How to Talk to Your Dog

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I am trying to get Wolfie to sit.  I say "Sit!  Sit, Wolfie, sit!  Come on you crazy dog, put your bottom down on the ground!  OK Wolfie, now I am getting mad, SIT SIT SIT!"  Hes not doing it....

Ya think so!  You have run head long into a big difference in the way we communicate and the way Wolfie communicates.  We have words, languages, punctuation, synonyms, antonyms, abbreviations, and a whole lot of other ways we verbally communicate.  We can describe the same item or action in multiple ways that we all understand and can agree upon.

Wolfie does not have "all those verbals" that we have.  Wolfie does not have the dictionary where the same word might have multiple meanings and a list of ten other words that mean the same thing.  All Wolfie has are the sounds and tones that come out of his mouth.  We might call it barking, yipping, or growling.  That is all Wolfie has when he wants to communicate verbally with other dogs, other animals, and us.

In order to verbally communicate with Wolfie, we first have to understand that words are simply sounds and for a sound to be understood, that sound can only have one, unique meaning.  For us, this could be equivalent an emergency vehicles siren.  We hear that siren and we know that there is an emergency vehicle in our close proximity.  We look for the vehicle and make sure it can pass.  The unique sound of the siren invokes a unique response from us.

That is how Wolfie verbally communicates.  So if we want to have Wolfie sit, we must have a unique sound that will always elicit Wolfie putting his bottom on the ground.  Most people use "Sit".  This means that you will only say "Sit" once when you want him to sit.  Do not say "Sit, sit, sit, sit" because that is now a different sound. 

So remember, you must use unique sounds with Wolfie to have him understand you.   For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida. "