Dogs are not silent creatures. In fact, it is not difficult to find K9s that are looking for something to bark about. Growling is also a commonly heard sound in the world of our dogs. These are not just sounds they make; they are a means of communication. Ironically, barking and growling are both thought of as problems by many callers requesting my assistance with their dogs. For a species highly dependent on sound as a form of communication, Homo sapiens as a whole are quite intolerant of the sounds of their four-legged companions. Not only are we intolerant of the sounds our dogs make, we also are quite illiterate as to the meaning of those sounds. In contrast, we are quick to conclude that our dogs know exactly what our sounds mean—as if they were born with a full working knowledge of the English language. When our dogs don't obey the noises we make, we repeat them incessantly, often with ever increasing volume and emotion. Yet, we are highly bothered when our dogs put their requests on rapid fire.
So, what is the answer to this quagmire of confusion between the human and K9 creatures of habit? Communication! Communication! Communication! It can bring great balance to chaos and confusion, as well as change the habits of both dog and man.
As I have pointed out in the previous articles I have written this year, our dogs receive information from us through three primary lines of communication. At T's Doghouse , we refer to these as the visual , physical , and verbal lines of communication. I have discussed the visual and verbal lines in articles in previous issues. I wrote about them first because I generally teach things in that order. Visual first, because it generally includes some form of luring the dog to the behavior I want using a reward that the dog wants. As a result, the dog gains a very favorable view of the action. Physical, next, because it creates dependability and provides an ability to reinforce the behavior. With one or both of these lines of communication established, the verbal cue can be taught very quickly and effectively.
Whistles are a common verbal cue in the hunting dog world. (Photo courtesy of Tanner Smedley) Dog Training with Verbal Cues A verbal cue is simply a sound that we help the dog associate with a previously established behavior. It is not a tool that can be effectively used to teach a new behavior. If the dog does not understand our verbal request and additionalguidance is required, one of the other two lines is generally used.
For instance, let's consider teaching a puppy to come to us when we speak the word “here.” We would begin by saying “here,” but then we would employ a visual cue such as bending down and inviting the pup to us through our body language. We might also employ a physical line of communication in the form of a leash that we can use to draw the pup toward us. This is often done while backing away from the pup. Without the puppy already being familiar with the leash or our body language, it would be very difficult to effectively attach the verbal cue, "here,” to the action of coming to us.
Using a leash and inviting body language is a great way to teach young puppies "here." (Photo courtesy of Tanner Smedley) Breakdowns with Verbal Commands As I have assisted people with their disobedient dogs, I have found that humans are seldom short on words. When these verbal commands are unsuccessful, they are repeated, but with added sternness or volume. Frequently, what is missing is attention to the visual and physical lines of communication.
A common problem I see is dogs that will not come when called. Let's consider a pup that was taught to come to the word “here" in the manner previously discussed but then it becomes disobedient. I like to observe these situations in a fenced area. I'll have the owner turn the dog loose and allow it to explore the area. I'll then ask them to get their dog. Inevitably, they begin verbally calling the dog and moving toward the dog. The “disobedient” dog then moves away, and the game of chase begins. Notice that when the pup was taught the verbal command, it was drawn to the person with inviting visual cues; but now, it is driven from the person with pursuing visual cues. The dog changed its behavior inresponse to the human changing its behavior.
If the dog is pursued with sweet, kind verbal communication, it may perceive this as a game. If the dog is pursued with threatening, harsh verbal communication, and is fleeing from perceived danger or trouble, it may conclude that theverbal command is a sign of danger. A worried dog that is fleeing will generally glance back at the pursuer. If the moment it glances back, the pursuer stops and uses inviting tones and body language similar to what was used to train thedog originally, the dog would soon realize that it could stop the pursuit by facing the human. If the dog then came to the enticing communication from the human and was greeted with warmth and kindness, it would soon learn that running was not a good choice, but coming when called was a great idea.
Teaching commands physically before verbally allows you to reinforce them when necessary. (Photo courtesy of Tanner Smedley) Keep Commands Consistent In this example, we can see the confusion a dog experiences when the visual, physical, and verbal commands don't match. In reality, we are often creating the poor behaviors our dogs exhibit—though usually doing so inadvertently.
Let's take the above scenario one step farther. Now, we are in a fenced backyard with our dog. The dog perceives that people walking by are a potential threat to its territory and runs to the fence in an attempt to bark them away. Our first response is to call the dog back. If the dog ignores us, which is common with such distractions, we approach with a voice that communicates displeasure and body language that shows the same. The dog will at some point acknowledgeus. If, at that point, we stop our pursuit and invite the dog to return to us for some praise and affection, the dog will soon realize that we are not pleased with its barking, but we love it when they return to us. This is the same pattern theylearned when they were taught not to run from us. It is built on the three lines of communication we developed with them from the beginning.
Having a Balanced Dog Training Approach When it comes to building a strong ability to interact with our dogs, I recommend systematically teaching the dog each cue or command in all three lines of communication in an effort to keep your training balanced. This benefits our dogs because it helps them fully understand what we want. Dogs naturally observe their environment with all three of these senses, whether we realize it or not. The greatest benefit for teaching in all three lines of communication is that it increases our awareness and helps us learn to use all three lines to send a consistent message to our dogs.
As our communication skills improve and we lead our dogs to experiences they enjoy, our relationship will deepen. We will begin to understand why they are making the decisions they are making and help lead them to decisions that will bring the rewards they want. I know from working through these scenarios with many different dogs that balanced communication is the key to creating behaviors in our dogs that truly make dreams come true, both our dreams and our dogs'.
