Betty has a Boston Terrier puppy who she is taking to AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy classes. “She’s doing pretty good,” Betty told me. ”She’s good in class, but at home, there are a few things we need to work on. She gets on the couch and when I say, ‘Down,’ she just looks at me and lays down.”
I explained to Betty that if “Down” meant “lay down” in class, she needed to use another word such as “Off” to mean “Get off the sofa.”
I told her about this AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy story that was sent to the Canine Good Citizen department from the owner of a German Wirehaired Pointer puppy:
“I was teaching my German Wirehaired Pointer puppy the word, “Down,” in puppy classes. One afternoon, I came out of my home office and found my dog standing in the middle of the dining room table. He was looking out the window and watching birds. Wanting him to get off the table, I emphatically said, “DOWN!” So, he looked at me and laid down, right in the middle of the table. He did exactly what I told him to do. It was a good lesson for me about choosing my words wisely when it comes to talking to my puppy.”
Have you seen situations where the owner’s choice of words or movements confuses the dog?
AKC's Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Director, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
‘Sit Down’ is another one — the dog can’t accomplish two physically different positions at the same time – so he/she does neither –
when I took my first ‘obedience’ class a 100 years ago our instructor used ‘CHARGE’ for ‘down’ — his theory to elimate the dog responding to a handler in an adjoining ring — but I’ve always stuck with ‘uncommon’ words — words not commonly used in daily conversations with people [or with the dog!] for instructional words.
Another common confusion of words is to get “off” or “down” when the person really means don’t jump on them. If they say “down” then the dog really should lie down if that’s the word they used to teach that. With the word “off”, it can mean don’t jump with time but it tells the dog what not to do instead of what to do. So it may take longer for the dog to learn not to jump by using the word “off”. Instead, the dog is more likely to learn “not to jump” quicker if the person uses the word sit when the dog approaches. If the dog is sitting, they can’t be jumping.
I realized I was confusing my dog using the word “stay” when I intended to walk away and then call him to me! Now I use “stay” if I want him to stay put until I return. I use “wait” if I intend to call him to me, or if I want him to wait until I get down the stairs or through the door!
It’s hard to remember that dogs just don’t understand human language – words, that is. But they do respond well to our body language, which is why so often our dogs eventually figure it out, in spite of our mixed up communication. But lets make it as easy as possible, and keep things simple and – most important of all – consistent. I use “off” in a way that means “four on the floor”, and “down” means to lie down. “Wait” means to hold your position in space, no matter the body position, while “stay” means to not move from whatever body position you are in at the moment of the command. This consistency will help you both. Clicker training is a super method for teaching these rather loosely translated behaviors, because you can use the clicker to mark the exact position that you want without confusing the dog through inconsistent body language and words. Shaping behavior with a clicker is very fast, and gives the dog instant feedback, always helpful.
In my class the owners usually begin by using the words “come on” when they actually mean “let’s go” for a walk. Then when trying to teach “come” the dog can become confused. We try to emphasis the difference between “let’s go”, “heel” and “come”.
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Words of wisdom for those who are new to dog training, dog behavior, or are just youngsters, as I was when I taught my first three rescued and boisterous pit bulls “Okay!” as a release command. I cannot tell you how many times six ears, twelve legs and three gleefully gaping maws would launch, in unison, off their beds and into the laps of unsuspecting houseguests who had just innocently uttered the word in pleasant conversation. As you might imagine, this not only came as a shock to said guests, but also to the three canine missles who were NOT rewarded for their swift and exuberant execution of, what was in their doggie minds, a command to come and join the after-dinner discourse…
20 years later, I am still rescuing, training, and re-homing it bulls, but my release command is now quite a bit less common!