Module 2: Using Your Voice Effectively

2.1 Using Your Voice Effectively

You don’t have to speak the same language to

communicate with another human being – you can

rely on vocal cues and body language to get your

point across. The same is true for when you

communicate with your dog. Dogs don’t process our

human language in the same way as we do, so it’s

not about them learning meaning. Instead, dogs

memorize sounds, and they look for energy level and behavior to determine your meaning.

In training, dogs learn by association. They won’t ever truly understand the word “sit”, but

they will memorize that sound and remember that when you say it and they sit, they are

rewarded. When they hear a word, they associate it with their behavior, your response, and

the overall experience. This is why many dogs become terrified when they hear certain words

like “vet”, “bath”, or “bad” – because they had a negative experience in these situations, and

the words have a negative connotation. You may notice your dog perk up and get excited

when they hear the word “walk”, and it’s the same principle.

Your voice is a powerful tool. To your dog, the sounds you make won’t have much meaning,

but they will definitely recognize your tone. Disappointment, pride, caution – your dog will pick

up on the emotion behind the words. When it comes to training, the way you say words is

more important than the words themselves.

When you always yell at your dog, do they perceive that as yelling? Or just normal

communication? If you are always at one level, your dog will have trouble perceiving your

emotion, and 10 minutes of yelling will lose its effect. Your normal voice should be at a

medium volume, so that if you have to get their attention, they can perceive the change in

volume. Also, similar to humans, your dog will concentrate harder if you are speaker softly. If

you want their attention, lower your volume and make them listen.

2.1.1 Perfecting your Pitch

A high pitch usually expresses happiness and good cheer. When you dog associates this

pitch with your happy energy and behavior, they will perk up and feel happy too. In training,

when you offer words of praise in a higher pitched “happy” voice, this will make your dog feel

like he’s succeeded in making you happy. Praise can be an effective reward, and a great

motivator for your dog to perform during training.

A lower pitch should be used when comforting your dog or trying to calm his energy. The dog

will respond to a soothing voice instead of a loud booming one.

When it comes to pitch, women may have a hard time lowering their pitch, and men may

have difficulty in raising theirs. Practice makes perfect, so just be conscious that you may

have to exaggerate your pitch to get the desired effect.

2.1.2 Getting Your Point Across

Command

You should never yell at your dog, instead you should use a lower volume and lower pitch

when disciplining or correcting behavior. It’s about getting your dog’s attention and keeping

it. Yelling is erratic and confusing, whereas a soft, firm voice commands attention. You will

see that when your dog hears this tone, he will focus on you and stop what he’s doing.

Alert

If you need your dog to stop or respond immediately, use a high pitched and short command

in full volume. If used sparingly, this tone of voice will alert the dog that something is wrong.

If used too often, it will lose its effectiveness, and your dog won’t know how to differentiate

between this and your other vocal commands.

Encounciation

Because many words sound the same, and your dog is just hearing “blah blah blah”, make

sure that you are clear when giving them a command. Exaggerate your pronounciation so

they can clearly distinguish the command from other sounds. Pretend as if you’re speaking

to someone who doesn’t speak English – make the consonants extra crisp and keep vowels

shorter.