Pet Commands

Discussion in 'Pets and Animals' started by Irminsul, Jan 28, 2017.

  1. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    :) thank you. i think the most thing i am proud of is our dog is a bit of a brat when he wants to be and always hyper excited and i think we have done well teaching him and training him. yes every now and again we get frustrated with something he spontanesouly does, usually on walks towards dogs or bikes.. but i would really hate to see what another owner may be like because some people have no idea, I can very much imagine our boy being a problem dog to less reliable or new owners.

    there are some german shepherds who are house dogs and they are nice and peaceful but our boy needs a lot of work and walks and attention lol. he would rip the house apart in frustration to get outside. i am so very appreciative that we got him too. we love his ADHD character. it's so him, it had to be that way lol. from the moment we met him, named him, when he bit me on the floor in the first 10 seconds i knew he might be a handful, and he is but i couldnt imagine him being any different lol. he still has that cheeky face we first met almost 3 years ago. we can read him like a book, we have studied his behaviour, his barks and noises, his facial expressions. we stand at the window with running commentary about what he'll do next and we are never wrong. :D

    in trying to learn his voice, he isn't a very vocal dog and he whinges more than he growls when he does express himself. a lot of people have said, oh he doesn't have a deep bark or that he's female because he barks like a girl... but that bark in particular is a " come play with me bark" always directed at another dog.

    I believe i have learned the following expressions and voices from him with clear distinction;

    The excited bark: This is a highest pitch of the deep bark. usually comes in twos or threes in quick succession.

    The warning bark: Generally starts with a 1-2 second growl, but then the proper warning. Mostly always he barks twice. One to say don't come any close, and one for good measure.

    The "okay I'm going in" bark: This is pretty much the mix between the excited and the warning, but a lot of deep growling in between.

    The playful bark: Almost like the excited bark, but in a higher pitch. With other dogs though, he will almost seem to push air out of his lungs as he barks, giving him a much girly bark. He is telling the other dog he wants to play. this is what he first did when we took him to meet other dogs as a puppy and that's what he's done ever since, it's just his way of letting another dog know he is friendly and wants to play. of course the loudness of this bark, although high pitched can and is often intimidating to others. other shepherd owners on the other hand, think it's a girls bark lol.

    The anxious voice: When he is anxious there is a lot of whistle blowing through his nose, his mouth is shut but he remains very vocally frustrated and worried,

    The frustrated voice: This is louder than the anxious with higher pitched squealing as he tries to remain between being anxious and giving a warning. Frustration is mostly bought on by us teasing him by tapping a him on front back paws and he's too slow to catch us with his mouth, or that he knows if he does he will get in trouble anyway lol. Also when we are teaching him something new, he can get frustrated if he doesn't understand.Also, will give you puppy do eyes.

    The what's wrong voice: Is a different squeal from the nose, almost like us as humans letting out a big sigh, is also accompanied by the infamous head tilt. There is genuine worry in the dogs eyes he knows something isn't right. he either feels it, sees the body language or maybe he smells the stress. Or all three.

    Well that's 6. lol. I think i read somewhere there's about 7 stand-out vocalizations a shepherd will use as direct communication. So when i hear him speak, i know he's trying to tell me something.
     
  2. Astray

    Astray Visitor

    Learnt dog training from my ex-wife (Dee). She has, with her dogs, won many dog obedience championships in Australia. She also trained horses.

    Some tips:
    • Single word commands eliminate confusion. "Sit down" is confusing to the dog, they will look at you as if to say: "Which is it, 'Sit' or 'Down' "?
    • German is the best language to train dogs. They respond to it better than English. The reason being is that German vocabularly has many words that sound harsh _ like growling and barking.
    • French is the best language to train horses. They respond best to words that are soft, singy-song type vocabulary.
    • Obedience training also includes hand signals, in case voice commands cannot be heard. Often dogs respond to hand signals faster.
      • Some micro-hand signals can be taught which only the dog can see (like behind your back). Dee could control a German Shepherd to growl when she clenched her hand behind her back. The dog, at heal, sits slightly back from her side, and can see the command. The person giving Dee a hard time suddenly becomes fearful of the German Shepherd.
    • Dogs need a leader. If there is none, then they take on the role seriously. Before training the dog properly, the dog first has to relinquish leadership to the dog handler. This often requires tough-love, without compromise, to show how is boss. It has to be fair to the dog, or it will lose respect. Then it will take much longer to win leadership.
    • Never give your dog food treats for doing things correctly. This is called cupboard love. Instead, reward them a hug.
    • To train a dog, you must think like a dog. Must also think about dog pack mentallity. Study their behaviours and the way they communicate with each other, especially between leader and underlings.
    • Never hit a dog! They do not understand that. The pack leader does not hit underlings. They growl and sometimes grab them by the neck and give a growl and a shake. Underlings understand that very clearly.
    • Always spend some time playing with the dog after drill training.
    • Dogs are easy to train. Often it is harder to train the owner to be pack leader and to think like a dog.
    • Dogs cannot choise their owners but they can choice their leaders.
    • Dogs leading their owner on the lead are clearly the pack leader. To the dog, they are taking the owner for a walk.
    • The smartest dogs have a mental capacity of a four year old child. Most dogs have less capacity. So never expect a dog to think like a grown human.
    • Dogs sense fear in a person. Don't be fearful with your dog - it's not the pack leader thing to do. Or your dog may start thinking of taking over the leadership (again).
    • Turn your dog into a pet instead of a pest.
    • Dogs love obedience training. It gives them a sense of purpose and they learn new things. The more they learn the easier to teach them.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 17, 2018
    GLENGLEN, Irminsul and Moonglow181 like this.
  3. peewatcher

    peewatcher Banned

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    My family found that after their dog was fixed he was easier to train.

    But we do give him lots of food rewards.

    We trained him to shake paws.

    He needed to sit stay and shake paws.
    Once he lifted his paw lots of praise.
     
  4. Sparkle Princess

    Sparkle Princess Members

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    Mine is gorgeous and he always gives me his paw.
     
  5. My cat will purr on command
     

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