So often, it is tempting to say things repeatedly - over and over and over and over again (redundantly) - to the dog. It is verbal nagging. And sometimes the dog ignores you, until your face reaches that nice crimson colour. Then, the dog knows it is time to obey. Elizabeth Gredley, an author, editor and obviously a dog person, has a wonderful article about this topic. She is gracious in allowing DogReader to reprint her work. My thanks to Elizabeth for this wonderful contribution and now, in Elizabeth’s own words…

Catherine Forsythe

“For What It’s Worth” by Elizabeth Gredley

I have one of those dogs who’s wonderfully obedient on a leash, but unsnap the leash, and you’d think she was deaf.

A German shepherd with the attitude of a golden retriever, Persephone loves to play. To give you an idea, she’s ten years old and still chases her tail. She may have the presence of a German shepherd, but she’s a clown at heart.

We live on a country property with several horses. Sephie thinks it’s fun to chase the horses, so while I’m bringing them into the barn at night, I put her into an empty stall out of the way. Usually she follows the routine. I open the stall door and in she goes. Sometimes though, she gets a certain look in her eye and heads in the opposite direction.

One of the rules of dog training is not to repeat a command. If you do, you’re just training your dog to ignore you.

I know that, and yet what do you do if your dog is off leash and doesn’t respond? A couple of weeks ago, after thirty years of dogs, obedience classes, training books and work experience, I suddenly understood that advice. An epiphany, I think they call it.

I called Seph to “Come out the way,” which means to go into the stall. She headed into the pasture instead.

I was about to repeat the command, when I stopped myself. No. Only say it once. Instead, I banged a bucket to get her attention and looked at her. Then I waited. She paused to look at me, then continued on her way. I made another non-human noise. Again she stopped and returned my gaze.

This process continued for about five minutes. Sometimes I had to walk toward her to keep her in my sights, but I never broke my gaze. And I waited. Suddenly, she came trotting into the stall as if responding to my original request. I had spoken to her only once.

The next few times, the lapse between command and response grew shorter, and now it’s been several weeks since she ignored a “Come” command. It’s as if a switch has been turned on – in both of us. I no longer repeat myself. She now listens almost as well outside as she does in the house or on a leash.

Only say a command once. I can’t believe it took me all those years to really understand that simple rule.

[tags]dogs, training, verbal commands, obedience training, nagging[/tags]