Your Tone of Voice Matters To Your Dog!

How you talk to your dog makes all the difference in how he is likely to respond to you

​During a private training session the other day, I was asked a great question! 

As my client's husband was calling his dog over and had repeated "come" a few times in a row, she asked: "Aren't you supposed to only say the cue once?"

This time, I saved her husband. What he did was actually exactly what I would do, mostly... I'll explain

But first, let me ask you this: When you call your dog over to you, is your tone high or low? Do you say it once or repeat it over and over again? 
When you tell your dog to STAY, how is your tone then? How about LEAVE IT? How about when you ask your dog if he "Wants to go for a ride?" Think about how different your tone might be in all those different situations. 

What if you see a loose dog up ahead and you know it's not going to go well if that dog comes running over to your dog - might there be a change in your tone then, too? I think that's reasonable!

But... Did you know that tone makes a huge difference in HOW our dogs respond to us? Ok, maybe you did but I would guess that you might still be underestimating the significance of it.

 The tone of your voice can influence your dog’s response and behavior. Volume matters too. If you are constantly yelling at your dog to stop doing this, or don't do that and your volume is often high, your dog will likely start tuning you out. Then, when something serious happens or you truly need our dog's attention to keep him out of potential danger, you may need to use that "mom voice" or "dad voice" but it won't affect your dog's response. Your dog simply won't be sensitive to the change. 

Ok so here's the deal:

If you want to speed up your dog's response to you - if you want to increase their drive to perform the behavior...
Go for a CHEERFUL TONE:  High pitch, Moderate volume, and feel free to repeat the cue!
... like Here Here Here! or Pup Pup Pup! or Get it Get it Get it! Here's a great example

If you want to stop your dog from doing something, inhibit movement, or slow your dog down...
Go for a a FIRM TONE: Low pitch, Moderate volume, and a single cue that TELLS your dog what to do, it doesn't ASK. And try not to repeat your cue
For example: LEAVE IT. not LEAVE IT? STAY, not STAY? or STAY STAY STAY

If your dog is doing something dangerous or about to do so...
Use a CAUTION TONE: Low OR Sharp Pitch, higher volume than usual. This tone should catch your dog offguard but don't overuse it or it will quickly lose it's effectiveness!

This can make all the difference between a dog who sulks his way over to you when you call him, eventually and the dog who bounces his way happily and cheerfully to you. To each his own, but I would much prefer the eager, bouncy, happy recall response. If you want to build your dog's trust and want him to know that you are worth listening to because you're fun and rewarding, not for fear of not responding, then I would highly recommend that you aim for the same.

Most importantly, know your dog. Some dogs are overly sensitive to specific tones and you may scare your dog or make him avoidance of you. That won't be good for any relationship. And if you're finding that you need to use a firm tone or Caution tone often, it may be time to start thinking about how you can insert more playfulness and positive reinforcement into your day to day life with your dog

And to the men out there, yes, you can get that high pitch going too!

If you need more help finding that playful side of training, so the process doesn't feel like so much work, check out my Canine Homeschooler Academy - A membership to help you teach your dog through games and play at home!