Getting dog to Speak

[Toni Abernethy]

I was wondering if anyone might have any suggestions as to how I can get Candy to speak to me when she wants to go out.

If she would just make some kind of a noise; bark, moan, soft growl or something, that would be a better clue for going out. I even tried ringing the door bell repeatedly to get her to bark but that didn't even phase her. I have gotten down on the floor and barked, growled, and howled at her and all she does is tip her head thinking what a nut I am. Candy is 7 mo old and can bark when SHE WANTS TO but not when I NEED HER TO.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Toni

[Todd]

Hi there and thanks for the post.

Getting a dog to speak is one of the hardest things to teach your dog to do.

The best way i have had luck in doing it is this. Try and get Candy very very excited. Most dogs will bark eventually when they get excited. When she does start barking give her the command you want her to learn to bark to.

Keep saying it over and over as she is barking. When she stops get her more excited again and give the command.

This will take a great deal of time and repetition to get her to get the idea. It is often hard for the dog to learn barking when you move from getting them excited to just with the command.

Give her time to learn. This is a great topic for everyone else out there to chuck in some ideas about.......

good luck

Todd

[Toni Abernethy]

Hi Todd,

Thanks for your reply. Your idea of getting the dog excited is great except that nothing I do gets her excited in that way. However, before I saw your reply, I was sitting at the computer and suddenly there was a bark behind me. Immediately I said Speak and Out at the same time and headed for the back door where Candy is teathered for outdoor duties. I had been trying beforehand to get her to speak by saying speak and me barking whenever we went to the door to go out. Apparently it finally sunk in and she has done it several times. She doesn't do it everytime, so I still have to anticipate her wants, but at least she did do it. So I will still need to keep saying speak and out to try to reinforce the command in her mind. Again, thanks for your reply.

Toni

[mickeyd35]

Hi Toni,

I don't know if you have had any luck getting your dog to speak yet, but we were having the same trouble with our Labradoodle puppy. He would go to the door but if no one saw hime then he would just go to the bathroom there.
I asked about teaching him to bark at obedience school and they gave me this suggestion instead.

Purchase a large bell of some type (I bought a cow bell) and tie it to a rope and hang it from the door handle. Every time you take the dog out to do it's bussiness take it's paw and ring the bell and eventually it will ring the bell on its own to let you know it needs to go out.

It took a few weeks because at first it looked like a fun toy to him but our puppy now rings the bell when ever he needs out.

Good Luck

Michelle