Using Command Words in Verbal Reinforcement

The following is a “Pass Along” newsletter article from the Just Labs magazine.
Pass Along JL
November 2011

Using Command Words in Verbal Reinforcement
By Stephen C. Rafe

Sign up to receive a no-obligation issue of Just Labs magazine. Visit Traditionally, you would give a dog a command, the dog would obey the command, and you would praise him. And usually your praise would go something like: “Good dog,” or, “Good boy,” or, “Good Spike.”

Since the dog’s species, gender, and name have no relationship with the command, they provide the dog with no useful information. The only word that has value as a reinforcer is “good.” Thus you could eliminate all three and still get the same reinforcing benefits.

However, if you follow “good” with the same word you used as your command – “sit” – you are letting the dog know specifically what it just did that was good. You are making it possible for him to associate the action or behavior with the reinforcer. Let’s use “sit” as our example.

You tell the dog to “sit.” The dog sits. You say, “Good sit.” The result is that the dog learns that the “sit” was what was you liked.

You can use this technique with any command. In fact, experience shows that you should do so. Dogs that are trained this way learn faster and better and are more enthusiastic in their responses. Part of the reason is that this technique makes your expectations more clear to the dog, which reduces stress that could, if severe, inhibit learning. Another part of the reason this works is because the person doing the training tends to start using the command word in the same pleasant voice as the praise word. When this develops into a habit, even the trainer becomes more relaxed and confident when giving commands.

Always give the dog a verbal “release” after he has completed whatever you have commanded him to do. That will prevent him from developing the habit of “walking off” a command whenever it suits him. Avoid using “okay” as your release, though: We use the word too often in conversation, and the dog might pick up on it in error. Instead, consider using “all right” and drag it out a bit longer than you would in a conversation. This release accomplishes the same thing without the same risk and works better than most other options.

The bottom line is that using the command word in the verbal reinforcer makes the trainer’s expectations clearer to the dog, produces better results, helps the trainer become more confident, and makes the process friendlier for both. Ender

Steve has more than 30 years experience in training bird dogs and training owners and trainers to work with their dogs. He is the author of “Whoa-Train Your Dog to Performance Levels,” “Train Your Dog to Retrieve,” and numerous other manuals and the developer of Starfire’s “Gunshy Cure System.”

Tags: bird dog training, dog training, training commands