How to teach a stubborn dog to speak?

**ParNone** · 10-04-2005, 12:42 PM

I may be misreading this, but it sounds more like your goal is to be able to get him to be quiet, when he's barking too much. And it sounds like that you're almost there on quiet. When you talk to him, he stops barking to look at you. So I would forget Speak and work on Quiet. When he's barking non-stop, say "Quiet", then when he looks at you and stops barking, give him a treat. Gradually increase the quiet time before he gets the treat. You want to make sure there's enough of a delay that he knows he's getting rewarded for quiet, not barking.

Par...

**lv4dogs** · 10-04-2005, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by ParNone

I may be misreading this, but it sounds more like your goal is to be able to get him to be quiet, when he's barking too much. And it sounds like that you're almost there on quiet. When you talk to him, he stops barking to look at you. So I would forget Speak and work on Quiet. When he's barking non-stop, say "Quiet", then when he looks at you and stops barking, give him a treat. Gradually increase the quiet time before he gets the treat. You want to make sure there's enough of a delay that he knows he's getting rewarded for quiet, not barking.

Par...

Well yeah that is part of my goal. My goal is divided into 3 parts all of which are kind of related to each other as far as the reason for teaching the speak command. To teach him when the proper times to bark are, to teach him to be quiet at times & to teach him how to speak just for a cute trick.

I swear he's backwards. I tell him to speak he shuts up & looks at me I tell him to be quiet he just carries on. I've tried other words too like SHHh, soft, easy etc... none of those words get his attention.
It's like he knows that speak means he gets a treat if he does it right but he can't figure it out... yet anyways.

I've been keeping him on a leash in the house so I can distract & redirect him easier and it works but not for long.
He barks constantly when he plays with other dogs & I can't deny him to play with other dogs. I don't mind it cause it's only like twice a day, but it happens early in the morning & although they haven't said anything I'm sure my neighbors don't like that. I can hear him loud & clear outside I know they can too.

**Jessika** · 10-04-2005, 02:26 PM

WELL if he is quiet when you say "speak", then have "speak" be the command to make him quiet!!

Dogs don't know english and just know to associate a sound (or a word to us, since we DO speak english) with an action. lol. Just because you say "sit!" doesn't mean the dog will sit there and think "oh, sit means put my behind on the ground, ok!". I mean you could teach your dog that "sit" really means to fetch, "lay down" means to speak, "speak" means to sit, etc. They're just sounds to them

**lv4dogs** · 10-04-2005, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Jessika

WELL if he is quiet when you say "speak", then have "speak" be the command to make him quiet!!

Dogs don't know english and just know to associate a sound (or a word to us, since we DO speak english) with an action. lol. Just because you say "sit!" doesn't mean the dog will sit there and think "oh, sit means put my behind on the ground, ok!". I mean you could teach your dog that "sit" really means to fetch, "lay down" means to speak, "speak" means to sit, etc. They're just sounds to them

I was thinking of that but with multiple dogs who already know the commands it would be very confusing. I say Speak, Kaige shuts up but Nanook barks.

Besides I say what I mean therefore I wouldn't remember to say speak when I mean for them to be quiet etc.... I'd be confused too.

Besides god forbid but if anything happens to me & he needs to go to another home if I were to train him like that and no one else knew, he'd probably have a hard time finding another home because everyone would think that he is not trained because he isn't listening to the commands. (not saying that I would do that for every command)

**Jessika** · 10-04-2005, 02:44 PM

LOL actually I would find it to be a little humorous. Can you imagine the bewlidered looks on their face when they tell him one command but he does another instead?? LOL

You're right though I was goign to add but forgot to that it would be most confusing to you. BUT PERHAPS introduce a new word to the command to maybe "fix" it?? Like, he's quiet when you say "speak", so say "quiet speak" and eventually wean off saying "speak" so you just have to say "quiet" and he'll obey?

**ParNone** · 10-04-2005, 03:01 PM

Try adding a hand signal to it also. I did that with Gull and I can say anything and as long as I'm doing the hand signal, he'll bark.

Par...

**jackie** · 10-09-2005, 08:16 AM

I have never tried to teach my dogs to speak, so I don't have any real tips for you.

Tito barks like crazy when he is playing with other dogs. All I do is give him a squeaky or a ball to carry around when he is playing and it prevents him from barking. I guess I am lucky he is so ball crazy, once he gets it, he is not letting go for anything!

And my Granny taught her dog to speak by giving him a treat whenever he barked. Then he got to smart for his own good and used to stand next to the treat tin and howl until he got a cookie. He ended up training the rest of us.