TRANSLATING ENGLISH INTO 'BARK'
BY JEFF CAMPBELL,
My Best Friend Obedience
The key to a happy and successful relationship is the same with your dog
as your significant other-- communication. Real communication can be
difficult between people, even when they speak the same language.
But when one speaks English (the two-legged one) and the other relies on body
language (the four-legged one), it is essential to reach a common ground for
mutual understanding.
Starting with communication skills can be the foundation for teaching your dog
to learn-- not just to acquire robotic reactions of traditional
"training."
Before you ever say "sit," try teaching you dog some words that will
be the foundation for future learning:
-
"Good"
means "you did it right" or "you are on the right
track."
-
"Ahht-ahht,"
that instinctive warning sound you jive a two-year-old approaching a hot
stove, means "you are on the wrong track. You can also use "wrong"
to mean the same thing: "you did not do it right." Remember:
these do NOT mean your dog is "bad."
"No"
means "never do that again."
How do
you use these to communicate with your dog?
The same way you teach
a two-year-old English—with generous amounts of positive reinforcement and
repetition.
Positive
reinforcements “mark” desired behavior.
They include: “good,” the sound of a training clicker, “yes” at
the moment of the desired behavior. These
“markers” are backed up by the rewards.
They include: a treat, a toy, petting, verbal praise, or anything your
dog truly enjoys.
Let the dog know its on the right track. Remember, depending on the
amount of distractions in your training environment, in the beginning you may
have to up the ante on the reward. (Give a better reward.)
Negative
reinforcements mark undesired behavior. These are
“marked” by “wrong” or “ahht-ahht.”
These “markers” are backed up by reward removal, a squirt from a
water bottle, body block, ignoring. Corrections
do NOT need to be physical to be effective.
You are simply letting the dog know he’s on the wrong track.
Patience
and guidance help in teach a dog English. When
you call the dog’s name, simply waiting until he makes eye contact with you.
At first, the seconds may seem long, but after you make a noise (his
name) he will eventually look. Then
praise and reward. Avoid the
temptation to chant or repeat the name until he looks. Remember,
"Rover" is different to your dog's ear than "Rover-Rover,"
just like "yo" is different from "yo-yo."
You
can guide
the dog to desired behaviors like you would lead a child to a hidden object in
the game of “hot and cold.” Repeated
positive praise for being “warm” will get the dog to “hot.”
Verbal warnings will signal the dog away from “cold.”
This game of “hot and cold” will make training sessions more
enjoyable and fun for you and your dog.
Mastering
the language of “good” and “wrong” is essential to any type of
communication. Once you have established this foundation for a common
language with your dog, you can take training and companionship to the next
level. You will then be able to teach your dog virtually anything.
Remember,
training should be fun for your dog-- and you.
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| Jeff
Campbell takes a break from training for My
Best Friend Obedience with his 'family':
Mikuyi, left, a Malmute/Shephard mix, and Yukon, the yellow
lab |
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