His command to "cease and desist" whatever activity he is involved in Is "Halt!" rather than "Stop" or Stop it". McCoy's "release" from a previous command is "Free" rather than the "Okay" which is often used. One of the significant things I do, is to use less common words for certain commands. Commands that are intended to interrupt or change an activity when he is occupied (Leave it, Drop it, Halt, etc) pretty much don't allow for visual commands. Most common commands (Come, Sit, Stay, Down, Place, etc) to McCoy are equally effective using voice or visual commands if I have his attention. I use English, heavily reinforced with hand/arm signals. You also don't want the name you choose for your dog to sound somewhat like one of the words you use for a command. Hand signals you will need to use from a distance ("Come", for example) need to be bold and away from your body, instead of in front, so the dog can see them silhouetted from far away. Sometimes you're far enough away he might not hear it all properly, and different tones of voice can be confusing too. You don't want the dog having to guess exactly which you might be saying, especially if the dog turns out to be a fast reactor who starts moving the moment you start to tell him something. "Give" can be different from "Drop it" too.Īnother thing to consider with the words you choose, is whether some of them sound similar. "Leave it" and "Drop it" actually mean two different actions, for example, though sometimes people don't distinguish when all they want is for the dog to stay away from or drop some disgusting thing they are sniffing. And I use different words and body language, including hand signals, if necessary, for a variety of other needs, generally so the dog can distinguish between a formal exact action (like the obedience "Heel", and obedience "Stay") vs other more relaxed activities, like a walk for exercise ("Let's go"), or a relax and hang out in place ("Wait") That is the reason I only use "Come" to mean a formal "come to me and sit in front properly" I use other words and signals when all I want is for the dog to be closer to me and under my control. I don't really think it matters, so long as each command has a distinct well-defined meaning and is never used for other purposes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |