Outstanding Philharmonic Chorus
Updated 5/28/03
This post was sent to the SCBR group on 8/21/02.
Last night while at obedience training with Braille, I had the opportunities to hear this. I've been
taking dogs to these classes for years now, my own and fosters. But it wasn't until last night
when the lights came on, realizing how little we need to talk to our dogs.
I stood watching Braille tips her head from side to side. I wondered what was going through her
mind, as I closed my eyes briefly. Braille was there so I could transition her from the Gentle
Leader to a limited slip collar in prep for her CGC classes and test coming up later in the Fall.
She's very obedient 99% of the time. It's the 1% that gets her into trouble on occassions.
Usually my fault for not paying attention too.
Picture this if you will 10 humans and 10 dogs, all in a basic obedience training class. Most of us
have been to this experience with our dog's. After instructions, we had asked them to get their
dog's "down".
In surround sound, voices of every degree filled the hollow cinderblock room. Lengthy dictations
of "down" were spoken with optional suggesting, questioning, reasoning, rationalizing and plead
bargaining. Soon people's emotions stood between them and their dogs, a mess of mixed
messages of what was a single one word, "down".
As this was a training class, they soon began to realize a whole lot of talking was ineffective and
beyond what a dog could comprehend.
"Wait!" "Stop!" When teaching your dog/s new word meanings, you need to say it clearly and
distinctly with leadership, as if to say, this is the most important thing you can do for me right
now, this very moment. Dogs do not understand lengthy sentences or even stories of what you
are asking them to do.
If you were to ask your dog, "Do you want to go out?" Probably the ONLY word your dog heard
was "Out"! Keep it simple, rhythmic, yet powerful (this doesn't not mean loud or overblown) as
you connect the words to the appropriate objects or actions.
Once your dog know and responds to the word (you are no longer in the teaching mode) within a
reasonable amount of time, your own enthusiastic response, praise or follow up will require a
simple, "Good Out"! This also allows them to know they are pleasing you. What dog doesn't
want to please it's leader?
Say it once, then expect it! What if a dog who already knows the word or associated object or
action and doesn't chose to respond? Then it's time for direct leadership feedback from you with
no emotional attachments, "No Out"! No explaining! It's over with now, move on! Once this is
completed, then you bring back your happy enthusiastic voice of I'm pleased with you, you're the
best.
It's all those unnecessary words in between that sometimes can make obedience optional for the
dog. Keep it short, sweet and simple:)
You've heard the expression, "goes in one ear and out the other". Why waste your breath, when
all the dog really simply needed was - sit, toys (by name ball, rope), stay, cat/kitty, down, get it,
stand, curb, car, bring it, come, bed, treat, find it, kennel/crate, easy, heel, hurry up, catch it,
give, leave it, drop it, look at me, off, stop, fetch, ride, let's go, ah, ah, ah, getit, jump, no, okay,
right, left, up, out, speak, shake, wave, wait or ready!
Gee, I wonder how this would make a difference when talking to our youngsters, teens or mates,
when an item is not up for discussion now. No wonder the English language is so complicated to
learn. Some days, it might just be easier to live in a dog's world:)
Enjoy,
Janice, Bubba, Mr. Seamus and Braille
taking dogs to these classes for years now, my own and fosters. But it wasn't until last night
when the lights came on, realizing how little we need to talk to our dogs.
I stood watching Braille tips her head from side to side. I wondered what was going through her
mind, as I closed my eyes briefly. Braille was there so I could transition her from the Gentle
Leader to a limited slip collar in prep for her CGC classes and test coming up later in the Fall.
She's very obedient 99% of the time. It's the 1% that gets her into trouble on occassions.
Usually my fault for not paying attention too.
Picture this if you will 10 humans and 10 dogs, all in a basic obedience training class. Most of us
have been to this experience with our dog's. After instructions, we had asked them to get their
dog's "down".
In surround sound, voices of every degree filled the hollow cinderblock room. Lengthy dictations
of "down" were spoken with optional suggesting, questioning, reasoning, rationalizing and plead
bargaining. Soon people's emotions stood between them and their dogs, a mess of mixed
messages of what was a single one word, "down".
As this was a training class, they soon began to realize a whole lot of talking was ineffective and
beyond what a dog could comprehend.
"Wait!" "Stop!" When teaching your dog/s new word meanings, you need to say it clearly and
distinctly with leadership, as if to say, this is the most important thing you can do for me right
now, this very moment. Dogs do not understand lengthy sentences or even stories of what you
are asking them to do.
If you were to ask your dog, "Do you want to go out?" Probably the ONLY word your dog heard
was "Out"! Keep it simple, rhythmic, yet powerful (this doesn't not mean loud or overblown) as
you connect the words to the appropriate objects or actions.
Once your dog know and responds to the word (you are no longer in the teaching mode) within a
reasonable amount of time, your own enthusiastic response, praise or follow up will require a
simple, "Good Out"! This also allows them to know they are pleasing you. What dog doesn't
want to please it's leader?
Say it once, then expect it! What if a dog who already knows the word or associated object or
action and doesn't chose to respond? Then it's time for direct leadership feedback from you with
no emotional attachments, "No Out"! No explaining! It's over with now, move on! Once this is
completed, then you bring back your happy enthusiastic voice of I'm pleased with you, you're the
best.
It's all those unnecessary words in between that sometimes can make obedience optional for the
dog. Keep it short, sweet and simple:)
You've heard the expression, "goes in one ear and out the other". Why waste your breath, when
all the dog really simply needed was - sit, toys (by name ball, rope), stay, cat/kitty, down, get it,
stand, curb, car, bring it, come, bed, treat, find it, kennel/crate, easy, heel, hurry up, catch it,
give, leave it, drop it, look at me, off, stop, fetch, ride, let's go, ah, ah, ah, getit, jump, no, okay,
right, left, up, out, speak, shake, wave, wait or ready!
Gee, I wonder how this would make a difference when talking to our youngsters, teens or mates,
when an item is not up for discussion now. No wonder the English language is so complicated to
learn. Some days, it might just be easier to live in a dog's world:)
Enjoy,
Janice, Bubba, Mr. Seamus and Braille