Dale Carnegie said "Remember that a man's name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language." But I think he missed the real winner in the "most beloved sound" contest: the sound of our own voices. We love to talk, and if we don't get some sort of immediate feedback, we tend to repeat ourselves.
Meanwhile dogs don't send or receive very much information vocally. Sure, there are plenty of dogs - entire breeds actually - that seem to love the sound of their own "voices" too, but this is not the domestic dog's primary way of transmitting or, and this is important, receiving information.
I'll repeat that.
Vocal communication is not the domestic dog's primary way of transmitting or, and this is important, receiving information.
When we train a dog to do something on command, such as sit when we say "sit" or lie down when say "down", we are not teaching them what those words mean. We have assigned a sound (a cue) to an action. We could just as easily get them to sit when we ring a bell or lie down when we snap our fingers.
Sometimes your dog doesn't respond right away. She may be distracted, in which case you need to get her attention back on you before you ask her to do something. Or she may not understand what you mean - "sit" in the kitchen isn't the same as "sit" in the back yard until you've trained the behavior in a variety of places - or maybe you've unintentionally changed something else that is causing confusion.
When we repeat commands to a dog, one of two things happens. Our dogs either learn to not respond the first time: "sit" becomes "sit. Sit. SIT." Or worse, they learn to ignore the word(s) completely. Think of what happens when radio stations discover (or decide) that a song is popular: after the 1,000,000,000,000th time that song comes on you don't hear it (or are tempted to jump out of the moving car, but I digress.)
This effect is what trainers are trying to avoid when they tell you to not repeat your commands. It's really tempting to repeat a cue when a dog doesn't respond right away and even the pros do it at times, but there's an important reason to try to say things once and wait it out first.
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Kody sometimes chooses his own cue
I've noticed that Kody sometimes chooses his own cue, or at least I think he does. One place we have particular difficulty is in going down the stairs to go outside. Kody will often take me stepping on the fourth step down as his cue to proceed instead of my intended cue, which is "okay". He does this in other cases too. He chooses a common visual cue I didn't intend as the cue instead of the vocal cue.
With just a little added effort, I could fix this, I'm just lazy about it. But you've made me think, maybe I should start trying to train to hand signals or something instead. Maybe for the steps I should use the fifth step as the cue. I've seen Ian's videos where he uses hand signals, but my training so far hasn't used them. Do you find training to visual signals to be easier for the dog to understand?
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Hand signals
I like using hand signals because most breeds are very visual. The first sense they use is their nose, the second their eyes, the third their ears. But as Eric said in the original message, you have to be aware of how you deliver the hand signal. If you are sloppy and lazy and swing your arm around differently each time you say sit, they won't get it. Even holding it out further instead of close to your body makes it look different. You can use any hand signal that makes sense to you but you and everyone who interacts with the dog should use the same one. Your dog will get it. Lydia McCarthy Playful Pooches and Parents Dog Training 513-939-dogs
Another good post!
This is a very good point, Eric. Many people feel the need to repeat cues as if their dog didn't hear them the first 3 times. The dog can hear another dog's tags jingling from down the block so chances are your dog DID hear you but one of those 3 D's of dog training(distance, distraction, duration) is making him blow you off.
The addage "Sit means sit" really applies. Say it once, make it happen!
Great reminder!
It appears that sometimes my dog thinks about what I'm asking her to do before she does it. If I say "Sit" and she's not in the mood, she will hesitate and think about what she'd going to get by sitting.
For example, she likes to be picked up. I make her sit before getting picked up. Sometimes her body language is, "Sheesh! I don't want to do this but I won't get what I want if I don't." and sometime the sit is automatic. My point is: If I don't wait for her to do it and repeat the command, she gets away with controlling me instead of learning she doesn't get what she wants if she doesn't do what I want.
ESL
I like the analogy of ESL (English as a Second Language). Talking louder or multiple repetitions doesn't get the point across to new immigrants or foreign visitors, but a few well chosen gestures often does.
Also if there is a conflict between a voice command and a body cue in agilty, the dog invariably reacts to the visual cue.
squee!
Rothwoman, my dog does the same thing!! I can see the little hamster wheel spinning in her head almost every time I ask her to do something. She is constantly evaluating if obeying is worth the inconvenience. Like they say, practice, practice, practice. It helps to ask for a sit or a trick just cuz, not only when she wants something. I don't want her to think of obedience and politeness as a chore or payment, it has to be fun on its own. I love how blogging or trying to come up with advice for other people helps my own interaction with my dog. There is always so much to learn--I think this is my favorite part of dog ownership.
Oooo! Yes!
Thanks for your words. I rarely have her do anything without receiving something. Maybe I should try it and see what happens. Although, just petting her or cooing over her are rewards she cherishes.
Thanks Everyone!
Thanks for the comments! I love that this site is a two-way discussion.
Kody - Yes, I find hand signals tend to work much faster. While I have seen some dogs pick up verbal clues much more quickly than others, I can't think of a dog that didn't respond to hand signals/body postures. "Choosing their own cue" - which is a marvelous turn of phrase that I will be stealing from you - is very common and a problem that dog trainers spend a lot of time fixing. It also makes agility a lot of fun.
Ray in Microsoft Land - ESL is a analogy I use in class sometimes, it really works for some people. You are dead on about visual cues trumping audible! Both an advantage and a liability at times.
SSHHHHH!
Elisabeth Catalano, MA, CPDT, CDBC www.thelittlewhitedog.com
Great post Eric! I couldn't agree more! People talk WAY too much to their dogs! I have two deaf dogs and communicate with them using sign language. I've always felt that this actually made training easier, because you must be so aware of your body language. I was proven wrong however, when the need to say more than necessary, even to a deaf dog, was illustrated by someone I know (who will remain nameless). She wanted to interact with my dogs. Instead of giving a single cue to sit as I instructed her, she began flailing her arms about wildly! I suppose she imagined that she was transmitting her thoughts to them via her body language. In addition to her many meaningless gestures, she threw in about 5 different commands! My poor dog was SO confused!