Say It Once!

We often hear students repeating "sit-sit-Sit-Sit-SIT!" or "stayyyyy-stayyyyy-stayyyy" or "Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!" etc. 

Often the cues become louder and are repeated very slowly as if we were talking to someone in a foreign language and volume could help make them understand.

It is as if we do not believe that our dogs (who have rather good hearing) can hear what they are saying.

Humans are built for the languages of words. Our brains are wired for incredibly complex networked communication using verbal and written language. 

From the Dog's Perspective
Dogs just don't perceive language the way we do and If someone does not understand your language, repeating a word more times will not help them learn it.

For example, if I say the word Tango to you one hundred times would that help you learn to dance the tango? How about if I said calculus a few thousand times would you be a math genius? If I came over to your house and said "Clean your house!" a few dozen times would you stop everything and clean your house or would you think I was very annoying?

Say it Once
A person who is repeating cues all of the time, will end up with a dog who will learn to wait until you are finished speaking to do the task. In essence you would be training your dog to ignore the first cues and wait for the last cue. 

What Can We Do?
What can we do about all the repeated cues? First we need to recognize that we are repeating things over and over. Being aware will help you take the first steps. We can now focus on becoming more patient with our training. Then we can grab our treat bags and start working with our dogs and make sure we have their attention first. Start with fewer distractions if we do not have attention. Say the cue once and wait patiently to see if they will respond. We might be waiting 30 seconds or more at first. When they do sit or whatever we have asked, then mark it with a verbal marker like "Yes!" and then move our hand to deliver a treat.

Motivation
We often blame the dogs for being stubborn or not listening. I generally think that the dog is just not motivated. Dogs are opportunists, just like we are. Whatever rocks their boat is a motivator not just food but toys, play, praise, touch, movement, freedom, sniffing, swimming or whatever works for them.

Over time, we can start saving our words for cues and sincere praise. Realizing that constant chatter obscures really important communication. By all means use your voice but use it to cue and praise at the right time.

Proactive vs. Reactive
We can also start using words to proactively tell our dogs what to do instead of reactively scolding, correcting, and telling them what not to do. 

For example, If you asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner and I said "not hamburger" that would not be helpful. You wouldn't know what groceries to buy or which recipe to follow to make "not hamburger". However if I said I'd like to have Annie's macaroni and cheese, you'd know exactly what to buy and how to cook it.

To help your dog, teach them what to do. Have them practice sit until they can do it with distractions and then when a person is approaching you can say "sit!" instead of "no jumping!".

Training is a process. During the journey we are learning almost as much as the dog in how to better communicate so we can have happier lives together. I hope this helps you have a richer relationship with your dog.