“What is the best word to get my dog to __________ (insert behavior here)?” This is a question we often get asked. My answer to that question is, “The words do not matter.” I say this because they don’t. Dogs do not understand English, Spanish, or any other language. They associate the sounds we make with our mouths, (we call them words) with certain actions that have been rewarded (or punished) in the past. When we ask a dog to “Sit”, they associate that sound with their butt on the ground and a treat or a hearty, “Good boy!” as a result. We could just as easily teach a dog to place their butt on the ground when they hear the word “Orange.” The word itself does not matter. What does matter is how you say the word and what it is associated with. The sound we use for behavior should be clear, distinct, and most importantly, consistent so our dogs can learn more easily. If one day I use the word “Sit” but the next day I say, “Orange” that dog will get confused and have no idea what you are trying to communicate. Try your best to be consistent with whatever sounds you choose to use.
Another important piece is what we use our words for. For example, people often tell their dog “Down!” when he gets up on something he is not welcome to get on, like a couch or bed. But then the human will also use the word “Down” to ask the dog to lie down on the ground. Which is the correct meaning of the word? We humans have many words that have multiple meanings that we understand from their context among other words. If you are going to have words that mean different things, they should be different words so our dogs better understand what we are asking. It is amazing how smart and fast our dogs can learn when we are clear in our communication with words.
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