[nagdu] Defiant poodles running away from corrections

Wed Jun 24 11:55:10 UTC 2015

Hey there, Raven,
Thank you for your reply. Although I do use a happy-go-lucky tone of voice when I call her to me, like you mentioned, it may be my body language or my facial expression. So, I will start trying to use the sound cues instead of my Voice, and I like the fact that that sound stays the same no matter what my mood is. Thank you very much.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 23, 2015, at 9:47 PM, Raven Tolliver via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> Dogs don't just intuitively know that they're in trouble. They are
> able to assess this by your tone of voice and your body language. That
> is what dogs rely on most, probably more than words themselves.
> Part of getting your dog to come to you reliably is using a consistent
> command. By consistent, I mean consistent in pitch, tone, and the word
> used. So if you train your dog to come to you with a higher pitch and
> delighted tone of voice, which most people do and should, then of
> course, your dog will respond to that. However, when you have a
> scolding tone and a lower pitch, indicating anger, danger, threat, and
> a sense of urgency, then you are warding your dog off. That word
> doesn't mean the same thing in a different tone of voice.
> I'm not saying you shouldn't be firm with your dog. Some dogs need a
> firm tone of voice to understand you mean business. But being firm and
> being threatening are two different things. And you have to establish
> that difference with your dog. A dog will come to know the difference
> according to what usually happens in association with your particular
> tone of voice at the time.
> I know it is hard to be cool and calm when your dog is getting on your
> nerves or being naughty, but you don't want to alarm your dog or send
> them the message that punishment is coming, or  something rewarding is
> being removed. That is a reason to play keep away, and doesn't
> motivate your dog to come running to you when you call.
> And I shouldn't have to say this, but never yell at your dog. It
> happens to all of us, we get mad because they've done something dumb
> or annoying, and we yell. Okay. But don't make a habit out of it. Dogs
> usually respond to yelling by keeping away from you. It raises the
> sense of alarm, panic, and excitement, so it doesn't compel your dog
> to listen to anything your saying. In my experience, dogs are more
> receptive to a quieter voice, whether you choose to be gentle or firm.
> Another thing you can do is use sound cues instead of verbal cues.
> This means that rather than using your voice which changes with your
> mood, use some sound, the clicker, snapping your fingers, clicking
> your tongue, whistling, ringing a bell, whatever. Preferably, a sound
> that isn't super common. A former friend of mine uses the clicker to
> call her dog. She just clicks it 3 times in rapid succession, and her
> dog returns to her.
> I've taught many dog owners the trick of the sound cue because it is
> far more reliable and consistent than your voice. The dog will only
> associate rewards with that sound, and so they will have a better
> response to it.
> I personally snap my fingers twice, and the Golden Guy comes running.
> I trained him to obey this sound cue from the 1st day I got him. In my
> dorm at GEB, I would just snap twice if he walked into the bathroom or
> sniffed around the garbage. This sound was distinct enough to get his
> attention, and when he paid attention, I rewarded him with treats.
> My father used the double snap with my siblings and I as children, and
> it still works. It is a simple sound that no one questions. It means,
> "let's go," and when you here it, you go. The same works for my dog:
> he hears me snap twice, and he comes. Sometimes, I might have to do it
> 2 or 3 times, but it works 9 times out of 10.
> 
> Your body is also more tense when you are angry, obviously. Dogs see
> that. They also check out your facial expression, the position of your
> hands, and your posture. Are you leaning forward? Crouching? Standing
> straight? Are your hands at your sides? Outstretched with palms
> upward? Outstretched with palms facing downward? Are you gritting your
> teeth? Are you showing teeth? Are your lips quivering?  All of those
> things matter, and as your dog gets to know you, they know what your
> body language is according to your mood. Be conscientious of that.
> -- 
> Raven
> Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
> www.1am-editing.com
> 
> You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
> have or what you do.
> 
> Naturally-reared guide dogs
> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
> 
>> On 6/23/15, Applebutter Hill via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Kerri,
>> Go back on leash. Coming to you isn't optional.
>> Donna & Hunter
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kerri Stovall
>> via
>> nagdu
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 12:11 PM
>> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
>> Cc: Kerri Stovall
>> Subject: [nagdu] Defiant poodles running away from corrections
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> As most of you may know, my husband and I both received poodles from Pilot
>> Dogs back in April. We have just begun to let them off leash in the house
>> as
>> of a couple weeks ago, and I do know that this is just the beginning of
>> their learning process for house manners. So, my question is this. How can
>> we keep them from running from us when they know we are unhappy with their
>> behavior. Here's a little of an idea of what's happening. As I now
>> understand more fully, poodles are barkers, and they will bark at anything
>> they hear or see that they are interested in, so pulling shades down
>> doesn't
>> work because the shades are already down, but they bark mostly at audible
>> noises, like the air conditioning unit rattling or something like that.
>> It's
>> not every minute or anything like that, but it's often enough and they keep
>> it up long enough to get to interfering with things. So when we tell them
>> quiet several times and it doesn't work, then we will try calling them to
>> us, but of course they know they are not behaving so they run the opposite
>> way, even if the word no is used for other things than barking, any kind of
>> misbehaving they will run away from us when we want to call them to us to
>> distract them. They also will try to play with us by jumping around just
>> out
>> of reach, when they know we are unhappy with them. So I'm wondering, is it
>> time to go back on leash for a while? I want to be able to do instant
>> corrections or whatever else I can do with my dog, and I'm not sure if Lee
>> will be up for it, but I hope so, so that he can get a handle on it. They
>> are stellar dogs when they're apart, but when together their come command
>> needs a lot of work because alb they want to do is play. lol.  Now my dog,
>> she will still run away from me even when Lee isn't home or when his dog is
>> elsewhere in the house, if she knows that I'm about to get onto her for
>> something. I never correct her for coming to me though, I make sure the
>> come
>> command is always rewarded instead of corrected. But I just want her to
>> come
>> to me so that I can distract her from whatever she's doing wrong. Any help
>> would be great. Thank you to all.
>> Kerri and Sadie
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
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>> 
>> 
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