Dog Community

Learning "SPEAK" command, being difficult

Posted : 3/27/2006 8:36:30 PM

Well hello everyone, I've been trying to train my dog to speak for about a year now with no results!

I've read a bunch of guides that say try to make him frustrated, keeping treats away from him, making him jealous, and going out and giving him the command then reward if i hear him barking.

My problem is my dog is a big ol sissy and doesn't bark at ANY of my friends that come over, and he doesn't get frustrated to the point where he will bark for a treat or toy!

He does bark at the neighbors and anytime I hear him do it I run out there with one of his favorite treats, a piece of hotdog, and say say "SPeak", he comes to me and stops barking, I give him the treat and say "Good Speak" and keep praising him but still after a year he's not speaking on command.

I've taught him other commands, just the basics.
Any suggestions?

jennie_c_d

Posted : 3/27/2006 8:40:30 PM

I did just what you said. When the dog started barking, I said, "GOOD SPEAK" and fed her a couple of treats. I did this several times, then I grabbed some treats and asked her to speak. She got frustrated enough, and barked at me. "Good speak!!!!" and more treats. It took less than a day, but she's a verbal dog.

Register Scout

Posted : 3/27/2006 9:01:23 PM

thanks jennie, that was quick! hehe

my dog isn't too verbal, he will like i said bark at the neighbors all the time, and he doesn't get frustrated either, when i'm keeping the treat away from him, after about 10-15 minutes he'll just go lay down and not care anymore.

jetty

Posted : 3/28/2006 10:53:51 AM

[font=arial]Have you tried clicker training? Sometimes having an obvious marker helps![/font]
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[font=arial]Since you mention that he stops barking and comes to you for a treat when you say "good speak", he might be getting rewarded for the wrong behaviour - ie: stop barking, go to you for a treat. It sounds like your voice and maybe even your presence, distracts him from barking? So I would just toss him a treat wordlessly. Just be a silent treat dispenser until he is barking and looking for a treat. Then add the command.[/font]
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[font=arial]If you were playing fetch or tug and ran away with toy, would he whine/bark?[/font]
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[font=arial]What do you feed him? If he's just on kibble, maybe adding a bit of wet food and letting him smell it would get him excited? My dog gets very vocal if I make him his dinner, then leave the room and don't give it to him right away. Also,when I cook up some meat for his treats and leave it out to cool, he gets very vocal![/font]
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[font=arial]Good luck![/font]

loveukaykay

Posted : 3/28/2006 2:10:16 PM

The fist time I told Kayla to speak she looked at me like I was crazy, I just kept saying it until she barked and then said good girl and all that. Every time I said speak after that for the rest of her life, she barked... lol, it took ONE time, but she was really smart. And evenually it turned into more of a low pitch longer lasting growly bark thing instead of just a quick bark, like she had figured out exactly how to do it. She had fun doing that one.

Maybe youc an just keep his attention and keep saying it until he makes some sort f fustrated noise and work from there if hes not very vocal.

Ruth

Posted : 3/29/2006 11:39:05 AM

Does your dog bark at the doorbell? If so that is a good way to trigger him to bark. You can buy CDs that have doorbell sounds, and I think you can also buy a device that will make your own doorbell so it works on remote control.

pumaward

Posted : 4/3/2006 6:11:26 AM

Maddi's also very vocal, I can't get her to be quiet for the life of me. But, when she was a puppy, she was a lot more quiet.

I use a different command, "Tell me," I don't know if it would make a difference in training your dog. I also get very excited when I give the command, like it's something really cool. If I don't animate myself, Maddi won't do it for me [

].

Have you tried barking yourself, at your dog? It might elicit him to bark back at you, and then you could work your "speak" command into it.

spiritdogs

Posted : 4/3/2006 6:42:59 AM

I would try jetty's advice. Capturing is a great way to train a dog to bark, even if it does take a little longer, and it sounds like you have simply captured the wrong behavior.