# Why shout at your dog



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Here is a little demonstration of how well a dog can hear.
Motley tonight having a bit of play training, actually all his play is constant instruction play.
He doesn't think running after a ball is too much fun without giving him something else to do.


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

Why speak at all, my son has a deaf dog, it quickly understood 20 hand signals.

Terry


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

dghr272 said:


> Why speak at all, my son has a deaf dog, it quickly understood 20 hand signals.
> 
> Terry


Hand signals are also used Terry, good job they are because when Shades hearing went that was the only way he could understand at a distance.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Thats pretty impressive if a bit scary.  I Reckon that dogs got an earpiece in.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I bet if anyone who has a dog tried the same thing on theirs the same thing would happen.

Can you imagine what dogs hear when they are shouted at, nothing but a lot of noise.
Ask anyone with hearing aids what they hear if they are shouted at.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Very nice Jan. Motley looks very happy 


On the subject of visual commands, if you ever watch Crufts obedience competitions you will notice how very still the handlers stand while issuing spoken commands. They are terrified to move a muscle in case the dog "reads" the movement as a different command. Dogs are very good at reading our body language. One trial we used to get people to do is, once the dog understands a command, to turn their back on the dog and use the command. It was hilarious to hear them repeating the command over and over while to dog looked at them in bewilderment. Turn them around and use the same command and the dog would perform as expected. Proof that the dog was reliant on a visual cue rather than a verbal one.


Agility people all recognise this now as even a shoulder dip, from the handler, can send the dog the wrong way.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I haven't shown Motley because he is a show dog or any other sort of dog other than our little super dog. We have never been in competition with any of our dogs, they were just ours, need to know what is acceptable and what isn't. In our years together we have looked after many friends dogs while they went on holiday the dogs that went back were always that little bit more controllable :grin2:
*Edit*

I tell a fib, Brandy 2 a sable and white Sheltie, won £5.00 in a best kept dog competition in the Yorkshire Dales and Kristel a white GSD won a good manners rosette :grin2:


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Hand signals are great because a dog's eyesight can pick them up over a large distance in spite of intervening noises. We use them with Bob constantly.

All shouting does is switch your dog off any desire to respond; dogs do not respond to negative criticism or threats "You bark again and I won't take you for a walk!" type thing......

Given positive rewards and praise means a dog will learn RAPIDLY - or is it actually that the handler LEARNS what the dog can already do.....

Bob has NEVER been taught to round up animals but recently without any prompts rounded up an escaped pet rabbit (and not for lunch) and corralled it in a corner where the person trying to catch it failed three times as the rabbit is faster than my son in law in pjs and slippers at 0430..... Three times the rabbit was corralled and eventually caught and the same happened the following night (before I modified the hutch to prevent Houdini Rabbit repeating it yet again....). Innate ability not taught skills and all without any verbal commands - my daughter and son in law (who's parents have had dogs all his life) were staggered - Bob built up a great friendship with the two rabbits and went to check they were OK each time he went out and they nuzzled through the wire..... Quite interesting to watch the relationship (friendship?) develop.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I have a similar story about a GDS with *his * two rabbits Dave


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Lovely to see such a happy dog. Reminded me of my son's Border Collie, he could catch ball all day!


PS What did you have on the bbq?


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

When our daughter was small our GSDs always "rounded her up" when we went on walks. They were not ever happy unless all the family were "together".

We kept goats at about that time and the dogs learned to play with them rather than herd them. The goats had all butted the dogs when they were pups so they knew the signs that it was best to make a hasty retreat when the goat turned round. This would result in an hilarious game of dog chase goat and then flee when the goat turned round!
One of the GSDs used to allow a kitten to suckle from his man boobs. So lovely to see 

As you say, they learn through reward and kindness. Reprimand just delays the learning as the dog gets anxious and anxiety prevents learning. Ignoring a dog is about as far as I go when I am not happy.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

HermanHymer said:


> PS What did you have on the bbq?


Burnt offerings seeing the flames.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Yep I remember that

We walked the fells and mountains of the Lakes with 6 children 

And Odin was keen to keep them all in check 

As dusk fell he went even futher and rounded up everyone who walked behind us , total strangers , and hastened them down 

And they passed us laughing,” well we won’t get lost on the fells tonight “ 

And in those days he did come with us to the pub for a meal as we were in tents

And was well fed by those he’d hastened down the mountain 

And those who recognised him on the top , and instructed the waiter to save the steak they had left for him , which they did 

Often he wore a white sock covering a bandaged paw 

He scraped on stones in the becks , he liked his bandage 

And he held it up to good effect 

Sometimes we stopped to get out the first aid kit for others and he insisted a non injury was bandaged 

Murmurs of Ahhhh, others well he didn’t look like that running on the mountain today 

He was lucky a dog who knew the Lakeland fells

As were we who walked them

Sandra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Such lovely memories Sandra


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