will do next, "peed on the rug" I will put her outside, "jumps up" I will put her in the sitting posture.
This sort of training works best with pups and young dogs, but it
is also effective with older dogs. Just accept the fact that it
will take a grown dog longer to make the connections than a
puppy.
And "PLEASE REMEMBER"
that we can gain more with a "sweet voice" and a "soft hand" than we will by yelling and hitting!!!!!
And one more thing to remember, is that the way you talk to the dog, is the way the puppy / older dog is going to respond
to you! (TALK BACK TO YOU)
One of the prime things you have to do when talking to (TRAINING) is use the same words all the time!
This is why it is so inportant that everybody is training (TEACHING) the Puppie / Dog the same way!
Or the dog, especially a puppy will become very confused.
The dogs "NAME" is the first word it should learn!
This is called (PREPARATORY) or to prepare and get the puppy / dogs attention.
This is the word you will use before the "COMMAND"
So say the dogs name "FLUFFY" then pose for a second or two,
If the puppy is "looking at you" and dose not come, "repeat" "COME" only once!
This is were you may have to use a (collar and leash) and you my have to pull the puppy to you.
Samething with "SIT" you may have to put the puppy in the sitting position ECT.
NEVER REPEAT THE COMMAND MORE THEN TWICE!
NOTE:
You should get the puppy use to the "collar and leash" before training and trying commands
Command Words
Come, When you want the dog to come to you
Sit, When you want the dog to sit
Down, When you want the dog to lay down
Stay, When you want the dog to stay were it is
Out, When you want the dog to go out the door (outside)
Speak, When you want the dog to bark
Off or (Getdown)
When the dog is on a piece of furniture, and you want it to get off it
"NO" you have to "REMEMBER" that it is just that!
A Word To Tell The Puppy / Dog "That It Is Doing Something Wrong!"
One thing I hear and see all the time is some one telling a dog to get off a couch, and will tell the dog, "GET DOWN OFF THAT COUCH NOW" and the dog will not move and they go over to the dog and grab it by the collar and pull it off the couch. "WRONG"
I tell all of my dogs, "Getdown" (one word) and never say another word.
O' one more thing! When you tell a dog a command and it sit there, and looks you straight in the eyes and cocks it's head, side to side or too one side. It is testing you, to see how smart you are!
So when someone looks at you funny because you talk to your dog, try cocking your head to the side and just look it them and say nothing, because you know better!
